Famous couples who had small and intimate weddings {part 1}

Sometimes, even famous iconic couples choose to have a small wedding for privacy or they simply just don’t want to spend thousands. These celebs are proving that small and intimate can be beautiful, perfect for this Covid-era world and likely to stay beyond too. Couples are having to think outside the box to make their day magical and filled with love. Here's lots of bridal inspiration with several famous couples who decided to keep it low-key... 

I’m Aneela and am part of the Sabina Motasem team, and watched Sabina have a beautiful intimate wedding with friends watching the ceremony via zoom in September this year. I had the pleasure watching the ceremony and it was wonderful to see them have the best day ever!

Read on to find out which famous couples had a micro wedding…

 1. Lily Allen and David Harbour

Lily Allen and David Harbour tied the knot this September in an intimate ceremony in Las Vegas. The couple walked down the aisle at the famous Graceland wedding chapel. Lily wore a short double-breasted blazer dress by Dior. She looked stunning in a chic dress and totally looked like she was at ease. The outfit was completed and given extra flair with a knee length veil. After the ceremony the couple celebrated with a takeaway burger meal with Lily's two daughters – which I think is simply fab!

Why do we love this wedding?

The couple showed how to think outside the box and as a family made the day fun and interesting. I love how they tied the knot at the famous Graceland wedding chapel – home of Elvis Presley and rocked up to the chapel in a party limo making it an enjoyable experience for Lily’s daughters. It showed how they can have an intimate do with just the four of them but also making it a fun-loving and exciting day that I’m sure will be remembered for a long time to come.

 2. Keira Knightley and James Righton

Keira Knightley and James Righton got married in a low-key ceremony in the South of France. Keira wore a pretty and feminine bustier knee length dress in a soft neutral colour. It was a Chanel dress made in a soft tulle fabric which she has worn several times previously for past events. The outfit was completed with a tweed jacket created by Karl Lagerfeld and the hair accessorised with a petite floral garland. The ceremony was attended by 11 guests and 50 guests at the wedding reception. There was also a secret second wedding too, where the bride wore a couture Valentino dress, which was just for friends in the woods. No-one has ever seen the second dress, but we love the idea that there could be multiple events celebrated with all your loved ones. Weddings numbers might be restricted, but why not take a leaf out of Keira's book and have a small wedding with your family and a second event just for the friends.

Keira told The Telegraph about her Chanel dress, "I'd worn the dress lots. It was my something old. And I liked not making a big deal about it. I just wanted to be in something I had had a great time in, something I would have a great time in again."

On her Valentino secret dress, "It was for the ceremony we had just for our friends, in a wood, because you have to have flowers on a dress in a wood," she says in Elle UK.

Why do we love this wedding?

Not only do you get to include all your loved ones over multiple events, you get to keep reliving that amazing best-ever feeling of getting married and being a bride. Keira re-wore a dress she’d already had, which is so good for being environmental, but she also had a secret wedding no-one knew anything about and wore another dress which was just for the friends – a secret wedding in the the woods. Such a cool thing to do!!

 3. Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick wed in Manhattan’s East side in 1997. They actually kept the ceremony as a secret to their guests until the very last minute. SJP made a fashion statement in a black gown – a spaghetti strapped dress with tiered ruffles, one of her most statement looks that is remembered to this day. The couple had invited 100 guests and told they are attending a party only to find out that they are attending their actual wedding. 

"Oh, I wish it was because I was badass," SJP said on why she chose to wear black. "I just was too embarrassed to spend any time looking for a wedding dress. There was a store that I liked that I knew, and I just went and got whatever they had hanging."

"I think marriage has a lot of vitality. If you're fortunate, it's like this dazzling organism." - Sarah Jessica Parker

Even as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City, she marries Mr Big, in a lovely intimate town hall ceremony too, in a super chic suit.

Why do we love this wedding?

I love how the bride wore a colour instead of the traditional ivory, I love she got married her way and made her own bold style statement. Having a micro wedding, means you have more to spend on your dress, so why not go the extra mile and choose a dress that really is a dress of dreams. 

 4. Beyonce and Jay-Z

Beyonce and Jay-Z tied the knot in 2008, they hosted an intimate and simple wedding at Jay-Z’s New York apartment. They kept the details of their wedding day private and had only 40 guests which included family members and close friends. Beyonce wore an ivory strapless gown designed by her mum, Tina. Even though it was a small wedding, Beyonce had her favourite flower, all 70.000 of those white orchids flown in from Thailand.

Beyoncé may be one of the biggest musical divas of our times, but she's actually an anti-diva and didn’t want the drama that goes with a big wedding.

“It’s been my day so many days already,” Beyonce said. "If you're with the right person, it brings out the best version of you."

"I don’t have to prove anything to anyone, I only have to follow my heart and concentrate on what I want to say to the world. I run my world."

Why do we love this wedding?

It’s beautiful how they had an intimate ceremony in New York and the dress was designed by Beyonce’s mum which is so special and memorable. I love how Beyonce went all out and had 70.000 of her favourite flowers! Just because it is small and intimate, you can still go for the wow factor and fill the room/space with your favourite flower.

 5. Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz

Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz got hitched in New York in June, 2011. They had a private ceremony with just four guests including Daniel's 18 year old daughter and Rachel's 4 year old son from previous relationships. The couple have been friends for many years and wanted to get married privately with minimal fuss, they're a couple that like to keep themselves to themselves, and they got married their way. They like to keep their relationship very private and have a daughter together.

Daniel Craig changed Rachel's mind about marriage and showed her the beauty of companionship. She said to ES magazine. “I never thought I would get married. It was not an ambition of mine. It was the opposite. I couldn’t relate to romantic comedies – marriage seems to be the whole point of them. Then it just happened, happily, at a more mature moment* 

Rachel said this on marriage to Daniel ‘You don’t necessarily have to think about respecting the rules, but it is just there. It’s in your heart, it’s not like a piece of paper."

"When you're young, you tell your girlfriends everything. One of the great pleasures of not being an adolescent is that you don't have to share everything. When you're married, that door closes. The audience goes, and you're in your own life."

Why do we love this wedding?

I love how they had a secret low-key ceremony celebrating the occasion with their nearest and dearest. A discreet and simple wedding with a small number of guests can be just as special and filled with so much love.

READ PART TWO OF OUR ARTICLE TO DISCOVER OTHER ICONIC COUPLES WHO CHOSE TO SAY I DO IN A SMALL AND INTIMATE WAY HERE

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