Here are 12 Celebrity Couples Who Chose to 'Elope' to Stay Together
Couples Who Had an Unannounced Elopement
The majority of celebrity weddings are multi-day extravaganzas in idyllic locales, replete with costly embellishments, star-studded guest lists, and outrageously dressed brides and grooms. Some famous people go all out when they organize their wedding, while others choose a more low-key affair, sometimes with just the two of them. In an effort to keep the specifics of their private life under wraps on what should be the most joyous day of their lives—their wedding—many famous people choose intimate ceremonies, with elopements being an exception.
1. Beyoncé and Jay-Z
Beyoncé began dating Jay-Z a few months after they met, when she was only 18 years old. The pair secretly wed at Jay-Z's Manhattan mansion on April 4, 2008. Beyoncé took her time consenting to marry Jay-Z after dating him for roughly seven years, according to an interview she gave to Ellen DeGeneres' talk program in November 2008. She said at the time, "I'm only 27, so I was really young. I feel like it's important for women and men to have their goals and their own life before they can complete someone else. So we took our time." Even though the pair were famous, Beyoncé explained to Winfrey in 2013 how they kept the wedding a secret. She said, "We want to have our lives. When it’s time to go on a date or go be who we are, people are respectful of that."
2. Dave McCary and Emma Stone
The joyous news was eventually announced by Stone and McCary to fans after they sparked engagement speculations in April 2019 and again in August. As per In Style, Dave once posted a picture on Instagram of himself and Emma, who was holding out her hand adorned with diamonds, and the two of them were smiling. The image has since been removed. In September 2020, Emma and Dave eventually tied the knot after their initial wedding plans were delayed because of the coronavirus outbreak. Two weeks after the couple's matching gold rings were seen on a stroll in Los Angeles, sparking marriage speculations, the news was verified by a source.
3. David Harbour and Lily Allen
After dating for a year, David Harbour and artist Lily Allen finally tied the knot in a private Las Vegas ceremony on September 8, 2020. Lily said "I do" to David Harbour in front of two witnesses—her daughters Marnie and Ethel—in a veil-draped, A-line minidress by classic designer Dior. After the party, the newlyweds headed to In-N-Out Burger for some food and drinks. They shared pics on Instagram along with the caption, "In a wedding officiated by the king himself, the people’s princess wed her devoted, low born, but kind credit card holder in a beautiful ceremony lit by the ashen skies courtesy of a burning state miles away in the midst of a global pandemic."
4. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis
It took Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher over 17 years to get from being co-stars on That '70s Show to becoming husbands and wives. It wasn't until 2012 that they reconnected after Aston's 2005 departure from the program. Kunis once told Glamour, "Commitment sounded great, but I didn't believe in marriage. I grew up in West Hollywood, and my brother has reminded me that when I was like 12, I said, 'When gay people can get married, then I'll get married.' I was ahead of my time." The 5-carat Tiffany solitaire diamond engagement ring, reportedly valued at $250,000, was the ring that Aston proposed with in February 2014. They tied the knot in a small ceremony on July 4, 2015, in Oak Glen, California.
5. Malcolm McRae and Anya Taylor-Joy
Anya Taylor-Joy has been as discreet as possible about her private life. However, photos of Taylor-Joy and musician Malcolm McRae making out surfaced in New York City just before the Queen's Gambit actress's May 2021 Saturday Night Live hosting appearance. Following Taylor-May Joy's 2021 interview with ELLE, in which she discussed having a partner, the photographs fuelled relationship speculations. Page Six also reported that while they strolled about New York City, the couple was seen holding hands and kissing many times.
6. Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell
The 2013 wedding of one of Hollywood's most popular couples took place after a troubled beginning for the pair. Dax and Kristen's relationship began with a 2007 breakup, but they eventually made it work. They were engaged over the 2009 holidays but didn't marry until June 2013, when same-sex marriage became legal in California. Kristen wed her fiancé, who had a little bell tattooed on his ring finger in lieu of a wedding band, on October 17, 2013, while she donned an all-black ensemble. Lincoln and Delta are the couple's children, and they freely discuss the significance of couple's therapy in their marriage.
7. Cash Warren and Jessica Alba
In 2004, while filming Fantastic Four, actress Jessica Alba met producer Cash Warren. They tied the knot thirteen years ago, on a spur of the moment decision, when the actress was nine months along in her pregnancy with their first child, Honor. On the occasion of the couple's eleventh wedding anniversary, Warren reflected on the surprise ceremony by writing, "Not sure who thought of it first but the decision we made that day would forever change the course of our lives. We hopped up, got dressed and drove straight to the courthouse. Prior to that day, neither of us thought marriage was important...it felt outdated and we weren’t going to fall for an antiquated social construction."
8. Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz
Although they've been together for decades, Bardem and Cruz remain surprisingly discreet as a couple. They secretly wed in 2010, have two children, Leo and Luna, and reside in a Madrid neighborhood in Spain. Cruz and Bardem's low-key, covert wedding in a friend's Bahamas property was first reported in July 2010 by The Telegraph. The happy couple, who met on set of Bigas Luna's 1992 film Jamon, Jamon, the bride donned a gown by John Galliano as she said 'I do' to her longtime lover.
9. Tom Ackerley and Margot Robbie
After rumors of her engagement and marriage to Tom Ackerley began circulating in December 2016, Margot Robbie finally confirmed the news in an Instagram post. Coorabell near Byron Bay, Australia is where the covert wedding supposedly took place. At the 2024 Critics Choice Awards, Robbie was interviewed on the red carpet by E! News and she said, "I am so lucky" when asked about Ackerley. She further added, "He’s just the best, it’s so fun. ... I love the word normie. Yes, like, all my friends, everyone’s like, ‘That’s cool what you do, but it’s more fun just to hang out and talk about other stuff.’ And you’re like, ‘I know.’"
10. Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian
It wasn't until April 4 that Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's secret elopement became public knowledge. The powerful pair wed in a Las Vegas chapel not long after making their grand entrance on the Grammy Awards' red carpet. At 1:30 in the morning, under the auspices of an Elvis Presley lookalike, the happy couple uttered their "I do"s. Since October 2021, the renowned couple has been engaged. By posting images from their wedding day on Instagram on May 16, the day following the ceremony, Kourtney and Travis announced their marriage with the message, "Till death do us part."
11. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith
They first crossed paths in 1994 during her audition for the part of his onscreen girlfriend, Lisa Wilkes, on the set of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. They began dating after the actor's split from Sheree Zampino, even though she was passed over for the part. They were married in Baltimore, Maryland in 1997. At the time, Jada was three months along with her pregnancy. Nobody was invited because they didn't want any secrets to get out to the press. Guests were instead housed in the Tremont Plaza and the luxury Harbor Court Hotel, and on the morning of the event, they were handed envelopes with directions for their limo drivers.
12. Tom Selleck and Jillie Mack
Coworkers noted that 38-year-old divorcee Tom Selleck had acquired a fascination with the musical Cats while shooting on location in London. Rumpleteazer, performed by the energetic 25-year-old Jillie Joan Mack, was really what he felt was fantastic. As per Country Living, Mack came to Hawaii to be with Selleck as he filmed Magnum, P.I. after a romantic dinner date blossomed into a romance. Not long after that, she started walking hand-in-hand with Selleck at every major event, from the 1986 Hollywood Walk of Fame induction to the Emmys red carpet. After that, in 1987, they secretly tied the knot, shocking both fans and entertainment journalists.
