A story filled with plot twists, self-discovery, and new beginnings, Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli’s love story is one that is almost too magical to be real. Yet it is. The pair met in 2012, with a meet-cute that out-cutes them all. We take a look at their tale, from then until now.

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Wiley, an up and coming actress at the time, met her now-wife, Morelli, a screenwriter, in December 2012, on the set of Orange Is The New Black. Morelli wrote episode six of season one, which saw her visiting the set to meet the actors.

At the time, Morelli was married to a man. Wiley admitted to Out Magazine, that she thought Morelli was gay and would constantly try to find ways to chat to her. In the same interview, Morelli said that she had started questioning her sexuality after being in the writers’ room for this show.

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“On set it’s a bunch of women, so everyone’s hugging and touching. It’s a very affectionate place. I’d fallen into this alternate universe, but I thought I’d go home and it’d disappear. But Samira was still so present for me,” said Morelli.

“I found out she was married — I assumed to a woman. It was a little dagger in my heart. I remember this whirlwind of me falling in love in those four days. I was also bartending, and I told my coworkers. They said I was crazy. She went back to L.A., and I thought I’d forget about her, but that Christmas I found myself talking to my mother about it,” explained Wiley.

“I never talk to her about anything like this, but I was completely open about how lost I felt. That was the real indicator for me: me talking to my mother about Lauren. Because Lauren was finding out who she was, I became a confidant to her. We’d talk on the phone, me sharing my own coming-out story and her talking about things she was discovering.”

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After having Samira as her confidant, and going to couples therapy with her husband which turned out to be futile, Lauren separated from her husband and started dating Samira.

A year into their relationship, the pair took a trip to Thailand, and they both admit that it was a terrible failure. They bickered the entire time. However, they also say that the trip helped them learn about each other, and realise that no matter what, they still wanted to be together.

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Soon after, the pair took another trip, this time to Palm Springs. While packing for the trip, Lauren proposed.

“That day, I wanted to be good and get my packing done. She got home and was just not ready to go, and I was confused. She asked me to sit next to her. Then she got me up, and we started dancing together, and she pulled a ring from behind the couch. Lauren has been married before, so I wanted her to tell me she was ready, her to be the one to propose,” Wiley explains of the proposal.

“I didn’t know she was as ready as she was. I was completely shocked. I was crying uncontrollably and kept backing away from her. I asked her after, “Who knows about this?” and she said, “Oh, everyone. Your parents know.” We didn’t tell anyone else for a few days. That was really important to us — to have some time where it was just ours.”

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The pair tied the know on March 25, 2017 in Palm Springs. According to Martha Stewart Weddings, the event began with an outdoor ceremony, officiated by Samira’s parents, and led to a grand entrance by the couple, at the reception with Justin Bieber’s “Baby” playing as they made their way in.

Both Samira and Lauren donned custom Christian Siriano ensembles, and guests were served dinner under colourful garlands and strands of lights.

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Image: Instagram / @lomorelli

Husband and wife duo Shona and Connie Ferguson are a force to be reckoned with. Together, the South African actors run their production company Ferguson Films, which produces hit TV shows like The Queen and The Throne.

The Ferguson’s have been married for over 18 years, and have accomplished a lot in their near two-decade relationship. We take a look back at their union.

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Shona, real name Aaron, met Connie at her Johannesburg home in 2001. At the time, she was already a household name thanks to her iconic role as Karabo Moroka in Generations. Shona was there to drop off mutual friends meeting Connie’s sister Lorato. As he sipped on a glass of water, Connie came out out of her room to greet him and their love story began.

“Hands down, it was love at first sight. She’d never admit, but. That’s how it was for me,” Shona told Destiny Magazine.

It was a whirlwind romance for the pair. After only two months of dating, they tied the knot in a traditional wedding. Their white wedding was held soon after, and appeared on the December 2001 cover of Drum.

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In 2011, the pair renewed their vows in a lavish ceremony in front of 70 guests at top Johannesburg wedding destination Avianto.

For the big day, Connie wore an ivory sheath gown designed by Biji, who also designed her first wedding dress back in 2001. The gown’s corset-style top featured Swarovski crystals, pearls, silver beads and lace.

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Throughout their marriage, the pair have built an empire that have brought much luxury to their lives. Aside from their production company, Connie also owns a beauty line called Koni Multinational Brands. She is also among the highest paid actors in the country.

The Ferguson’s are notorious for their public displays of affection. They often share their love and devotion for one another on their social media.

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They have one child together named Alicia Angel Ferguson. Connie also has a daughter named Lesedi, a fellow actress, from her previous marriage to actor Neo Matsunyane. She also has a grandson named Ronewa from her eldest daughter.

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In 2019, the couple celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary.

”We are different players in the game of life. But together we make a team that hit a home run with all the balls that life throws at us!” Laiti yaka, Modimo o re ratile! His Grace never ceases to amaze me! Happy 18th Wedding Anniversary my LOVE. We make the baddest team in all we do! I love you!” wrote Connie on Instagram.

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Feature image: Instagram / Connie Ferguson

Actors Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are owning up to their past mistakes. In an interview, Reynolds apologised on behalf of the couple for hosting their 2012 wedding at Boone Hall, a former plantation in South Carolina.

Speaking to Fast Company, Reynolds said the decision is “something we’ll always be deeply and unreservedly sorry for.

“It’s impossible to reconcile. What we saw at the time was a wedding venue on Pinterest. What we saw after was a place built upon devastating tragedy. Years ago we got married again at home—but shame works in weird ways. A giant f*cking mistake like that can either cause you to shut down or it can reframe things and move you into action. It doesn’t mean you won’t fuck up again. But repatterning and challenging lifelong social conditioning is a job that doesn’t end.”

Original coverage of their wedding glazed over the venue, but the controversy began in 2018 when Reynolds tweeted out his support of the Black Panther film, which had a majority black cast. Many accused Reynolds of being hypocritical for supporting black people in public but marrying at a venue that has such racist connotations.

This is the first time the pair have directly spoke about the controversy. Earlier in 2020 at the start of the protests that began after the death of George Floyd, they posted on Instagram  “We’re ashamed that in the past we’ve allowed ourselves to be uninformed about how deeply rooted systemic racism is. We want to educate ourselves about other people’s experiences and talk to our kids about everything, all of it … especially our own complicity.”

They also announced they had donated $200 000 to the NAACP legal defense fund.

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The wedding industry has also since acknowledged the dark history of American plantations. In December 2019, Pinterest, The Knot Worldwide, Brides and Zola announced that they would be making changes to their platform that would restrict all references to plantations, as well as any language attempting to romanticise these locations as wedding venues.

This move is in response to a campaign led by racial justice organisation, Color of Change, who argued that the wedding industry was glamourising and capatalising sites of human rights atrocities.

Many plantations in America thrived off slave labour and became places of human rights abuse for the people forced into these demeaning positions. As such, they’ve become painful reminders of a dark and sordid history for many African Americans who descended from such slaves.

Sean Penn is a married man yet again. The famed actor secretly said ‘I do’ to actress Leila George.

In an interview on the Late Night with Seth Myers show, Penn confirmed his recent nuptials by raising his left hand and showing off his wedding band when asked whether reports of a secret wedding were true.

“We did a COVID wedding,” he told Myer. “By that I mean it was a county commissioner on Zoom, we were at the house, my two children and her brother, and we did it that way.”

Feature image: Instagram / Leila George