Entertainment

21 Celebrities Who Opted for a Low-Key Wedding

EntertainmentPublished Aug 14, 2016
By Celia San Miguel
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Not all celebrity couples fancy getting married in lavish castles, hiring 50-piece orchestras to play at their wedding receptions, and cutting into eight-tier wedding cakes. Some stars actually prefer avoiding all the pomp and circumstance, instead opting to exchange vows in intimate settings, sharing the moment with only a precious few friends and family members. Not only do these low-key ceremonies allow the bride and groom to truly focus on their special day and celebrate their love, but they guarantee a bit more privacy than extravagant nuptials.

These famous couples managed to say their "I Dos" under the radar — whether they skipped off to a Las Vegas chapel, pledged their undying love inside City Hall, or exchanged vows in their own backyards. Here, check out some of the most laid-back celebrity weddings to date! 

Image via cbsnews.com

1/21

Vanessa Carlton & John McCauley

Vanessa Carlton found her "Nolita Fairytale" with Deer Tick singer John McCauley. In December 2013, the musical lovebirds said their "I Dos" during a private hilltop ceremony officiated by Stevie Nicks, the sunset adding to the romantic setting. In keeping with the wedding's Boho theme, the "A Thousand Miles" singer wore a floral crown (as did Stevie Nicks) to complement her long-sleeved, figure-hugging white gown and carried a quaint bouquet of purple flowers. The groom, meanwhile, kept things casual with a brown blazer and green corduroy pants. All they needed was each other — and Stevie!

2/21

Keira Knightley & James Righton

Keira Knightley was literally skipping for joy after marrying singer and keyboard player James Righton in May 2013. The couple exchanged vows at the Town Hall in Mazan, a hilltop village in the south of France, with only 11 other people present at the 30-minute ceremony. When the newlyweds emerged from the Town Hall, Knightley was seen smiling and prancing cheerfully in her romantic Bohemian ensemble: a strapless, above-the-knee tulle dress, a cropped Chanel bouclé jacket, ballet flats, and a dainty floral crown. Now, that's love, actually!

3/21

Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie

Considering their combined wealth, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt could've rented a castle à la Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes for their wedding. Instead, Brangelina opted for a laid-back ceremony inside the Château Miraval, their family residence in France's Provence region. Only close family members attended the August 2014 event, and the couple's six children were involved in every aspect of the ceremony: Maddox and Pax walked Jolie down the aisle, Shiloh and Knox were ring bearers, and Vivienne and Zahara were flower girls.

4/21
Kristen Bell & Dax Shepard-placeholder
Kristen Bell & Dax Shepard
cbsnews.com/Kristen Bell

Kristen Bell & Dax Shepard

"We got married in a tiny room in the Beverly Hills courthouse, and it was still one of the best days of my life," Kristen Bell said of her 2013 nuptials to Dax Shepard. During a recent interview with CBS News, the Bad Moms star shared pictures of her wedding ceremony with the public for the very first time. One photo shows Bell, clad in a black sheath dress, and Shepard, in a black tuxedo, holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes lovingly while standing before the judge who declared them husband and wife.

More from CafeMom: 10 Most Amazing Secret Celebrity Weddings

5/21

Jessica Alba & Cash Warren

When Jessica Alba wed Cash Warren in May 2008, she did so with no frills. The couple, who met on the set of 2005's Fantastic Four, exchanged vows while standing under an arch of green silk leaves and white flowers inside the Beverly Hills courthouse's ceremony room. Alba even eschewed the customary white bridal gown, opting for a long blue dress. Doesn't get more frugal than City Hall!

6/21

Kelly Clarkson & Brandon Blackstock

Before Kelly Clarkson married Brandon Blackstock, the American Idol winner told the press she had opted against a lavish shindig with an expansive star-studded guest list. "We're just gonna go off with the kids and go get married," she said. Clarkson and Blackstock stayed true to those plans, tying the knot on October 20, 2013, at Blackberry Farm, in Westland, Tennessee. The VIP members on their guest list? Blackstock's two kids: Savannah, then 11, and Seth, then 7.

