Metal singer Marilyn Manson and burlesque performer Dita von Teese seemed a strange romantic pairing, but that’s exactly what drew them to each other.

Both from middle America, the two had reinvented themselves into who they wanted to be. Born Heather Sweet from Michigan, Von Teese became one of the most famous burlesque performers in the world. Brian Warner of Canton, Ohio grew up to be the world-famous controversial and iconic rocker.

After a five-year relationship, the pair tied the knot in a private ceremony at home in Los Angeles in November 2005, then exchanged vows again in a more lavish event at a friend’s castle in Ireland a week later. Their unconventional nuptials were even captured in an iconic spread for Vogue magazine.

Their nuptials went on for several days, starting with a civil ceremony at Von Teese’s Los Angeles home. This location was chosen as many of the churches they approached were apprehensive of having Manson inside their venues, according to Vogue.

Von Teese wore a simple white Moschino suit, designed by the label’s then-creative director, Rosella Jardini for the low-key event. It was Von Teese’s vision to look like “a forties bride going to the courthouse to get hitched before going off to the war” that inspired the design. Manson wore a Dior Homme jacket, a Galliano shirt, and Moschino creepers.

Their formal ceremony was much more extravagent. Held at Ireland’s gothic-style Castle Gurteen,  the wedding was officiated by surrealist film director and comic book writer Alejandro Jodorowsky. Gottfried Helnwein, the owner of the castle, stood as Manson’s best man. The wedding was attended by about 60 guests, including Lisa Marie Presley and Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark.

For the nuptials, Von Teese wore a striking royal purple silk tafetta gown designed by Vivienne Westwood that featured a custom corset for her a 17-inch waist. She accessorised with a tri-corned hat designed by Stephen Jones and custom Christian Louboutin shoes the designer had created just for her. John Galliano designed Manson’s black silk taffeta tuxedo for the big day.

Of course, the reception was as unconventional as the couple. The banquet table was lined with giant centerpieces of black and crimson rose and featured gold skull-shaped candles. The waitstaff all wore Moschino tailcoats and pipers, and serenaded guests.

In the days after the wedding, guests partook in skeet shooting, archery and falconry on the castle grounds.

Unfortunately, the pair divorced a year later. During an interview with Khloe Kardashian on the Kocktails with Khloe show, she explained that getting married ruined their relationship.

Feature image: Pinterest

Basketball player Dennis Rodman has made many bizarre moves throughout his career. From his outlandish outfits to his close friendship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, nothing seems surprising for this iconic public figure.

Another strange moment from Rodman’s life? The time he reportedly married himself in a dress.

While promoting his memoir  “Bad As I Wanna Be” back in 1996, Rodman decided to experiment with cross-dressing. He arrived at a book signing in a horse-drawn carriage escorted by a bevy of tuxedo-clad women, while wearing a custom wedding dress made in France.

At six feet, seven inches, the basketball player caused quite a scene in his wedding dress.

The star then declared that he was bisexual and was marrying himself.

While it was just a publicity stunt, there is no denying that it was effective. His book topped the New York Times bestseller list and remained on it for 20 weeks.

What an iconic moment in celebrity history.

Feature image: Pinterest

Project Runway judge, New York Times best-selling author Elaine Welteroth said ‘I do’ to musician Jonathan Singletary in a virtual block party wedding outside their New York apartment.

Elaine and Jonathan met at the young age of 12 through church, but it was only in 2013 when the pair would be reunited as adults that a romance began to blossom. They became engaged in 2016. Their wedding date, May 10, 2020, was chosen for its special numerical order:  5-10-20.

“There was so much symbolism in this sequence of numbers [5-10-20] that only come together once in a lifetime,” Elaine explains to Vogue. “Also, it fell on a Sunday—the day we met as kids and saw each other every week growing up. But it wasn’t just any Sunday, it would be Mother’s Day!”

