In the age of celebrity, it seems like every public personality goes big with their weddings. From Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra’s multiple nuptial celebrations spanning two separate continents, to Kimye’s $2.8 million wedding in Italy, celebrities know how to party hard.
While some prefer to splash out on their big day, others desire a more low-key, understated experience. These famous couples decide to ditch the dramatics in favour of an intimate elopement.
Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas:
This cute couple surprised fans when they got hitched after the 2019 Billboard Music Awards in a Las Vegas chapel. The shock ceremony was attended by the other Jonas brothers and DJ Diplo, who live-streamed the nuptials via Instagram.
In another non-traditional move, the coupled exchanged ring pops instead of wedding bands.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0I_yeqhycx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
John Legend and Chrissy Tiegen:
Before their lavish Lake Como wedding, this hilarious couple actually eloped and got married at a New York City courthouse in 2013. Their reasoning behind the elopement, however, was more necessary than romantic.
“We are dumb and didn’t realise that our Italian wedding would not be recognised unless we had a real ceremony in New York City,” Chrissy told E!News.
They have been happily married for six years and have two children.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BydurFhl5Ji/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Kristen Bell & Dax Shepard
Following their 2009 engagement, Shepard and Bell married at the Beverly Hills County Clerk’s office in 2013. The four year wait was purposeful. The couple vowed that they wouldn’t marry until same-sex marriage was legalised in the US.
Six years and two kids later, this couple’s marriage is as low-key and loving as ever.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B35B631JWdd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Jessica Alba & Cash Warren
A heavily pregnant Jessica Alba walked down the Beverly Hills Courthouse aisle to marry Cash Warren back in 2008. Both were casually dressed for the occasion, with Alba in a long blue dress and ponytail and Warren in a white shirt and brown pants. Who said you need to dress up to get married?
They have now been married for 11 years and have three children.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxqwd-Hl8MN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Sacha Baron Cohen & Isla Fisher
Known for their over-the-top humour, Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher went interestingly understated with their nuptials. They married in Paris in 2010 with only six guests in attendance. Their guests didn’t even know about the wedding until the day.
“It [was] very important to me to have a beautiful ritual celebrated with my family and friends. And when you are in the public eye, to keep that private and to make it happen without it being really visible is really difficult,” Fisher said about the wedding.
Nine years and three kids later, their marriage is still going strong.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsV7_4dhivp/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Kelly Ripa & Mark Consuelos
Hollywood’s most loved up couple got married on a whim. A year into dating, All my Children co-stars Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos randomly got engaged over pizza and wine. The very next day they set off to Vegas for a shotgun wedding on May 1, 1996.
They have been married for 23 years and have three children.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuT7a5VBcuW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green:
Fox and green wed in an intimate, sunset ceremony on June 24 on an Hawaaiian beach. Their sole witness was son, Kassius, Green’s son, who also acted as his father’s best man. Fox wore an Armani Privé gown featuring a 16-ft. (4.88 metre) train.
Their marriage has had its ups and downs. After five years of marriage and two children, they separated and filed for divorce in 2015, citing irreconcilable differences. However, a year later they seemingly reconciled and had their third child.
“Some people look at divorce or things not working as, like, a disappointment and it’s not,” green said in an interview. “The fact that it worked at all is a positive. We have three amazing kids. We’ve had and we have a great relationship. We’re just taking it day by day.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/tW5p8HJl6T/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Jordan Peele and Chelsea Peretti:
Get Out director Jordan Peele and actress Chelsea Peretti have always been low-key with their relationship and their wedding was no different. They eloped to the mountains without breathing a word about it to anyone. Their only wedding guest: their pet dog.
“We went to Big Sur, ever heard of it?” she joked on late night talk show, Conan. “It’s beautiful—oceans, mountains. We were married by a woman named Soaring, like soaring above the clouds, and our dog was there, and that was it. No guests.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4F_CtFlEna/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock:
An elopement was not the original plan for this couple. After becoming overwhelmed with wedding planning, Clarkson and Blackstock decided to have a private ceremony in 2013, attended only by Blackstock’s two children.
They now have two more children together.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk1G9K8A3oi/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Image: Instagram / Sophie Turner
Some might devise an elaborate plan to pop the big question, but this man proved that you shouldn’t be chicken to do a humble proposal. His decision to…
Josh and Andee Constine wanted a wild and beautiful destination wedding. So they flew their loved ones in from the US to Ireland. But it didn’t stop there. They got married at a castle and had a hawk bring them their rings. Yes, you read right!
Luttrellstown Castle outside of Dublin is an exquisite estate that offers an array of activities and also has a falconry that trains falcons and hawks.
“They’re very well-trained, and just gorgeous animals,” Josh said to Business Insider. “We really wanted to make sure it was done in a way that was safe for the animal, and that there was nothing about this that felt exploitative to them.We thought it would be something that would really set the wedding apart,” he added. “And make people think, ‘Wow, I’ve really been transported back to the medieval era’.”
Josh wore a leather falconry glove to protect his arm from the hawk’s talons.
The couple did say that they were slightly nervous about the idea that the bird might fly off with the rings and they’d never get them back. In fact, the venue does not guarantee anything and also does not take out insurance in case things go wrong! However, everything went smoothly and the rings were delivered safe and sound.
Sticking to the medieval theme, Andee gave Josh a custom sword engraved with the words: “Poetry. Love. Adventure. Honour.” They used the sword to cut the cake.
Pictures: Business Insider/Christina Brosnan
This unique couple is blazing a new path with their personalised wedding photoshoot. Right after these best buds married, they posed for a photoshoot while smoking a bong.…
Have you always dreamed of having your wedding out in the farmlands? If so, you should consider looking into using a barn as your wedding venue. Barn weddings are perfect if you would like to have a rustic theme as you get the rural vibe in an indoor setting.
