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Wedding Ceremony Ideas From Celebrities Who Got Married Later in Life

Published Thursday, Apr. 13th, 2023


Collage made using a Wikicommons image of Salma Hayek and Francios-Henri at the Golden Globes, with a side banner that includes an icon of 2 wedding rings interlinking with a heart, and the words 'wedding ceremony inspo, celebrities who married later in life'
Happy couple Francois-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek (cropped), original by jdeeringdavis

Get inspired by these celebrity weddings! These couples married later in life, proving true love can find you at any age

 

 

Love finds all of us at different ages. It’s never too late to fall in love… or fall in love again. If you’re planning a wedding ceremony later in life, then you know this sentiment well. 

 

Unfortunately, most of the wedding inspiration you’ll find online is aimed at young couples getting married in their 20s and early 30s, or couples getting married for the first time. 

 

These young-love ceremonies are usually designed for two people who are just starting out and have their whole lives ahead of them – a sweet story, to be sure, but not one that some older couples can relate to. Although falling in love can make anyone feel brand new, chances are that most older people have already lived full and varied lives by the time they reach the altar. 

 

Older couples bring years of experience and wisdom into their marriage. Instead of ‘starting a new life together,’ they’re joining together two happy and established lives in love. 

If this sounds like you and your partner, then plan a wedding ceremony that celebrates it! 

 

To help you get started, we’ve gathered wedding inspiration from 5 celebrity couples who said ‘I do’ later in life, along with sample wedding ceremony scripts and advice for wedding officiants to make each unique idea a reality. 

 

Next, ask a friend or relative to get ordained online to officiate your wedding. 

 

 

...♡...

 

 

Wedding Ceremony Inspiration: 5 Celebrity Couples Who Married Later in Life 

 

 

1. Cameron Diaz and Benjie Madden 

 

Inspiration: At-home wedding with family participation

 

 

 

Two photos, left is Cameron Diaz at a celebrity event, on the right is Benji Madden playing during a Good Charlotte concert
Photo: Cameron Diaz (left, cropped) David Shankbone, 2010, via Flickr; 

Benji Madden (right, cropped) Alfred Nitsch, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 

Diaz was 42 and Madden was almost 36 when they got married in January of 2015. Instead of planning something flashy and expensive, the celebrity couple chose a private, personal ceremony. Madden’s five-year-old nephew was the ring bearer, and only close friends and family members attended.

 

“We got married in our living room in front of our friends,” Cameron told radio host Andy Cohen at the time. “Had a little party in our backyard on the tennis court…” (via Hello Magazine)

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Tika Sumpter and Nicholas James

 

Inspiration: Adults-only vacation vibes

 

Sumpter was 41 and James was 38 when they married in a deluxe destination beach wedding in Mexico last year. The sun-kissed celebration took place at Chileno Bay Resorts & Residences, where friends and family celebrated together for a full weekend of adults-only fun – the only children allowed to attend were the couple’s daughter Ella and her two closest friends.

 

“I wanted everyone to feel taken care of, have a great time, and feel like they were on vacation,” Sumpter told Brides.com. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi

 

Inspiration: Friend officiant and LGBTQ+ pride

 

 

Portia de Rossi & Ellen DeGeneres embrace outdoors

Photo: Portia & Ellen embrace, by Angela George, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons


This famous couple were together for years before tying the knot, when DeGeneres was 50 and Portia was 35. The couple held their ceremony at home, and asked their friend Wayne Dyer to officiate. The event was one of earliest celebrity same-sex weddings, which Dyer acknowledged the importance in a heartwarming speech: 

 

“Today we have taken a giant step forward toward the ideal that all of us, with no exceptions, are not only created equal, but we each have the unalienable right to pursue our own happiness,” Dyer said. (via People Magazine)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Elton John and David Furnish

 

Inspiration: Anniversary wedding with children as ring bearers

 

 

On the left, Elton John speaks at a podium, dressed in black with red glasses on; On the right, David Furnish smiles at an event, wearing a dark suit and light gray suit jacket

Elton John (left, cropped) by Eva Rinaldi Celebrity Photographer, via Flickr
David Furnish (right, cropped) by Dominic Alves, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons


These long-time sweethearts committed to each other in a civil partnership in London in 2005, in one of the country’s first legal same-sex unions when John was 58 and Furnish was 43. And in 2014, when the U.K. legalized same-sex marriage, they were officially married in a lavish ceremony at home on their estate in Berkshire. 

 

The couple’s wedding took place on the ninth anniversary of their civil partnership. Their two sons served as ring bearers, dozens of stars were on the guest list, and red roses placed everywhere for good luck. 

 

 

 

 

5. Salma Hayek and Francois-Henri Pinault

 

Inspiration: Courthouse wedding on Valentine’s Day 

 

 

Francois-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek photographed at a Golden Globes event

Photo: Pinault & Hayek at the Golden Globes (cropped), by jdeeringdavis, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 

Hayek was 42 and Pinault was 47 when they finally married on Valentine’s Day, in a surprise courthouse wedding in Paris in 2009. Hayek said that she didn’t realize she’d be getting married that day, saying that her family took her to the courthouse as an intervention for her fear of marriage (via People Magazine) In the end, Hayek was thrilled with the decision to marry, and the pair renewed their marriage vows in an elaborate Italian ‘sequel wedding’ a few months later so that friends and family could celebrate with them.

 

"It was because I had said yes to the marriage, but I just wouldn't actually show up on the day or do it... And then a little bit later I said, 'Okay, this is kind of exciting.' And he's like, 'Can we have a party now?’” Hayek-Pinault told People Magazine. 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

Propose to your wedding officiant ! 

 

Will You Marry Us? Gift Box

 

Asking someone to perform your marriage? Why not give them the Will You Marry Us? Wedding Officiant Gift Box and Ministers Credential Package. This gift box contains everything you need to 'propose,' and everything your chosen officiant will need to perform your wedding -- including the most robust minister ordination available and full documentation of credentials.

 

 

 


 


Jessica Levey
Jessica Levey

Lead Staff Writer & Illustrator

Jessica loves exploring the history and magic of ritual, the connections between people and places, and sharing true stories about love and commitment. She's an advocate for marriage equality, LGBTQ+ rights, and individuality, and is an ordained Minister with AMM. When she’s not writing or illustrating for AMM, she enjoys city hikes, fantasy novels, comics, and traveling.

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