• #SchoolForLife
  • Food
  • Family
  • Beauty & Health
  • Style
  • Great Women
  • Videos
  • Events/Win
  • #SchoolForLife
  • Hair Awards
  • Great Escape
  • Explore Singapore
  • Food
    • Food
    • Asian Recipes
    • Celebrity Recipes
    • Cooking Tips
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Eating Out
    • Festive Food
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Quick & Easy Recipes
    • Western Recipes
  • Videos
  • Family
    • Family
    • Parenting
    • Sex & Marriage
    • Travel
  • Home Ideas
    • Home Ideas
    • Decor Tips
    • Organising
    • Appliances
    • Domestic Diva Awards
    • Entertaining
  • Beauty & Health
    • Beauty & Health
    • Skincare
    • Makeup
    • Hair
    • Awards
    • Diet & Nutrition
    • Fitness
    • Wellness
  • Fashion
  • Career
  • Money
  • Real Life
  • Great Women
  • Entertainment
  • EVENTS/WIN
  • Also available at:
Privacy Menu
SPH Media

Copyright © 2022 SPH Media Limited. Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. All rights reserved.

  • #SchoolForLife
  • Food
  • Family
  • Beauty & Health
  • Style
  • Great Women
  • Videos
  • Events/Win

Sex & Marriage

7 Celebrity Couples Who Tied The Knot During The Pandemic

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Sex & Marriage

7 Celebrity Couples Who Tied The Knot During The Pandemic

Celeb weddings tend to be lavish settings with star-studded guest lists. Instead, these lovebirds said “I do” in small, intimate weddings

September 20, 2021

Image credit: Kellypanjiali/Instagram and Benjaminkheng/Instagram

Celebrity couples who tied the knot during the Covid-19 pandemic had to go low-key, forgoing the usual high-profile coverage, lavish setting, and star-studded guest list.

Instead, these lovebirds said “I do” in small, intimate weddings, often in their homes. Or, in the case of American singers Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton, in a chapel he built on his sprawling ranch.

Due to travel restrictions, some could not invite their nearest and dearest, such as Singaporean singer Kelly Poon, who held her banquet in Taipei without family.

Others did not get the wedding of their dreams, such as American actor Nicolas Cage, who wanted to wed his fifth wife, who is Japanese, in a traditional Shinto ceremony in Kyoto.

Closer to home, local singer Benjamin Kheng and actress-DJ Naomi Yeo went for an intimate do, instead of having everyone getting smashed at a big wedding party.

On the bright side, the pandemic ensured that those who wanted to keep their wedding under wraps were able to pull it off, such as former Spice Girl Emma Bunton, who finally got hitched after 23 years of dating British singer-turned-chef Jade Jones.

And of course, no pandemic-era love story is without a virtual wedding ceremony – American actor Sean Penn said his vows to Australia-born actress Leila George via Zoom.

READ NEXT

Star-Studded Celebrities Who Had Secret Covid-19 Babies

Pop Icon Britney Spears Is Engaged To Longtime Boyfriend

From 365 Days To Bridgerton: What Do Our TV Choices Say About What Women Really Want In Bed?

https://www.womensweekly.com.sg/gallery/family/sex-and-marriage/celebrity-couples-who-got-married-during-the-pandemic/
7 Celebrity Couples Who Tied The Knot During The Pandemic
Ariana Grande & Dalton Gomez: Stuck with you
image

The lyrics of American pop star Ariana Grande’s song Stuck With U, performed with Canadian singer Justin Bieber, sums up the experience of couples living in a pandemic.

The song, released in May last year, tells a story familiar to many couples – forced to settle down together quickly or be kept apart due to distancing measures.

Arianagrande/Instagram
Kelly Poon & Roger Yo: Yam seng in Taipei
image

When Singaporean singer Kelly Poon registered her marriage to Taiwanese music producer Roger Yo in February last year, she tried to keep it low-key, but was spotted by photographers at the Household Registration Office in Taipei.

If she had her way, she would have kept her wedding in November last year under wraps as well.

She had held a 45-table banquet at Regent Taipei, but friends and family from Singapore were unable to attend due to the pandemic.

However, Taiwan-based Singaporeans, such as former actress Yvonne Lim, singer-actress Boon Hui Lu and singer Huang Jinglun, as well as friends from the music industry in Taiwan, turned up to wish the couple well, with famed lyricist Yao Chien walking her down the aisle.

