He told Europe 1 radio that he had performed the ceremony, which came less than three months after they were said to have first met, and less than four months after Mr Sarkozy divorced his second wife Cecilia.

'The bride wore white, she was ravishing as usual,' said the mayor. 'The groom wasn't bad either.'

Mr Sarkozy, 53, and supermodel-turned-singer Ms Bruni, 40, were married in the presence of close family and friends, he added. Describing it as a historic occasion - 'the first time in the history of the Republic that a president has gotten married in office' - Mr Lebel said about 20 people were present.

Another French radio station RTL also reported the marriage, quoting several witnesses, while Italian news agency ANSA quoted Ms Bruni's mother Marisa Borini as confirming that the wedding had taken place.

The President's office, however, did not confirm the reports.

RTL quoted Mrs Bernadette Chirac, wife of former president Jacques Chirac, as saying: 'I want to express all my best wishes to this new household. She is very, very beautiful.'

The couple had gone public with their whirlwind courtship, but maintained that any wedding would be a private affair.

The wedding was the third for Mr Sarkozy, who has three children, and the first for Ms Bruni, an Italian-born heiress. She has a young son, Aurelien, from a previous relationship.

Reuters, AFP, AP