By Creshawna Parker
Planning a wedding is hard work. You have to pick a date, send out invites, take engagement photos, find the perfect dress, choose the hall, get a caterer — actually, the planning really doesn’t end until the big day. And if you’re a celebrity, add trying to shun paparazzi and other camera toting individuals to your to-do list and this task can become even more stressful. Contrary to this belief, thanks to reality TV and celebrity magazine contracts, some celebrities [insert Kim Kardashian here] have the pleasure of publicizing their exchanging of vows for millions of Hollywood enthused fans to see on TV in trade of cashing a multi-million dollar check. While, this gives off a semblance of an easy pay day for celebrities, these Tinseltown twosomes traded in the cameras and the public access to celebrate their intimate moment with family and close friends:
1. Beyonce Knowles and Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter: This power couple started dating back in 2002 and after years of speculation, the duo officially tied the knot on April 4, 2008. The ceremony was followed by a lavish party thrown at the rapper’s New York Tribeca apartment and was decorated with 50,000 to 60,000 white orchid blooms from Thailand. In attendance was the couple’s closest family and friends including the singer’s parents and sister Solange, former Destiny’s Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams and actress Gwenyth Paltrow. Normally a private person about her love life, the new mom stated in People back in January 2006, “I never pictured myself as a bride, but after my sister’s wedding, I did start thinking about what kind of wedding I want. I don’t think I want a big one.”
2. Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon: These two lovebirds started dating in March of 2008 after Cannon appeared in the singer’s music video “Bye Bye.” After dating for only a few weeks, the couple said “I do” on April 30, 2008 in front of a dozen of their closest family and friends at Carey’s Bahamian ocean-side estate while enjoying live Maine lobster and Dom Perignon that was flown in for the special occasion. Not only did the couple seal the deal in just a few weeks, they also marked the event with permanent ink. “We got tattoos,” Carey told People. “His is on one shoulder to the other and it says ‘Mariah.’ [Mine is] on my lower back and it says ‘Mrs. Cannon.’ “
Related: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon: New Parents on Their Anniversary!
3. Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green: It took two engagements before this Hollywood pair tied the knot in Hawaii on June 24, 2010. The couple, who met in 2004 on the set of the sitcom “Hope & Faith,” wed at the Four Seasons Hotel resort in a private ceremony while vacationing on the island. Before calling off their first engagement, Green described his ideal wedding to People. “Originally we were talking elopement and now we might have a few people there,” he said. Obviously a man to get what he wants, the two reportedly exchanged vows in front of a half dozen guests including Green’s son, Kassius.
4. Jessica Alba and Cash Warren: When it comes to low-profile weddings, this actress and producer take the cake. Opting out of having a glamorous Hollywood wedding, these two tied the knot May 19, 2008 at the Beverly Hills courthouse‘s ceremony room under an arch of green silk foliage and white flowers, with Alba dressed in a long blue gown and her hair in a ponytail. Although the pair considered having a fall wedding, they were evidently satisfied with keeping their nuptials low-key.
Related: Best Celebrity Moms Who Also Make Great Wives
5. Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck: There was nothing gaudy about this couple’s wedding. Married on beautiful Parrot Cay of the Turks and Caicos Islands, a makeup-less Garner, wearing her hair in a loose ponytail wed Affleck on June 29, 2005, in a private ceremony with no family-including their parents- or friends in attendance. “They didn’t need or want a crowd. They just wanted each other,” Affleck’s pal, director Kevin Smith, told People. Perhaps, the secluded time away from the Hollywood glam and cameras made for the best wedding gift for the couple. “They’re in it for one another, not for anyone else,” Smith said.
Who are some other celebrity couples that had a low profile wedding? Share your comments below.
