After much speculation, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift did indeed get married at Madison Square Garden on Friday, July 3rd. After spotting fleets of tractor trailers unloading what seemed to be set pieces for the wedding on June 30, many wondered whether the couple were attempting to misdirect fans and paparazzi from a different location. While this didn’t turn out to be the case, it wouldn’t have been the first time a celebrity couple went to such lengths for their much-anticipated nuptials. Below is a list of some of the most infamous celebrity weddings in recent history!
John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette (1996)
Back in the day, the Kennedy family was the closest thing America had to royalty. In 1996, JFK Jr. and Calvin Klein publicist Carolyn Bessette got married on a remote island off the coast of Georgia. With only 40 guests, the couple managed to hold the ceremony in the historic First African Baptist Church, which only had 8 pews and no air conditioning. Kennedy insisted on the location, however, because of a story he had heard about a service the deacon of the church had held after his uncle Robert F. Kennedy had been assassinated. After the ceremony, guests were transported via pickup truck to the nearby Greyfield Inn for the reception. Bessette’s gown was designed by her friend and former colleague Narciso Rodriguez. It’s simple elegance perfectly reflects the tone of the evening.
Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston (2000)
In the year 2000, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were easily two of Hollywood’s biggest stars. While perhaps better known for their heavily publicized divorce, the wedding deserves to be remembered just as well. In the backyard of a Malibu estate owned by TV producer Marcy Casey, the couple exchanged vows on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The clifftop was transformed with over 50,000 flowers and the festivities included a performance by singer Billy Preston, a wall made of caviar, a lobster catering spread, and a fireworks display. The marriage ended in 2005, and since then, both have been married and divorced again.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z (2008)
Everyone knows that Beyoncé and Jay-Z tend to keep their private lives out of the press, and their wedding was certainly no exception. In fact, no one even knew about it until 3 years after it happened! Since then, we’ve only seen bits and pieces. Held at Jay-Z’s 13,500-square foot penthouse in Tribeca in 2008, all 40 attendees were required to leave their phones at the door. From short clips we’ve seen from their joint On the Run Tour and certain anniversaries, we know that the living room was transformed into a winter wonderland with flowers, candles, and crystal icicles. Beyoncé’s dress, which was revealed in a video for Live at Roseland, was a strapless gown custom-designed by her mother Tina Knowles.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West (2014)
With an estimated cost of $2.8 million, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s wedding spanned multiple countries, lasted multiple days, and was planned almost entirely by West himself. The couple rented out the entire Palace of Versailles in France for the rehearsal dinner, which featured a surprise performance from Lana del Rey. The next day, all 200 guests were flown to Florence, Italy, to watch the couple exchange vows at Forte di Belvedere. Kim wore a custom lace Givenchy gown designed by Riccardo Tisci that’s estimated to have cost $500,000. Their 11-month-old daughter, North, was also wearing Givenchy. Andrea Bocelli sang during the ceremony, which led to the iconic scene in "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" after Kourtney hired him for her own wedding to Travis Barker.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez (2025)
This lavish, 3-day wedding drew a great deal of attention from the media as well as local activists in Venice, Italy. Rumored to have spent $55 million, the Amazon founder and media personality exchanged vows on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in 2025, two years after their engagement. Hundreds of Venetians gathered on the streets of the city to protest, holding signs that read things such as, "If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax." These local activists felt that the wedding was an exploitation of their city, especially in tandem with rising housing costs and climate threats.
