You’d think their nuptials happened down the rabbit hole, and not at the bride’s parents’ L.A. home. When Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz tied the knot last May, their affair boasted an Alice in Wonderland theme, including a cake shaped like a top hat, teapot and stopwatch – with flowers on top. Even the cocktails were labeled “Drink Me,” while cookies read “Eat Me.” “It kind of went more fairytale than I thought,” Simpson admitted.
Many brushed it off as a stunt for Ashton Kutcher’s MTV prank show Punk’d when he and Demi Moore announced that they had tied the knot on Sept. 24, 2005. The impromptu Kabbalah ceremony, which took place at their Beverly Hills home, came together at the last minute, with final preparations completed within 24 hours.
Sending the invite after the ceremony? That’s what Fergie and Josh Duhamel did marrying this past January in Malibu. The invitation, created by L.A. company Lehr amp Black, featured a caricature of the couple with the things they love: bling and unicorns for Fergie, and natural elements for Josh. “The artwork had leaves and hidden details like a unicorn, and the invites were decorated with crystals,” company owner Ellen Black told PEOPLE. “Josh has a love for art, and viewed it as giving away of piece of art.”
Eva Longoria and Tony Parker didn’t just have a wedding day – they had a wedding week! They started with his-and-her bachelor parties in Saint-Tropez on July 1, 2007, then cruised the Seine River with pals on July 5 and had a low-key civil ceremony in Paris City Hall the next day. Finally on July 7 the couple capped off the whirlwind French trip with a lavish ceremony, followed by a reception at the Chateau of Vaux le Vicomte, a 17th-century castle outside Paris.
They’re celeb royalty, so it made sense that Posh amp Becks – a.k.a. Victoria Adams and David Beckham – would sit on gilded red-velvet thrones when they got married on July 4, 1999, at Luttrellstown Castle in Ireland. The bride even wore a crown at the $800,000 wedding, and the entire, ahem, posh affair was documented in the book David amp Victoria: An Invitation to a Wedding.
Eschewing publicity, White Stripes frontman Jack White and model Karen Elson (who appeared in the band’s video for “Blue Orchid”) got married secretly in the Brazilian city of Manaus on June 1, 2005. They announced the nuptials on the band’s Web site, saying the wedding took place “on the confluence of three rivers – the Rio Negro, the Solimones and the Amazon,” and was officiated “by a traditional shaman priest on a canoe at the exact point where the three rivers met.”
The pop singer popped the question! When Pink was watching then-boyfriend Carey Hart compete in a motocross race in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., in 2005, she held up a sign as he raced around the track. The first read “Will You Marry Me?” When that went ignored, Pink held up a second sign saying “I’m serious!” It worked: Hart ditched the race and joined his future wife by the side of the track. They married on Jan. 7, 2006, and after splitting last year, they’ve since found love again – with each other.
It was a low-key, playful wedding for Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell, who walked down the aisle – which was set up in the grass outside their Calabasas, Calif., home – in summer 2007. Guests sat on hay bales for the relaxed affair, but their dog, Better, was dressed up in black-tie, and even tried to jump into the ceremony. A guest told PEOPLE, “Rebecca started giggling, and we all laughed as he ran off.”
They remain tight-lipped about their romance, but when thousands of white orchids and candelabras were photographed last April outside of Jay-Z’s Tribeca penthouse – just days after he and longtime girlfriend Beyoncé Knowles obtained a marriage license – it was clear that the big day was here. The lavish affair was decorated with up to 60,000 white orchids from Thailand, with just close family and friends in attendance. And while they still say little about their love, Jay-Z recorded a song with Usher called “Best Thing” – about being a married man.
The invitation merely invited guests over for a “beautiful afternoon party,” but when friends and family arrived at Jennifer Lopez’s Beverly Hills home on June 4, 2004, they were in for a shock: They were actually attending a wedding! In late afternoon, Lopez and singer Marc Anthony said “I do,” and guests celebrated afterward in a backyard tent. “It was a surprise,” a source told PEOPLE.
Guests thought they were attending the rehearsal for Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams’s March 15, 2003, wedding when they arrived at the Malibu chapel clad in denim, as the invitation requested. But when Williams took off her denim coat to reveal a wedding dress, they discovered that this was no rehearsal – it was the real thing! The twosome surprised everyone, tying the knot that night.
Guests at Katharine McPhee’s Feb. 2, 2008, wedding to Nick Cokas were surprised with an impromptu concert! At the reception, held at Vibiana’s in L.A., the American Idol alum performed Natalie Cole’s “Unforgettable,” and the groom got in on the action as well, serenading his new wife with Billy Joel’s “She’s Got a Way.”
Gwen Stefani knows how to make a style statement – and her Jan. 1, 2002, wedding to Gavin Rossdale was no exception. In a custom-made white-and-pink silk gown by John Galliano, the singer tied the knot with the rocker in a 17th-century churchyard in London. They later held another ceremony in L.A.
THEY HAD A STORYBOOK THEME!
You’d think their nuptials happened down the rabbit hole, and not at the bride’s parents’ L.A. home. When Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz tied the knot last May, their affair boasted an Alice in Wonderland theme, including a cake shaped like a top hat, teapot and stopwatch – with flowers on top. Even the cocktails were labeled “Drink Me,” while cookies read “Eat Me.” “It kind of went more fairytale than I thought,” Simpson admitted.