They were meant to marry at a church friend’s home close to the church in Northern California where they first met. However, with the coronavirus pandemic, those plans were cancelled. Instead, they threw a “virtual quarantine wedding” on their stoop in Brooklyn.

Their friends and family all jumped in to make sure the new plan was a success. The stoop was decorated with a whimsical floral arch that framed the front door.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CATYhU5J4oB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

All 200 guests, even the ones attending via Zoom, were given a white dress code. The in-person guests followed social distancing protocols and were provided gloves and masks on-site in addition to white parasols, bubbles, seeds to plant flowers, and homemade brownies from Elaine’s mom’s family recipe in a gift bag.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAQnvfKJT1J/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The bride made her walk down the ‘aisle’ wearing a label-less dress she’s owned for years, and her mother’s wedding veil. She even did her own makeup in the backseat of a car.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAQ-DTCpdsl/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The wedding was officiated via Zoom by Dr. Stanley Long, the founding pastor of South Bay Community Church, the couple’s home church in California.

Then, the virtual block party began. Each guest had been sent a playlist to join in on the party. Their friend also DJ’ed live for the guests.

Even though it wasn’t the wedding they had planned, it was still a special one because their loved ones were there and they could hold it on their original date.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAQKhYdHl3-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Feature image: Instagram / Vogue

She is a screen icon, a legend and a mystery. Decades after her death, Marilyn Monroe is still much-loved and revered by many. Considering her legendary sex-symbol status, it seems fitting to take a look into her relationships.

The blonde bombshell had been married three times in her short life. Let’s take a walk down memory lane…

Husband 1: Jim Dougherty (1942)

A then-unknown 15-year-old Norma Jean Baker began dating Jim Dougherty, her 20-year-old neighbour in 1941. At the time, Monroe was living with Grace Goddard, a friend of her mother, Gladys, who was in and out of psychiatric facilities. 

Husband 2: Joe DiMaggio

Her career quickly escalating, Monroe met world-class baseball player Joe DiMaggio in 1952. DiMaggio had seen a photo of the actress and asked the photographer to set them up on a date.

They tied the knot on 14 January, 1954 in an informal wedding ceremony at the San Francisco courthouse. For their nuptials, Monroe wore a dark brown skirt suit with a white fur collar and carried a small bunch of orchids. Upon her death, the suit was auctioned off in 1998, fetching a price of $33,350.

This relatively short marriage was also a turbulent one. Monroe had to cut their honeymoon in Japan short to perform for troops in Korea. DiMaggio became controlling of Monroe’s career, becoming a part of all her contract negotiations and restricting the roles she may accept. The pair divorced a mere 274 days after saying I do. Monroe cited “mental cruelty” as the reason for the divorce.

Husband 3: Arthur Miller

Her third and final marriage was to famous playwright Arthur Miller, who she had met on set of the 1951 movie As Young As You Feel. Monroe wrote about the encounter in her diary, saying “Met a man tonight … It was, bam! It was like running into a tree. You know, like a cool drink when you’ve had a fever.” Monroe went on to marry DiMaggio, however, but they began a scandalous affair years later, while both were still finalising their divorces. At the time, the playwright was also under much scrutiny by the FBI under Joseph McCarthy for being an alleged communist sympathiser.

The pair wed on 29 June, 1956 at Westchester County Court in New York. They followed this up with a traditional Jewish ceremony on 1 July at the home of Millers’ Hollywood agent, Kay Brown, in which Monroe also converted to Judaism. Monroe wore a mid-length figure-hugging gown with ruched sleeves for the occasion.

Their marriage was one filled with ups and downs. Both were in the media for having highly publicised affairs, and Monroe suffered many miscarriages that took a toll on her physical and mental health. The pair quickly divorced after filming wrapped on The Misfits, the short story Miller wrote for Monroe.

Monroe passed away in 1962 at the young age of 36. She’s left behind an iconic legacy that will never be forgotten.

Feature image: Pinterest