The location
If you are renting out a barn on a working farm, the cost will not be that high and the barn will be a blank canvas for you to decorate however you like. However, this means that you will have to rent all furniture and decor items which will bring the cost up. Another issue with the barn being on a working farm is that it is not fit to accommodate a large number of people and there will not be bathrooms nearby unless you rent.
While a barn wedding is beautiful, the work that goes into getting it ready to be used as a wedding venue could be a bit much. What many farm owners have done is actually renovate their barns to turn it into a wedding venue. This means that there will be all the basic necessities needed but the price might be significantly higher.
View this post on Instagram
The vibe
What is great about this location is that it is an escape from city life and it manages to bring the outdoors in while still providing shelter and ambience. You can decorate elegantly or keep it casual. If the barn is on a working farm, it could have been used to house animals up until a day or two before your event and you will therefore need to work hard to get it cleaned so that guests with allergies don’t have any issues, and also to get rid of the smell of farm animals.
View this post on Instagram
The logistics
Due to the fact that this is not specifically a wedding venue, there won’t be electrical outlets or plumbing which is a necessity for vendors. The venue won’t be climate controlled meaning that if your wedding is being held during the summer months, it will get very hot or if it’s in winter, very cold.
Parking is another factor to consider, while there will be space for guests to park on the grass, if you’d like to have your ceremony outside of the barn, the cars could take up valuable space.
View this post on Instagram
Feature image: Unsplash
Accessories make the look. A simple touch can take your outfit from drab to fab. Typically, men’s wedding suits are quite basic so the key in personalising the…
If you thought planning your own wedding was tough, imagine throwing a royal one! The British royal family is all about tradition and their weddings are no different. From Queen Victoria to Harry and Meghan, these royal customs have stood the test of time.
Proposal approval:
Royals must be incredibly selective with who they choose to marry. The Royal Marriages Act of 1772 stipulated that all royal descendants had to seek blessing from the sovereign before proposing. The act was created to prevent unsuitable marriages that could diminish the status of the royal house. This drew much criticism over the years, and was repealed in 2011. The 2013 Succession to the Crown Act now orders that the first six people in the line of succession must receive permission from the sovereign to marry.
To take things even further, the 1701 Act of Settlement was passed to settle the succession to the English and Irish crowns on Protestants only. This Act also stipulated that no Roman Catholic, nor anyone married to a Roman Catholic, could hold the Crown. Essentially, royals could not marry anyone of the Roman Catholic faith if they wanted to keep their place in line for the throne. Luckily, this provision was changed in 2015.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BQKXffNh3Uv/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Wedding rings of Welsh Gold:
Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, and Princess Diana’s wedding rings were all fashioned from the same nugget of Welsh gold which came from a Welsh mine, Clogau St David’s at Bontddu. This gold is more valuable than gold from Australia or South Africa.
While there is only a sliver of the original gold left over, the Queen owns a large nugget of 21 carat Welsh gold which is held by the Crown Jewellers to be used for the royal wedding rings of today. Sarah, Duchess of York, Duchess Kate, and Duchess Meghan Markle all sport wedding bands made from this nugget.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bzf8otJFkam/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
A sprig of myrtle
From Her Majesty The Queen to The Duchess of Cambridge and The Duchess of Sussex, a sprig of myrtle has featured in multiple royal bouquets over the decades. Myrtle represents love, fertility and innocence, and first appeared in the bouquet of Queen Victoria back in 1840.
Following her wedding, Queen Victoria planted a myrtle shrub in her garden at the Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. Since then, every British royal bride has plucked a sprig from this very bush to place in her bridal bouquet.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSyr29LBw9w/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Laying the bouquet at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior:
This tradition was started by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, almost a century ago. As she entered Westminster Abbey on the day of her wedding, the Queen Mother stopped to lay her floral bouquet at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in a gesture of remembrance for her late brother, who died at the Battle of Loos in 1915. She also did this to honour the millions of others killed and injured in World War I. She then continued to walk down the aisle sans bouquet.
Since this day, many other royal brides have followed in her footsteps. The only difference is that they lay their bouquets down after the ceremony, not before. Most recently, Duchess of Sussex Meghan laid her flowers on the tomb as she left the church.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BorO7D4HSN5/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Orange blossom:
Queen Victoria was truly influential in shaping modern royal weddings. For her 1840 marriage to Price Albert she chose to wear a wreath of orange blossoms in lieu of a tiara. The orange blossoms were meant to symbolise chastity.
Many royal brides have since followed suit and incorporated the star-shaped orange blossom into their bridal attire, including Princess Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Beatrice.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGHdNj_pvSs/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Official photographs:
Official portraits have been a long standing tradition for the British monarchy. Following the introduction of photography, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra were the first to test out this new technology after their 1863 ceremony. Many royal couples would also share their wedding portraits as postcards for members of the public to purchase.
Since then, we have seen numerous official wedding portraits from famous British royalty such as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bio3WR_AlRP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The wedding and reception:
Royal weddings are often star-studded events. Fellow royals, foreign leaders, church officials, diplomats, and celebrities are often spotted at these occasions.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, however, went against tradition and did not invite any foreign leaders to remain neutral.
British royal weddings are typically held at noon, followed by a post-reception luncheon, which is essentially just a seated brunch hosted by the Queen. Both Prince William and Kate and Prince Harry and Meghan had two receptions: the luncheon and a private dinner/party.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi-EhaxgJ8E/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Image: Instagram / Kensington Royal