THEY PLANNED IT IN 24 HOURS!
Many brushed it off as a stunt for Ashton Kutcher’s MTV prank show Punk’d when he and Demi Moore announced that they had tied the knot on Sept. 24, 2005. The impromptu Kabbalah ceremony, which took place at their Beverly Hills home, came together at the last minute, with final preparations completed within 24 hours.
THEY MAILED OUT CARICATURES!
Sending the invite after the ceremony? That’s what Fergie and Josh Duhamel did marrying this past January in Malibu. The invitation, created by L.A. company Lehr amp Black, featured a caricature of the couple with the things they love: bling and unicorns for Fergie, and natural elements for Josh. “The artwork had leaves and hidden details like a unicorn, and the invites were decorated with crystals,” company owner Ellen Black told PEOPLE. “Josh has a love for art, and viewed it as giving away of piece of art.”
THEY HAD A WEEK-LONG WEDDING!
Eva Longoria and Tony Parker didn’t just have a wedding day – they had a wedding week! They started with his-and-her bachelor parties in Saint-Tropez on July 1, 2007, then cruised the Seine River with pals on July 5 and had a low-key civil ceremony in Paris City Hall the next day. Finally on July 7 the couple capped off the whirlwind French trip with a lavish ceremony, followed by a reception at the Chateau of Vaux le Vicomte, a 17th-century castle outside Paris.
THEY SAT ON THRONES!
They’re celeb royalty, so it made sense that Posh amp Becks – a.k.a. Victoria Adams and David Beckham – would sit on gilded red-velvet thrones when they got married on July 4, 1999, at Luttrellstown Castle in Ireland. The bride even wore a crown at the $800,000 wedding, and the entire, ahem, posh affair was documented in the book David amp Victoria: An Invitation to a Wedding.
THEY WED ON A CANOE!
Eschewing publicity, White Stripes frontman Jack White and model Karen Elson (who appeared in the band’s video for “Blue Orchid”) got married secretly in the Brazilian city of Manaus on June 1, 2005. They announced the nuptials on the band’s Web site, saying the wedding took place “on the confluence of three rivers – the Rio Negro, the Solimones and the Amazon,” and was officiated “by a traditional shaman priest on a canoe at the exact point where the three rivers met.”
SHE PROPOSED!
The pop singer popped the question! When Pink was watching then-boyfriend Carey Hart compete in a motocross race in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., in 2005, she held up a sign as he raced around the track. The first read “Will You Marry Me?” When that went ignored, Pink held up a second sign saying “I’m serious!” It worked: Hart ditched the race and joined his future wife by the side of the track. They married on Jan. 7, 2006, and after splitting last year, they’ve since found love again – with each other.
THE DOG WAS A GUEST!
It was a low-key, playful wedding for Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell, who walked down the aisle – which was set up in the grass outside their Calabasas, Calif., home – in summer 2007. Guests sat on hay bales for the relaxed affair, but their dog, Better, was dressed up in black-tie, and even tried to jump into the ceremony. A guest told PEOPLE, “Rebecca started giggling, and we all laughed as he ran off.”
THEY HAD 50,000 ORCHIDS!
They remain tight-lipped about their romance, but when thousands of white orchids and candelabras were photographed last April outside of Jay-Z’s Tribeca penthouse – just days after he and longtime girlfriend Beyoncé Knowles obtained a marriage license – it was clear that the big day was here. The lavish affair was decorated with up to 60,000 white orchids from Thailand, with just close family and friends in attendance. And while they still say little about their love, Jay-Z recorded a song with Usher called “Best Thing” – about being a married man.
IT WAS A SURPRISE!
The invitation merely invited guests over for a “beautiful afternoon party,” but when friends and family arrived at Jennifer Lopez’s Beverly Hills home on June 4, 2004, they were in for a shock: They were actually attending a wedding! In late afternoon, Lopez and singer Marc Anthony said “I do,” and guests celebrated afterward in a backyard tent. “It was a surprise,” a source told PEOPLE.
THEY MARRIED AT THE REHEARSAL!
Guests thought they were attending the rehearsal for Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams’s March 15, 2003, wedding when they arrived at the Malibu chapel clad in denim, as the invitation requested. But when Williams took off her denim coat to reveal a wedding dress, they discovered that this was no rehearsal – it was the real thing! The twosome surprised everyone, tying the knot that night.
THE BRIDE WAS THE ENTERTAINMENT!
Guests at Katharine McPhee’s Feb. 2, 2008, wedding to Nick Cokas were surprised with an impromptu concert! At the reception, held at Vibiana’s in L.A., the American Idol alum performed Natalie Cole’s “Unforgettable,” and the groom got in on the action as well, serenading his new wife with Billy Joel’s “She’s Got a Way.”
THE WEDDING DRESS WAS PINK!
Gwen Stefani knows how to make a style statement – and her Jan. 1, 2002, wedding to Gavin Rossdale was no exception. In a custom-made white-and-pink silk gown by John Galliano, the singer tied the knot with the rocker in a 17th-century churchyard in London. They later held another ceremony in L.A.
