Ariana Grande's dating life has been in a constant state of scrutiny over the past few years, particularly after her whirlwind romance with Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson. Their short-lived 2018 relationship was doomed from the start, forever remembered as the rebound of all rebounds as each of them had split from their longtime partners only weeks before they began "casually dating." Soon they were engaged but split after five months at no surprise to fans.
Skipping forward a few years, Grande has herself a new man that she actually married! She and real estate agent Dalton Gomez announced their relationship in March 2020 but mainly kept out of the spotlight. Keeping things on the down-low was the theme of their romance as they held a secret wedding ceremony on May 15, 2021, announcing their marriage with an after-the-fact Instagram post. Us Weekly reported, “The room was so happy and full of love. The couple and both families couldn’t be happier.”
Sorry, not sorry, but some celebrity relationships are just better than others. We can never know what goes on behind the scenes, but Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have the "perfect couple" look down pat. You probably recognize the pair from their time acting together on the sitcom That '70s Show, where their characters dated for a few seasons, but they didn't kindle a romance IRL until years later. After Kutcher's time on '70s concluded, the pair didn't reconnect until the 69th Golden Globes in 2012 after Kutcher's divorce from Demi Moore.
Despite trying a friends-with-benefits dynamic at first, they ended up moving in together after three months—then announcing their engagement and pregnancy two years later. They married in a private ceremony in Oak Glen, California, on July 4, 2015. In fact, Kunis told W magazine in 2014, "I never wanted to get married. From the age of 12, I prepared my parents for no marriage. Now, my theory on weddings is: Don't invite anyone. Do it privately and secretly." Looks like that plan worked out well as the two are still going strong!
What can we possibly say about Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio that hasn't already been said? What has been called "the ultimate All-American romance," the Yankees star and Hollywood bombshell sent shockwaves through America with their whirlwind romance. From the beginning sparks to the sudden wedding, nearly everything about the relationship was a national affair despite their best efforts to keep things private. DiMaggio was the first to make a move, asking a friend to set him up on a date with Monroe in 1952.
Things quickly developed from there and the pair were caught eloping at San Francisco City Hall on January 14, 1954. Apparently Monroe let the date slip to her film studio and they were mobbed by fans, reporters, and paparazzi alike. Luck wasn't on their side, however, as things quickly began to fester. From leaving DiMaggio alone in Japan on their honeymoon to the baseball star's intense jealousy, they didn't last the year.
Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux's marriage may have been short-lived, but it certainly was exciting. The Friends actress reportedly began dating Theroux -- an actor, producer, screenwriter, and director -- after Aniston was cast in a leading role for the 2007 film Tropic Thunder, which Theroux co-wrote, and later on in 2011 for Wanderlust.
After Wanderlust wrapped was when their relationship really took off with Theroux popping the question a year later on Aniston's 41st birthday. Their engagement lasted three years, so it was quite a surprise when they announced their marriage. Apparently, they tricked guests into keeping mum by inviting them to a "birthday party" at their Bel Air-based home when in fact it was a ploy to disguise the wedding. With Jimmy Kimmel officiating and Friends co-stars in attendance, it was exactly the "peaceful environment" Theroux wanted, according to ET.
At one point in the early 2000s, Britney Spears dominated tabloid headlines across the world. People couldn't get enough of the Princess of Pop as she never failed to drop a hit single. Two decades later, we all know how things have changed. The press has backed down a little since 2007 (if you know, you know) but with the onset of #FreeBritney, people are taking a second look at how the media treated the singer. That being said, it makes sense why Spears decided to marry then-fiance Kevin Federline in secret.
Not only had she already engaged in a whirlwind romance with childhood sweetheart Jason Alexander, but they knew the paparazzi would have been insufferable. She confessed to People, "It became this huge thing and I was like, 'What are we waiting for? We know this is the real thing, why not just do it now?' That's why I wanted to sneak and do it our little way." Thus, they had a top-secret ceremony on October 16, 2004, for 30 guests at their home.
Singer-songwriter Adele's iconic breakup album 21 made waves in 2011 with her booming vocals and moving lyrics. The end of a relationship inspired the album, which was short-listed for multiple awards, but she soon found herself in a new relationship the same year with charity entrepreneur Simon Konecki. A year later, they introduced their son Angelo James to the world, but no news of engagement sparked until early 2017.
The couple was spotted with matching rings on their ring fingers and set tabloids aflame. It was only when Adele referred to Konecki as "her husband" during the 59th Grammys during her acceptance speech that their secret marriage was confirmed. Not much is known about the wedding except that the ceremony was Titanic-themed. Unfortunately, their love didn't last forever and they officially split after seven years together, finalizing the divorce in 2021.
Celebrities around the world attempt to pull off secret weddings, but sometimes they're simply too popular to fly under the radar. Take Jay-Z and Beyonce, for example. Both are international music sensations and Beyonce's often regarded as one of the greatest musicians of all time. All this to say, they weren't quite successful in keeping quiet about their marriage despite skipping the engagement announcements.
Within hours information leaked of the couple obtaining their marriage license in New York as well as of footage capturing a giant white tent erected on Jay-Z's Tribeca penthouse's patio. Coated in 70.000 white dendrobium orchids and candelabras, the couple walked down the aisle in a strapless ivory gown (designed by her mother Tina Lawson) and blue nail polish for the most exclusive ceremony of the decade.
Before we launch into the nitty-gritty details of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' 2012 wedding, we want to point out how lovely the venue was. From Spanish moss to the charming bistro lighting and wooden beams, it almost looked like their ceremony wasn't held on a former plantation. South Carolina's Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens set the scene for their wedding, and recent details released about the venue have prompted Reynolds to deem the choice "a giant f-----g mistake" to E!
