There are two things it’s incredibly hard to be even on the best of days — a celebrity, and a bride or groom.
Americans worship celebrities, and we know that fame is a gift and a curse. Many of the most beloved and renowned people in our culture would give anything for a day to themselves, or a chance to walk around a crowded mall without being recognized.
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Wedding days come with their own brand of stress, even for the non-famous among us. For those that have all eyes on them for a living, it can be exponentially more unnerving to have the world watch while their friends and family gather for a special occasion.
That’s why so many celebrities opt for secret weddings. Many actors, actresses, musicians and other high-profile figures reason that, after making so much of their lives public for consumption by others, they want to keep this one special occasion for themselves.
Still, even secret celebrity gatherings have a way of getting out, and people often love them even more. The exclusivity and mystery adds a layer that make secret celebrity weddings that much more enticing to fans, and they end up frantically Googling events they might otherwise have simply glanced at on a magazine cover and then moved on.
Undoubtedly, some of your favorite stars have tied the knot in secret, and while a few picures could have leaked or been published after the fact, that one magical day was all for them. Here’s a look at what we know about some of the biggest celebrity weddings.
Amy Schumer and Chris Fischer
Amy Schumer caught fans by surprise when she held her wedding in secret on Tuesday, Feb. 13, the day before Valentine’s Day. Schumer married her boyfriend, chef Chris Fischer, in a private ceremony in Malibu.
Later on, the comedian posted photos of the occasion on Instagram. Fans were taken aback that Schumer could keep her personal life so private when so much of her work is based on over-sharing.
RuPaul and Georges LeBar
Reality TV and drag icon RuPaul married his partner of 23 years in January of 2017. Georges Lebar managed to keep out of the public eye for over two decades while dating the host of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
He may have had good reason to. As soon as the announcement was made, both RuPaul and LeBar received a massive influx of hate.
RuPaul let the news of his marriage slip during an appearance on Hollywood Today. “You know what? I’ve never said this on television before, but we are married. I’ve never said it before!” he said.
Margot Robbie and Tom Ackerley
Margot Robbie secretly married British director Tom Ackerley at some point, though the exact date is hard to pin down. Reports first suggested that the couple secretly said their vows in December of 2016, but Robbie has led reporters to believe it could have been as early as 2014.
Whether it was a joke or some form of misdirection is unclear, but Page Sixย reported that Robbie spilled the beans at the Hamptons International Film Festival last October. A guest reportedly congratulated her on her one-year anniversary. Robbie responded, “it’s been three years.”
Ellen Page and Emma Portner
Ellen Page let fans in on her marriage with an Instagram post after the fact, writing “Can’t believe I get to call this extraordinary woman my wife.”
The couple went public in July of 2017, though it’s unclear how long they were seeing each other beforehand. Portner is a dancer who makes jaw-dropping videos, some of which have featured Page.
Page herself has a policy of keeping her personal life as private as possible. She didn’t come out as gay until 2014, when she made the announcement at a THRIVE Conference in Las Vegas.
“I’m here today because I am gay,” Page said. “And because maybe I can make a difference, to help others have an easier and more hopeful time. Regardless, for me, I feel a personal obligation and a social responsibility.”
Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard
Actors Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard were together for a long time before they finally decided to make it official. The couple even had a daughter when they put rings on.
Bell and Shepard’s wedding wasn’t so much secret as it was low key. They went down to the Beverly Hills County Clerk’s Office, where a court employee married them in a nearby courtroom.
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher went to great lengths to keep their wedding private. IN an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Kutcher revealed that he even tagged his Instagram posts with different locations to confuse and paparazzi who might be trying to find them.
“We didn’t want to be screaming our vows at each other and being like, ‘Forever! Did you say never?’ ” he said. “We went really under the radar with it.”
The couple married in July of 2015 at The Secret Garden at Parrish Ranch in Oak Glen, California. The secluded venue allowed for an outdoor wedding that couldn’t be bombarded by onlookers.
Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux
Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux had a private reception at their mansion in Bel-Air in 2015, though new reports speculate that they might never have gotten legally married at all. Both are wildly successful actors with plenty of money in their own rights, so they probably had little reason for official marital status.
A report by TMZ shows that no marriage licence was issued for the couple in L.A. County dating back as far as 2010. If that’s the case, it will make their recently announced break-up that much easier. The outlet also noted that none of the prominent celebrity divorce lawyers in town have been contacted by the couple.
Beyonce and Jay-Z
As is the case with so many trends, Beyonce might have had a secret wedding first. The “Single Ladies” singer tied the knot with Jay-Z in a private ceremony in 2008.
“What Jay and I have is real. It’s not about interviews or getting the right photo op. It’s real,” she told Essence Magazine later that year.
Beyonce and Jay-Z also chose to forego the expensive ring, committing instead to matching tattoos as the base of their left ring fingers. Both have the roman numeral IV, as Beyonce was born on Sep. 4, Jay-Z on Dec. 4, and their wedding was held on April 4.
The couple maintains a certain air of mystery around their relationship, though Beyonce hinted that she wasn’t much of a Bridezilla. “It’s been my day so many days already,” she said.
Jim Parsons and Todd Spiewak
Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons also held out for a long time before getting married. He married his partner, Todd Spiewak, in May of last year after 14 years together.
The couple said their vows in New York City’s famed Rainbow Room, with most of the Big Bang Theory cast in attendance.
Parsons came in in 2012, revealing at the same time that he was in a long-term relationship with Spiewak, who is a graphic designer.
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Alison Brie and Dave Franco got married some time in early March of 2017. The couple kept the occasion especially secret, as little is known about it to this very day.
“It was great, it was really special,” Franco told Entertainment Tonight shortly after the news broke. “It was intimate, and it was really fun.”
Fans love the couple’s laid back dynamic, though they know how to turn the intensity up when needed. They starred in last year’s hit The Disaster Artist as a young couple, and audiences were enthralled.
