This week, our cups runneth over with celeb wedding content. Bennifer held a second wedding. Sarah Hyland and the best thing to come out of The Bachelor franchise, Wells Adams tied the knot after a years long engagement. And we must not forget about Vanderpump Rules OG, Scheana Shay who wed Brock Davies—a man most certainly getting married for the right reasons, in no way using this relationship for his own personal gain, absolutely not.
Close wedding anniversaries are not the only things these couples share. All three couples also waited a long time for their respective big days. For Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, it was over 20 years since they were first engaged. Sarah and Wells postponed their original wedding plans due to Covid. And Schena and Brock waited until the newest season of VPR went into production. With so much in common, it’s hard not to compare. So follow along as we rank these celeb weddings.
Best Dressed
The men wore suits. White suits are trending, if Ben and Brock are any indication. But best dressed is about the brides.
Scheana’s bright white, lace dress was a more classic option than her first wedding. But we are a little sad she didn’t go for a crop top gown again. JLo certainly had the most dresses—literally so many Ralph Lauren dresses. When did she have time to wear all of these? And while her veil looked epicly dramatic, we can’t forgive the ruffle turtleneck on the dress she wore during the ceremony. Why would the woman famous for wearing a dress that plunged past her belly button choose a turtleneck? A turtleneck topped off with a ruffle.
The clear winner here is Sarah Hyland. Her Vera Wang dress was on-trend and timeless. It’s likely already on the wedding inspo Pinterest boards of thousands of brides-to-be.
Most A-list Guest List
More notable than the attendees at Ben and Jen’s wedding were those who were absent. JLo’s longtime bestie Leah Remini and Ben’s problematic brother, Casey Affleck, did not make an appearance during the big day. Both have provided very different but equally confusing reasons why they couldn’t make it. Thankfully, Matt Damon was there and it doesn’t get more A-list than that.
Scheana’s wedding guest list was full of Vanderpump Rules stars past and present, including Lala Kent and the Toms. Former VPR stars, Jax and Brittany and Kristen Doute also attended. We do love to see reality TV friendships that exist outside of filming!
But the VPR reunion and the star power of Matt Damon can’t compete with Wells and Sarah’s star studded guest list. Bachelor Nation showed up to celebrate one of their most beloved members. The show’s longtime host, Chris Harrison attended. As did former male leads, Chris Soules, Ben Higgins, and Nick Viall.
But Sarah’s side of the aisle takes the cake. Every member of her Modern Family family was there to celebrate. A special thank you to Sofía Vergara who pumped out real-time behind-the-scenes wedding content for the masses. But the list of famous attendees continues; stars from every sector of celebrity were present, including Nina Dobrev and Olympian boyfriend Shaun White, stylist Brad Goreski, and third most famous Cyrus sister, Brandi. What we would give to hear the small talk between Shaun White, any former bachelor contestant, and Sofía Vergara.
Top Wedding Party
With star-studded guest lists, come star-studded wedding parties. Vanessa Hudgens served as a bridesmaid to longtime friend Sarah Hyland. But Wells and Sarah’s officiant earns top billing. Sarah’s TV uncle, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, married the couple — if that doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, I don’t know what to tell you.
Image courtesy of E! News.
Vanderpump Rules shaped Scheana’s life and also her wedding party. Co-stars Ariana Madix and Raquel Leviss were bridesmaids, and Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz were groomsmen. We hope it makes for great television.
But the top wedding party goes to Ben and Jen. In lieu of a bridal party, Jen’s aforementioned dramatic train was followed by the stars’ combined five children—Jen’s twins with Marc Anthony, Emme and Max, and Ben’s three kids with Jennifer Garner: Violet, Seraphina, and Sam. We hope they are one big, star-studded, happy family for years to come.
The Cheugiest
Now, let’s start by saying cheugy is not a bad thing and there is no time like your wedding day to embrace your most basic self. So it’s with love that we rank the “cheuginess” of these celebrity weddings.
Though he married a huge TV actress and now identifies as a host, Wells got his start as a contestant on one of the most cheugy reality TV shows of all time, The Bachelor. And in her own reality TV career, Scheana never misses an opportunity to be a little basic. She has “It’s all happening…”— Kate Hudson’s famous line from Almost Famous — tattooed on her arm and often references it without a hint of irony or regret.
With all that in mind, we are surprised that Hollywood royalty, Bennifer, hosted the most cheugy wedding of all. Maybe when they planned their first wedding decades ago these were new ideas, but now many sit in the basic wedding playbook.
There was a neon “Mr. & Mrs. Affleck” sign. The once edgy detail is now a common photo opp at high-end suburban weddings. All the guests wore white. Again, this was a modern wedding idea a decade ago. And best of all, they had a sign made out of a rustic wooden pallet that read “Jennifer & Ben/baby, I love you/heart + soul” And that goes to show that it doesn’t matter how many Oscars and Grammys a household has, anyone can be basic.
Best Media Strategy
Celebrity weddings are about more than the happy couple. They are also important career and business opportunities, and should be treated as such — and ranked accordingly.
In addition to filming their wedding for the upcoming season of Vanderpump Rules, Scheana and Brock secured a photo exclusive with People. A very credible media moment for a reality star. We won’t mention the wedding venue, but from the number of times the couple tagged it, we venture to guess there was a deal in place there. And good for you, Scheana! That’s just good business.
Sarah and Wells used their wedding as an opportunity to catapult their middling level stardom into the heavens. Already respected in their fields, their Vogue wedding feature cements them in the most elite tier of wedding press. If it’s good enough for the Beckhams, it’s good enough.
Ben and Jen’s wedding threw us a lot of curveballs. It was cheugy. It lacked star power. But the media strategy was perhaps the biggest surprise of all. Because where did they release the inside pictures from their special day? Not People. Not Vogue. They didn’t keep them private or post them without any additional promotion to show they are more powerful than any media outlet.
No, the exclusive photos could be obtained by signing up for Jen’s newsletter On the JLo. Why? We truly have no idea. Perhaps, JLo plans to rebrand as tech mogul, selling the data of everyone who signed up for her newsletter to see her wedding photos. It’s a confusing choice even more confusing than the ruffle turtleneck.
It’s not about whose wedding is the best, but if we had to pick one Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams win. The looks, the guest list, the Vogue feature detailing it all combined to make it a wedding fit for A-list stars. It was the wedding we would expect from the likes of Ben and Jen, but Bennifer surprised us every step of the way on their special day. No matter what, we wish all three couples a lifetime of happiness and we ask for a steady stream of newlywed content, please!
Image courtesy of British Vogue.