After meeting on the set of The Green Lantern in 2010 and nearly a year of dating, Reynolds proposed with a 12-carat engagement ring. They quickly put together a small ceremony of 35 guests without altering the media, and with the help of Martha Stewart, they pulled it off! And after numerous apologies and donations to advocacy groups, people are starting to forgive them for the... controversial choice of venue. In fact, they held a second secret wedding at home.
It seems like How I Met Your Mother and Broadway star Neil Patrick Harris has been with hubby David Burtka since the beginning of time, but in fact, there was a time that they weren't an item. We know -- the horror! While the pair both starred in Broadway roles and on the iconic sitcom (Burtka was a guest star), their love story didn't begin until they happened to stumble into each other in 2004. Harris confessed to Out, "[I] initially fell for David harder than he fell for me."
Despite those beginning woes, they eventually found an equal footing and held a top-secret Italian wedding. Five years earlier, the couple proposed to each other, but they were unable to marry because of anti-gay marriage legislation. Once news broke that New York legalized these ceremonies in 2011, the pair quickly made their engagement official. After their wedding, Harris announced on Twitter, "Guess what? @DavidBurtka and I got married over the weekend. In Italy. Yup, we put the ‘n’ and ‘d’ in ‘husband’."
Angelina Jolie is no stranger to secret weddings (we're looking at you, Billy Bob Thornton), and her marriage to Brad Pitt was no exception. But, unfortunately for her, these marriages are publicized all the more due to their secrecy, which kinda defeated the point. The actors met on the set of 2005 film Mr. & Mrs. Smith, where they starred in the titular roles. It was only a matter of time before they rose to the status of "Hollywood's Hottest Couple" as Brangelina.
After nearly a decade of dating and six kids, Pitt and Jolie shocked the world by tieing the knot in secret at Château Miraval in the South of France in August 2014. They'd been engaged since April 2012, but knew they wanted the ceremony to be special. So special that they were married twice! Jolie told Io Donna, “Before the wedding in France with the kids, Brad and I were already married in California. As Americans, we couldn't marry legally in France.” Despite the fairy tale wedding, the couple divorced after two years of marriage.
Blonde bombshell Pamela Anderson's marriage to top producer and hairdresser Jon Peters was over almost as soon as it began. The pair first met in the '80s at the notorious Playboy Mansion, with Peters actually trying (and failing) to convince her not to do Playboy modeling. Peters soon proposed but Anderson refused, citing their age difference as an issue. More than 30 years later, age didn't matter so much as they secretly wed in January 2020.
Anderson and Peter's wedding marks the fifth marriage for both of them, with a publicist stating, "They are very much in love and were married yesterday" once the rumors broke. Things quickly dissolved for the whirlwind couple, however, just twelve days after the ceremony. They hadn't even finalized their marriage certificate! Despite firing claims back and forth against each other's character, both confirmed that the reason for their split originated from similar realizations that they weren't on the same life journey.
What happens when you mix boybands with hit HBO TV shows? A secret wedding, of course! Okay, maybe that's not entirely accurate, but we can't imagine a universe where singer Joe Jonas and actress Sophie Turner aren't together. Since the beginning of their relationship in 2016, they've kept things relatively private. At least, as private as you can get when you're Jonas Brothers and Game of Thrones icons.
Things really started heating up when Jonas slipped a $150k ring on her finger after a year of dating, culminating in an equally glitzy Vegas ceremony only they could pull off! The surprise wedding came after the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, but fans weren't left completely in the dark as the affair was streamed on Instagram. It may not have been completely under the radar, but it was still a shock! A few months later, the couple held a traditional ceremony in France on top of vacationing for two honeymoons... It all makes sense now!
One of the most heartwrenching Hollywood romances ever was the on-again, off-again relationship between singer Miley Cyrus and actor Liam Hemsworth. The star-crossed pair first met in 2009 on the set of Nicholas Sparks's The Last Song. It seems that starring in the lead roles allowed the pair to grow close, resulting in a decade-long romance. After a couple of splits, the pair first became engaged in June 2012.
They parted ways once again after Perez Hilton suggested that Cyrus cheated with Ed Westwick, sparking the release of the iconic 2013 breakup anthem "Wrecking Ball." The engagement was back on in 2016 after three years apart, Cyrus released a song dedicated to Hemsworth "Malibu" in 2016, and finally -- finally -- released pictures of their low-key wedding in December 2018, captioning the Instagram post "10 years later." Hemsworth filed for divorce from Cyrus in August 2019, citing "irreconcilable differences," and the rest is history.
In terms of keeping weddings a secret, rappers Cardi B and Offset take the cake. Almost a year after the couple married in September 2017, Cardi B officially confirmed the marriage on Twitter. Given the nature of her Twitter post, people were accusing her of having a baby out of wedlock as she was due to give birth to her daughter the following month.
In the post, Cardi described her feelings about keeping the ceremony private,:"There are so many moments that I share with the world and then there are moments that I want to keep for myself! Getting married was one of those moments... one morning in September we woke up and decided to get married. We found someone to marry us, and she did, just the two of us and my cousin. I said I do, with no dress no makeup, and no ring!"
Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard are among the most beloved Hollywood couples. Not only have they kept things transparent to their audience, but they're just insanely adorable! While they are typically an open book with fans, their wedding was a private affair. They met at a dinner party in 2007 and dated on and off until Shepard proposed in 2009.
Much about this star couple's wedding bucked tradition, from the dress to the venue to the date! They could have thrown an elaborate ceremony any time they wished with the fanciest dress and most exclusive celebrity guests, but that's not what they did. Instead, they waited until same-sex marriage was legalized in California. Eventually, they had a low-key courthouse wedding in Beverly Hills on October 1, 2013. They share two children, Lincoln and Delta.