7/21
Leighton Meester & Adam Brody-placeholder
Leighton Meester & Adam Brody
Splash News

Leighton Meester & Adam Brody

Unlike her Gossip Girl character, Blair Waldorf, Leighton Meester knows how to keep a secret. In February 2014, Leighton Meester married T**he OC's Adam Brody in an ocean-front ceremony in Northern California, with only a handful of guests present. The event was so hush-hush that, to this date, no further details have emerged.

8/21

Kelly Ripa & Mark Consuelos

Twenty years after running off to Las Vegas to elope with her All My Children costar Mark Consuelos,Kelly Ripa wore the same white dress she donned on her wedding day while vacationing with her hubby on Turks & Caicos. Ripa said she'd bought the dress at a Barney's Warehouse sale for only $199 five years before her impromptu nuptials, which took place on May 1, 1996, at the Chapels of the Bells in Sin City. Who said a quickie Vegas wedding is a bad idea?

More from CafeMom: 20 Celebrities You Didn't Know Eloped

9/21

Olivia Palermo & Johannes Huebl

In June 2014, Olivia Palermo and Johannes Huebl married during a small outdoors ceremony in Bedford, New York. Though the stylish stars share many a romantic moment with fans via Instagram, they chose to keep their special day private, exchanging vows before a handful of family and friends. Palermo's one extravagance involved her bridal ensemble, which consisted of a clever combination of Carolina Herrera pieces: a cashmere sweater adorned with ostrich feathers, tailored white shorts, and a tulle skirt overlay with a high center slit.

10/21
Daniel Craig & Rachel Weisz-placeholder
Daniel Craig & Rachel Weisz
Splash News

Daniel Craig & Rachel Weisz

When Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz tied the knot in June 2011, it was a top secret mission worthy of 007. Only four people were present at the ceremony, which took place in New York State: Daniel's daughter Ella, then 18; Weisz's son Henry, then 4; and two friends who acted as witnesses. The Mummy star was clearly just as good as James Bond at keeping mum about the plans!

11/21

Solange Knowles & Alan Ferguson

Forget limos! Solange Knowles and Alan Ferguson rode bicycles to their wedding venue: the Holy Trinity Church in New Orleans. Both the couple and all of their guests wore white to the November 2014 ceremony, bucking tradition (because, really, who was going to outshine Solange?) and making the wedding photos look positively angelic. Solange remained true to her eclectic personal style by opting to wear an ivory Stéphane Rolland jumpsuit in lieu of the classic puffy white wedding dress.

12/21

Cindy Crawford & Rande Gerber

Cindy Crawford became the poster child for laid-back beach brides when photos of her 1998 Bahamas wedding to Rande Gerber appeared in the press. Crawford wore a simple John Galliano mini lace shift dress and opted for a minimal makeup look. "I wanted to look like the best version of the girl Rande loves waking up to every morning," Crawford later wrote of her natural look. And that wasn't the only way she skirted tradition: Rather than having her father give her away, Crawford chose to have her groom walk alongside her to the ceremony location on the beach, as a symbol of their decision to enter into a lifelong union together.

More from CafeMom: 16 Breathtaking Celebrity Wedding Destinations

13/21
Javier Bardem & Penelope Cruz-placeholder
Javier Bardem & Penelope Cruz
Photo Image Press/Splash News

Javier Bardem & Penelope Cruz

They fell in love in their native Spain while costarring in Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, but Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz headed to the Caribbean for their July 2010 nuptials. Only the bride and groom's close family members were present as the Oscar-winning actors said "I do" inside a close friend's home in the Bahamas.

