Biggest Celebrity Weddings: 22 Ceremonies That Dominated Buzz Before Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce

In 1985, all was sweet with Madonna and Sean Penn as the two shared wedding vows at a $6.5 million home by a beach in Malibu. They were joined by the likes of Tom Cruise, Carrie Fisher, Diane Keaton, Rosanna Arquette and Christopher Walken, with around 220 people in attendance. Media helicopters swirled the air during the ceremony, attempting to land the money shot of the two making it official — in the process, making the actual wedding vows difficult to make out for guests. Famously, Penn even fired a gun at the paparazzi.

After falling in love on the set of 2003’s “Gigli,” Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were set to marry in September 2003; similar to the media storm around Swift and Kelce’s arrangement, their wedding was so secretive that attendees didn’t know where it was taking place until days before. Their first wedding was cancelled because of “excessive media attention.” The pair re-wed in 2022 in a much simpler Las Vegas ceremony before breaking up again in 2024.

After her conservatorship finally ended in 2021, Britney Spears went on to marry her longtime partner Sam Asghari; the two met on set for her 2016 “Slumber Party” music video. The pair wed in Thousand Oaks, California back in 2022, with Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore, Madonna and Paris Hilton in attendance. After filing for divorce in 2024 (14 months after the wedding) Spears went on to claim their marriage “felt like a fake distraction.” Asghari said he “was in love with her.”

Where else but Venice, Italy, to celebrate a lavish wedding fit for one of the richest men in the world? Amazon founder Jeff Bezos became engaged to media personality Lauren Sánchez in 2023, and the two married in June 2025 on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Their guests included Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Tom Brady, Kim Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian, among many others. However, hundreds of local activists spoke out against the wedding, with a giant sign laid out on the streets reading: “If you can rent Venice for your weddings you can pay more tax.”

Liza Minnelli and producer David Gest were married in an extravagant ceremony at Marble Collegiate Church in New York City in 2002. The star-studded event featured Michael Jackson as the best man and Elizabeth Taylor as the matron of honor, with the Jackson 5 serving as groomsmen. The reception took place at the Regent Wall Street Hotel, where nearly half a million dollars was spent on food, drink, and accommodations, additionally featuring a 60-piece orchestra and 45 musical acts, including Tony Bennett, Stevie Wonder, Little Anthony, Gloria Gaynor, and Al Green. Attendees included Michael Douglas, Elton John, Diana Ross, Anthony Hopkins and Donald Trump. The pair separated in 2003 and divorced in 2007.

Although Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt ultimately had a well-publicized divorce, the pair’s 2000 lavish, million-dollar wedding in Malibu made headlines nationwide. The 200 guests in attendance — including notable names such as Aniston’s “Friends” co-stars Cameron Diaz and Salma Hayek — were made to sign strict confidentiality agreements, and security measures cost the couple over $100,000. The clifftop was transformed with a reported 50,000 flowers, and festivities featured a gospel choir, a performance by singer Billy Preston, a wall of caviar and a grand finale fireworks display.

Marilyn Monroe and playwright Arthur Miller were married in a quiet five-minute civil ceremony at the Westchester County Courthouse in 1956, which was followed by a traditional Jewish ceremony on July 1 at the home of Miller’s literary agent in Waccabuc, New York. Monroe wore a beige blouse with a fitted pencil skirt and a floaty halo veil to her civil ceremony and donned a tea-length beige satin and chiffon dress designed by Norman Norell and John Moore for her traditional ceremony. The press famously dubbed the couple the “egghead and the hourglass” before they divorced in 1961.

The American version of royalty, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, married in a secret, ultra-private ceremony in 1996, on Cumberland Island, Georgia. The couple managed to escape the paparazzi and hosted just 40 close guests. Bessette wore a now-iconic, bias-cut Narciso Rodriguez slip dress, with Kennedy’s sister, Caroline Kennedy, as the matron of honor, and her children serving as flower girls and the ring bearer. To maintain secrecy, guests were flown into Georgia on private planes and transported to the remote island, and later to the venue via pickup trucks. The ceremony itself took place in the historic, candlelit First African Baptist Church, after which the couple and their 40 guests celebrated at the nearby Greyfield Inn. The couple died in a plane crash just three years later in 1999. 

Beyoncé and Jay-Z tied the knot in an ultra-exclusive, top-secret ceremony in 2008, at the rapper’s 13,500-square-foot penthouse in New York City. The 40 invited attendees were required to leave their phones at the door. Beyoncé wore a strapless wedding gown custom-designed by her mother, Tina Knowles, while Jay-Z wore a classic black tuxedo. The reception reportedly lasted until 5 a.m., and the wedding has remained secretive to date, allowing fans only a few small glimpses through the years. 

