The typical ceremony that comes to mind whenever you hear the word "wedding" isn't exactly the special day everyone dreams of. Plenty of couples would rather celebrate their love in a way that's totally unique to them.
Most of the time, these alternative weddings turn out beautifully, and they might make it onto Pinterest and inspire another couple's wedding plans. Sometimes, however, taking the road less traveled can lead to unexpected trouble.
Here are 20 unconventional celebrity weddings and how their relationships worked out:
1. In 2003, Olivia Wilde married Italian prince/filmmaker Tao Ruspoli on the school bus that he also lived in.
Later on, they had a more traditional ceremony in Virginia.
2. In 2007, Tan and Rob France got married — but unlike most couples, they didn't have a proposal or an engagement.
After they'd been dating for a while, they came to the agreement that they were going to get married eventually, so they simply set a date.
3. In 2008, Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon brought their friends to the Bahamas for a "video shoot" — but it was actually for their surprise beach wedding.
However, every year on their anniversary, they had a big vow renewal ceremony at places including Disneyland and the hospital their twins were born in.
4. In 2013, tech billionaire Sean Parker and singer Alexandra Lenas had an over-the-top Lord of the Rings-themed wedding under the redwoods of Big Sur.
All 364 guests wore custom costumes designed by Ngila Dickson, the actual LOTR costume designer.
However, after they spent two years planning their extravagant ceremony, the California Coastal Commission ordered them to cancel only 20 days before because the extra structures had been built without a permit and on an illegally closed campground — so the couple shelled out $2.5 million in a settlement.
The structures posed a threat to the redwoods and the fish living in a nearby stream. The couple's settlement covered the hotel's violations and provided additional money for the commission to purchase hiking trails and public easements for conservation groups.
Sean told USA Today, "Ultimately, the Ventana [the hotel] was unwilling to accept any financial responsibility and preferred to cancel our wedding rather than work things out with the commission. We had no choice but to step in and pay for all of their violations, both the unpermitted construction and also their past liability related to the campground closure."
Pinterest wedding board-worthiness rating: –💒💒💒 for environmental damage
Current relationship status: Still together and parents of two.
5. In a much more simplistic ceremony after leaving the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas rounded up a few friends and headed to Las Vegas for their wedding.
Their ceremony was also officiated by an Elvis impersonator.
However, the celebration didn't stop there — they had a larger ceremony in Paris a few months later.
6. Not all Vegas weddings are created equal, however — such as the 2019 wedding YouTubers Tana Mongeau and Jake Paul held in the middle of an outdoor mall.
Interested fans could livestream the ceremony at home for $50.
However, what truly made their wedding untraditional was the fact that it didn't result in a legal marriage.
7. For their 2014 wedding, Lance Bass and Michael Turchin "didn't want a normal wedding party."
So their trio of dogs served as their wedding attendants, and several supermodels served as flower girls.
Additionally, the entire event was documented in Lance Loves Michael: The Lance Bass Wedding — making them the first same-sex couple to get married on American TV!
8. In 2014, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka also had an unconventional wedding party at their secret Italian wedding.
Guess what? @DavidBurtka and I got married over the weekend. In Italy. Yup, we put the 'n' and 'd' in 'husband'.
Their son Gideon decided that, instead of the ring bearer, he wanted to be the "orange boy" — so he walked down the aisle and passed out oranges to the guests.
9. In 1996, All My Children costars, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, broke up but got back together and got engaged the very same day.
The next day, they eloped at Chapel of the Bells in Las Vegas.
Four years later, their All My Children characters, Hayley and Mateo, had a more traditional wedding onscreen.
10. In 2010, Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher got married in Paris with only six guests in attendance — all of whom had been given “very little notice."
To keep their private ceremony secret from paparazzi and other prying eyes, they disguised it as a 70th birthday party for Sacha's dad, who pretended to be a famous English chef.
11. In 2016, Jordan Peele and Chelsea Peretti eloped at Big Sur — and no other human guests were invited.
Their only guest was their dog, which Chelesea later shared on Instagram.
Afterwards, they made big photo books for their family members who weren't there.
12. In 2018, Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber (née Baldwin) also forewent a lavish wedding and tied the knot at a courthouse instead — but they said they still wanted a larger, more religious ceremony later on.
So on their first wedding anniversary, the Biebers held an extravagant, days-long wedding event in South Carolina.
The night before the main ceremony, Justin and Hailey gathered all of their guests to watch The Notebook — then surprised everyone with water guns after the credits rolled.
13. In 1993, Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett spent only two days planning the "small, moving, intimate ceremony" they had in Marion, Indiana.
Five tour buses and three stretch limos descended on the small town, and actor Barry Tubb walked Julia down the aisle.
Afterwards, Lyle was scheduled to play a concert about 60 miles away, so all 75 guests piled onto his tour buses. During the show, Julia joined him on stage.
14. In 1997, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick invited 100 friends to New York for a party — then surprised them with a wedding.
Sarah wore a black dress because she was "too embarrassed" to wear white and didn't want people to pay too much attention to her on her wedding day.
15. Continuing the surprise wedding trend in 2010, Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart shocked their friends with a wedding at the New Mexico governor's mansion.
The couple had their close friend, Governor Bill Richardson, officiate the ceremony, but because he wasn't officially ordained, Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Daniels oversaw the legal portion of their union.
16. After reconnecting in 2006, Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock got married on a yacht in St. Tropez.
She wore a bridal bikini and a captain's hat, and he wore jeans and a fedora.
17. In another nautical ceremony in 2012, Amber Tamblyn kayaked to the aisle before meeting David Cross at the altar.
She also wore a marigold dress and walked barefoot. The entire ceremony was documented by Questlove, their DJ.
18. In 2009, Salma Hayek and billionaire François-Henri Pinault had two weddings, starting with a quiet city hall ceremony in Paris on Valentine's Day.
Then, a few months later, they threw a lavish, weekend-long wedding at Venice's La Fenice for 150 of their closet friends and family — all of whom wore black and gold masks.
The celebration kicked off with a masked ball at the historic Punta Della Dogana.
19. In a completely opposite kind of ceremony in 2020, David Harbour and Lily Allen tied the knot at Graceland Chapel in Las Vegas just a day after obtaining their marriage license.
An Elvis impersonator officiated the ceremony.
Afterwards, their family enjoyed a casual reception at In-N-Out Burger.
20. And finally, while Laura Dern was away filming a movie in 2000, her then-fiancé Billy Bob Thornton eloped with his Pushing Tin costar, Angelina Jolie.
Wearing jeans, they tied the knot in a 20-minute ceremony at the Little Church of the West in Las Vegas.