14/21
Jay Z & Beyonce-placeholder
Jay Z & Beyonce
YouTube.com

Jay Z & Beyonce

The public finally got a look at Beyonce and Jay Z's top-secret wedding thanks to a heart-warming video clip included in Bey's visual album, Lemonade. After obtaining a marriage license in Scarsdale, New York, the couple wed on April 4, 2008, inside Jay Z's spacious penthouse in the Tribeca section of New York City. Only 40 guests were invited, and all were asked not to bring any cell phones so as to ensure the couple's privacy. Bey's one special request was that the space be adorned with her favorite flowers: white dendrobium orchids.

15/21

Erika Christensen & Cole Maness

Opting for a rustic outdoor setting, Parenthood star Erika Christensen and cyclist Cole Maness married at a ranch near Palm Springs, California, in September 2015. They kept the guest list small and only added chairs to the space, opting to forgo floral decorations and arches and instead letting nature provude the décor. They even chose to say their vowsunder an ancient oak tree — a fitting choice for those hoping for a strong and lasting union.

16/21
Matt Damon & Luciana Barroso-placeholder
Matt Damon & Luciana Barroso
Jen Lowery/Splash News

Matt Damon & Luciana Barroso

Matt Damon and Luciana Barroso didn't splurge on an extravagant wedding location — instead, they jetted off to New York City Hall and exchanged vows during a small ceremony at 9 a.m. on December 9, 2005. Barroso's daughter from a previous marriage, Alexa, was present, as was former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Still, the wedding was so small that even Damon's longtime pal Ben Affleck was absent!

More from CafeMom: 17 Breathtakingly Beautiful Celebrity Wedding Dresses

17/21

Amber Tamblyn & David Cross

In October 2012, Arrested Development's David Cross and actress Amber Tamblyn tied the knot during a charmingly eclectic, alternative, and non-traditional wedding in the woods. Tamblyn wore a yellow dress, arriving to the woodside ceremony alongside her dad via canoe and emerging barefoot, holding a bouquet of yellow flowers. Though some A-list celebs were in attendance — including Amy Poehler, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Questlove — the couple kept the guest list to a minimum. They also opted for a rustic outdoor reception, with music provided by Yo La Tengo.

18/21

Cameron Diaz & Benji Madden

Cameron Diaz's laid-back attitude even applied to her wedding: the Bad Teacher star married rocker Benji Madden in the living room of her Beverly Hills home in front of a handful of friends. After making their union official, the happy couple escorted their guests outside, to the tennis court in the backyard of Diaz's estate, to celebrate.

19/21
Nick Cannon & Mariah Carey-placeholder
Nick Cannon & Mariah Carey
Splash News

Nick Cannon & Mariah Carey

"Understated" and "subtle" are not words typically used to describe any event involving Mariah Carey, and yet those are fitting adjectives for her April 2008 wedding to Nick Cannon. The couple jetted off to Mariah Carey's estate in the Bahamas and secretly wed in a romantic beachside ceremony at sunset. Though their initial wedding was very low-key, they renewed their vows every year in a much more theatrical fashion. One year, they flew to Paris. Another year, they planned a Disneyland wedding, with Cannon dressing as Prince Charming and Carey as a fairytale princess.

20/21

Mila Kunis & Ashton Kutcher

In July 2015, nine months after welcoming their daughter Wyatt Isabelle into the world, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis officially became husband and wife. The former That '70s Show costars wed at The Secret Garden at Parrish Ranch in Oak Glen, California, a secluded but scenic location surrounded by acres of apple orchards, mountains, and spring fed ponds. The couple invited only their closest friends and family so as to keep the event intimate and low-key, and they worked hard to avoid any media attention, a task Kutcher later described as a "ninja effort."

More from CafeMom: 5 Bold Celebrities Who Said Yes to Colored Wedding Dresses

21/21
Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony-placeholder
Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony
Janet Meyer/Splash News

Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's wedding was even a surprise to their guests! On June 5, 2004, the couple's innermost circle of family and friends arrived at their Beverly Hills pad for what they thought would be an afternoon party. Soon, however, they realized they were about to witness a wedding! Lopez and Anthony married in their backyard in front of these 40 guests — a relaxed setting that's leaps and bounds from what JLo's character in The Wedding Planner would've envisioned!

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