Gay marriage became legal in the U.S. in 2013 — but for a brief period of time before that in 2008, it was legal in California. In the approximately five months between a landmark state Supreme Court ruling in May and Proposition 8, a state constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriages, passing in November, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia di Rossi got married. The wedding itself was a small ceremony in their Los Angeles home on Aug. 16, 2008, with the pair exchanging vows while sitting on floor cushions in their living room.

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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s multi-day, multi-national nuptials were lavish to say the least. After a luncheon at Valentino’s Parisian home and a rehearsal dinner at the Palace of Versailles, their 200 guests were flown via private jet to the ceremony at Forte di Belvedere in Florence, Italy, on May 24, 2014. There, attendees were serenaded by Andrea Bocelli, which became even more notable later… (See Kourtney Kardashian’s 2022 wedding to Travis Barker.)

A month after meeting at a party, Khloé Kardashian and then-Los Angeles Laker Lamar Odom tied the knot on Sept. 27, 2009. The nine-day engagement, wedding planning and star-studded ceremony were filmed for what would air later that year as the Season 4 premiere of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” Their eventual divorce was finalized in 2016.

Jonas and Chopra had the best of both worlds, hosting two extravagant wedding ceremonies in India over two days. The couple first had a Christian ceremony on Dec. 1, 2018, to honor the singer’s religious upbringing, which Jonas’ father officiated. Both Chopra and Jonas were dressed in custom Ralph Lauren, with Chopra in a hand-beaded gown and a 75–foot veil. A Hindu ceremony took place the following day, where Chopra wore a red lehenga while Jonas was dressed in traditional Indian attire and arrived on horseback. Both ceremonies were at the Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur and were followed by four separate wedding receptions.

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco tied the knot at Sea Crest Nursery in Santa Barbara on Sept. 27, 2025. Their wedding was one of the most anticipated of the year, and the star-studded guest list only added to its buzz. Ed Sheeran, Paris Hilton and Paul Rudd were among those in attendance, along with Gomez’ “Only Murders in the Building” co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short, who gave a speech together at the rehearsal dinner. Gomez’ longtime best friend Taylor Swift also gave a toast. Gomez wore three custom Ralph Lauren dresses throughout the night, and chef Wolfgang Puck catered the wedding.

Third time was the charm for Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker, who got married three times in 2022. The first was at a Las Vegas Chapel (which was officiated by an Elvis impersonator) after Barker performed at the Grammy Awards, second was at a courthouse in Santa Barbara and third at a villa in Portofino. The Italian wedding was significantly the grandest of the three, with Dolce & Gabbana hosting the ceremony and reception. The luxury fashion house dressed Kardashian in multiple looks throughout the wedding weekend, as well as her famous sisters and mom, Kris.

The singer’s wedding shut down the streets of Italy during their celebrations this June. Following an intimate civil ceremony in London, Lipa and Turner had a second, larger scale wedding in Sicily at the Villa Valguarnera, which has been featured in multiple films and advertisements. The guest list included Donatella Versace, Charli XCX and Olivia Dean. Also in attendance was Elton John, who performed his hit “Your Song” during the ceremony. To ensure privacy, St. Anne’s and Cross of Vespers were shut down during the wedding weekend, and black drapes were put up to block the festivities.

The Biebers first got married in a Manhattan courthouse in 2018, but it was their lavish 2019 wedding that caught people’s attention. The couple opted to have a religious ceremony at a South Carolina resort, where Hailey wore her now-famous wedding gown. The influencer wore a custom dress by Off-White founder Virgil Abloh with a floor-length veil embroidered with the phrase “Till death do us part.” Hailey wore three dresses in total throughout her wedding celebrations.

Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and Grace Kelly

American actress Grace Kelly and the sovereign prince of Monaco, Rainier III, got married on April 18-19, 1956. The civil ceremony was held in the palace throne room and the church ceremony at the Saint Nicholas Cathedral. More than 30 million viewers watched live and nine international television stations broadcast the wedding; MGM Studios later distributed it to theaters.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana

Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were wed at St Paul’s Cathedral on July 29, 1981. Diana’s gown featured a 25-foot train, antique lace belonging to Queen Mary and 10,000 pearls. The event has been dubbed the “wedding of the century.”

Prince William and Kate Middleton

Prince William and Catherine Middleton got married on April 29, 2011, at Westminster Abbey. The wedding was not a full state occasion, because William was not yet heir apparent, but it was a public holiday and widely compared to his parents’ ceremony.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot on May 19, 2018, at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, which was previously used for several royal weddings. Markle is the second American and first person of mixed race heritage to marry into the British royal family.

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