The celebrity couples who got married in secret

From Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck to Anya Taylor-Joy and Malcolm McRae, from Beyoncé and Jay-Z to Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, more and more celebrities are choosing to keep every detail top secret, breaking the news later or giving away very few pictures of the event. There are those like Kate Middleton and Prince William who are forced by royal obligations to share their wedding with the whole world on live TV, and those who prefer to exchange their yeses with their partners in the utmost secrecy. Many simply go to the city hall like Emily Ratajkowski and Sebastian Bear-McClard or fly to Las Vegas to have Elvis officiate and dribble past onlookers and paparazzi, then renew their vows with more lavish celebrations in front of family and friends as Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker recently did. Different ways of living a special day that all of them, used to constantly living in the spotlight, want to enjoy privately. 

Here are 15 Celebrity Couples who got married in secret.

JLo & Ben Affleck (2022)

Everyone expected a lavish ceremony worthy of a princess and a romance that began again 20 years after their first engagement, but instead, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck surprised fans and paparazzi by getting married in Las Vegas. They said yes in the iconic Little White Wedding Chapel. She had two gowns, one with a very basic silhouette, set aside long ago, and the other designed by Zuhair Murad was in white lace, with bare shoulders and a sweetheart neckline. Ben also opted for white, with a dress taken from his wardrobe. Simple, in love and romantic. Because, as JLo said, "Love is beautiful. Love is kind. And it turns out love is patient. Twenty years patient."

Anya Taylor-Joy & Malcolm McRae (2022)

I rumors sul fidanzamento giravano solo dal mese scorso, quando all’anulare dell’attrice era comparso un vistoso smeraldo. Qualche giorno fa, a sorpresa, è arrivata anche la notizia delle nozze, celebrate negli Stati Uniti con una cerimonia intima. Anya Taylor-Joy e Malcolm McRae si sono promessi di passare la vita insieme per sempre, in maniera assolutamente privata, senza dare conferme ufficiali, condividere scatti o altri dettagli. I due stanno insieme da circa un anno e si sono scambiati il primo bacio pubblico fotografato in occasione dell’after party degli Oscar 2022. Vivono la loro relazione lontano dai riflettori, ma Anya ha confessato a Vogue di aver finalmente trovato qualcuno che si siederà felicemente in silenzio con lei a leggere, come se avessero 80 anni e 7 anni allo stesso tempo. La felicità si nasconde nelle piccole cose. 

Kourtney Kardashian & Travis Barker (2022)

More than a wedding, Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's was a real tour de force with three different ceremonies, all secret. The most lavish one took place in Portofino and was all custom-made by Dolce & Gabbana: from the outfits of the bride and groom and the guests to the location, Villa Olivetta, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana's Mediterranean home. The most traditional, in front of the entire Kardashian-Jenner family, was in Santa Barbara. Finally, the first and most unexpected was in full Las Vegas style with an Elvis Presley impersonator as officiant, black studded leather jackets and dark sunglasses, bouquet of red roses and lots of fiery kisses. 

Ariana Grande & Dalton Gomez (2021)

Ariana Grande married in a top-secret ceremony on a May 2021 weekend held at their Montecito mansion. The pop star exchanged the forever with Dalton Gomez, in a silk charmeuse gown by Vera Wang, accessorized with a mid-length veil with a bow, reminiscent of the one worn by Audrey Hepburn in the film Funny Face. Completing the romantic atmosphere were white candles and wildflowers hanging from the ceiling. Tres chic!

Chloë Sevigny & Siniša Mačković (2020)

What happens when the muse of American indie cinema gets married? Double ceremony and four wedding dresses. The first yes with gallerist Sinisa Mackovic was on March 9, 2020 at New York City's City Hall in a very tight black outfit that highlighted her baby bump. For the second, however, Chloë Sevigny opted for traditional white, alternating between a ruffle-filled creation by Glenn Martens for Jean Paul Gaultier, a long-sleeved gown with a square neckline by Loewe, and, finally, she danced at the after-party at Paul's Casablanca in a catsuit-lingerie by Mugler. As they say, you cannot buy class.  

Lily Allen & David Harbour (2020)

In their wedding photos, Lily Allen and David Harbour have smiles on their faces, looking overjoyed. The singer, in a double-breasted Dior sheath dress and mini veil, married the Stranger Things actor in the legendary Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, complete with an officiant dressed as Elvis, and went on to celebrate by sharing burgers and fries at a fast food restaurant with her new husband and daughters. Easy and supercute.

Joe Jonas & Sophie Turner (2019)

The first yes, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner said it in Las Vegas, after the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, in front of an officiant disguised as Elvis Presley and complete with candy rings. It was an impromptu and funny ceremony, very different from the one held at the Château de Tourreau, an 18th-century residence in Sarrians, Provence. In this spectacular location, the couple recreated a fairytale atmosphere. Their outfits? Sophie wore a romantic custom gown by Nicolas Ghesquiere, artistic director of Louis Vuitton, featuring a deep V-neck and a 1950s-style skirt; while Joe was in a tuxedo. After the exchange of vows, a pool party followed, with all the guests including The Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams, the bride's maid of honor, and Nick and Kevin, Joe's brothers and two-thirds others from the Jonas Brothers band. 

Emily Ratajkowski & Sebastian Bear-McClard (2018)

Emily Ratajkowski has left Sebastian Bear-McClard after four years of marriage. That's the most popular rumor these days, but in February 2018 their love was going so well that the two, who had been partners for only a few months, got married in a civil ceremony in New York. At the time, it was Emrata herself who made the announcement of the event, sharing a few pictures on Instagram and showing off the look: a mustard yellow jacket and pants suit from Zara, chosen as a gesture of empowerment and a break with the traditional white dress symbolizing purity. The only accessory was a black wide-brimmed hat.

Miley Cyrus & Liam Hemsworth (2018)

The romance between Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth began in 2010 on the set of the film The Last Song, continuing with continuous on/off until their wedding on December 23, 2018. The ceremony, held at their home in Franklin, Tennessee, was top secret and reserved only for members of their respective families. Between metallic balloons forming the words Mr. & Mrs. and self-service buffets, the mood was rather casual, as was the bride and groom's look: she was in an off-the-shoulder silk dress by Vivienne Westwood, he in a suit and tie with white sneakers on his feet. Eight months later they were already divorced.

Cardi B & Offset 2017

They met in January 2017 during their collaboration for the song Lick, but denied their lovestory until a month after their wedding held in September of the same year. It was a ceremony far removed from the glitz of showbiz. In Atlanta, standing in front of the officiant and in the presence of the singer's cousin who served as best man were just the two of them. Both Cardi B and Offset were in sweatpants, no makeup and no ring. It was a very private moment of joy, overtaken by the birth of firstborn daughter Kulture and cracked in 2020 by a separation. Exasperated by her husband's constant cheating, Cardi had filed for divorce, but then reconsidered. The two got back together and had another child.

Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt (2014)

The romance between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie seemed like a true Hollywood fairy tale: talented, beautiful, passionate, and complete with multi-ethnic offspring. Their wedding represented the icing on the cake, a scene stolen from a family movie. The entire ceremony, celebrated on August 23, 2014 with a civil ceremony at Chateau Miraval, the chateau they own in the south of France, was all homemade. The wedding dress by Atelier Versace, was embellished with a veil on which were embroidered designs made by their 6 children. All the children played a role in organizing the event: Maddox and Pax (who also baked the cake) walked the bride down the aisle, Zahara and Vivienne were the bridesmaids and threw flower petals down the aisle, and Shiloh and Knox carried the wedding rings. Too bad the Brangelina magic didn't last!

Leighton Meester & Adam Brody (2014)

It almost feels like a crossover episode from our teenage years, the ones where we spent afternoons watching The OC and Gossip Girl: Blair Waldorf and Seth Cohen fell in love. Or rather, Leighton Meester and Adam Brody did. They were introduced by Josh Schwartz, executive producer of both series, then the two met again on the set of The Oranges and secretly married in 2014. No pictures or comments about the event and very few public appearances. The couple likes privacy. All that is known about them is that they are still very much in love and have two children, a girl named Arlo and a boy whose name they have never revealed.

Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively (2012)

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively were married in September 2012 at Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. The location, the same one where many scenes from The Notebook were filmed, with its 270-year-old oak trees and lush nature, was apparently stunning. Although photos of the big day have never been released, it is known that Blake wore a fluffy, Disney princess-style gown by Marchesa; she walked toward her husband-to-be while a children's choir sang Can't Take My Eyes Off of You by Frankie Valli; and that friends and family included Alexis Bledel aka Rory Gilmore, bff of the bride, and singer Florence Welch. At the end of the ceremony, the actress and Ryan exchanged custom wedding bands by Lorraine Schwartz, the same designer who made the engagement ring embellished with an oval-cut pink diamond of about 12 carats grafted onto a band of rose gold and diamonds. Another fun fact? Lively enlisted the help of Martha Stewart, who took care of the catering and set up a table with desserts from Charleston's finest bakeries.

Gisele Bündchen & Tom Brady (2009)

The one between Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady was a true love match, celebrated in a double ceremony. The first wedding, on February 26, 2009 (only a month after the engagement), was reserved for close family and close friends. About 20 people watched as the model walked down the aisle of Santa Monica Catholic Church and toward her husband-to-be in a lace wedding dress with bare shoulders and a veil by John Galliano, later exchanged for a Dolce & Gabbana minidress covered in iridescent sequins for the festivities. Of that day Brady remembers, "We went back to the house and I barbecued aged New York strips. We had champagne, a cake, some ice cream." It was a great night A month and a half after that first ceremony, Mr. and Mrs. Brady repeated their nuptials in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. This time the celebrity wedding was held at sunset, and Gisele opted for a sheath wedding dress with a 10-foot-long veil and a bouquet of white orchids.

Beyoncé & Jay-Z (2008)

This is real love to name one of their tours. In 2002 their first duet, Bonnie and Clyde, was released, and rumors began about their possible relationship, confirmed by a wedding celebrated in New York in 2008 and kept secret until unreleased images come in the 2011 video for I Was Here. Standing out is Bey's bustier, strapless, and fluffy gown, designed by her mother Tina Knowles, who always curated her daughter's costumes when she was in Destiny's Child. Together, Beyoncé and Jay-Z have overcome crises, betrayals and gossip, building a family with three children and shaping contemporary music history. For their 10th anniversary, they renewed their vows, and Queen B wore designer Galia Lahav Chantilly lace Thelma dress.