Not surprisingly, both bride and groom performed songs at the wedding, which incorporated Singaporean touches, such as pandan cake, an orchid bouquet for her and raucous toasts of “yam seng”.

The couple, both 38, had surprised even their friends when they revealed they were dating after being friends for years. They plan to hold another wedding dinner in Singapore.

Kellypanjiali/Instagram
Sean Penn & Leila George: Zooming to I do
image

American actor Sean Penn, 61, not only had a secret wedding, but he also did it in a way that reflects these pandemic days – via Zoom, with only three guests.

The Oscar winner married Australian-American actress Leila George, 29, on July 30 last year at home with the county commissioner officiating over Zoom.

Present at the wedding were George’s brother and Penn’s two grown children from his second marriage to American actress Robin Wright – he was also married to pop star Madonna.

Penn had been dating George, the daughter of American actor Vincent D’Onofrio and Italian-Australian actress Greta Scacchi, since 2016.

Asked about the benefits of a small wedding on chat show Late Night With Seth Meyers a few days after the most important Zoom call of his life, Penn joked: “Let’s say there are socially liberating factors under Covid.”

On their one-year anniversary this year, George posted a rare photo of them on a bicycle with the caption: “365 days of marriage to an incredible man with the biggest heart who makes me proud and makes me smile.”

Leilageorge/Instagram
Benjamin Kheng & Naomi Yeo: No song and dance
image

Like many Singaporean couples, singer Benjamin Kheng, 31, and actress-DJ Naomi Yeo, 26, very relatably had their wedding plans disrupted by the pandemic.

The renovation of their flat was delayed – again, no thanks to Covid-19 – and their plan for a traditional wedding in the second half of the year was up in the air.

So they decided to bring their wedding date forward and shift their moving-in date back.

In an Instagram post on April 17, Kheng, who has been pursuing a solo career after the band The Sam Willows went on hiatus, wrote: “To absolutely no one’s surprise, I cried like mad on my wedding day. We got hitched on a balmy Sunday in front of our closest friends and family.

“Nayo looked like a dream, and at the first look, predictably misheard the cue to turn, so I spent the first few seconds gawking at her silhouette while she yelled, ‘Turn now ah?'”

The couple got engaged in New Zealand in March last year after dating for a year.

In an interview with online magazine Wonderwall.sg in May, Kheng said: “I really wanted everyone to sing, dance and get smashed at a big wedding party, but having a small and intimate one was really special too.”

Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton: No doubt about it
image

Rumours began swirling in the middle of the year that No Doubt lead vocalist Gwen Stefani, 51, had secretly tied the knot with American country music king Blake Shelton, 45.

He proposed at the height of the pandemic last October, but the couple never set a date as everything was up in the air.

Everyone was left guessing and the superstar couple finally said “I do”, after five years of dating, on July 3 in a private ceremony on Shelton’s ranch in Oklahoma.

He reportedly built a chapel on his property for the occasion, which had just 40 guests, including Stefani’s three sons from her first marriage to British singer Gavin Rossdale, from 2002 to 2016.

This was the third time down the aisle for Shelton, who divorced first wife Kaynette Gern in 2006 and was also married to American country singer Miranda Lambert, whom he divorced in 2015.

While Stefani wore white stiletto boots with her two wedding gowns, both by American designer Vera Wang, Shelton paired his tuxedo jacket with blue jeans in true country music style.

Her jaw-dropping veil featured the embroidered names of her kids – Kingston, 15, Zuma, 13, and Apollo, seven – as well as Gwen and Blake, a touching tribute to their formation of a new family.

Gwenstefani/Instagram
Emma Bunton & Jade Jones: Spiced up their lives
image

It took only 23 years and a pandemic for former Spice Girl Emma Bunton, 45, and British singer-turned-chef Jade Jones, 42, to walk down the aisle.

The British couple, who began dating in 1998, made the surprise wedding announcement on their Instagram accounts on July 13.

This came as a shock as they had been engaged for more than a decade and share two sons, Beau, 14, and Tate, 10, who attended the wedding together with a couple of the bride and groom’s friends.

Bunton said in a 2018 interview with BBC Radio 2 that they had been engaged for so long because they were terrible at organising the wedding and keeping it under wraps.

“We try to, but we want it to be private. Every time we try, it’s out there. We want to do it privately on our own.”

Jadejonesdmg/Instagram
Nicolas Cage & Riko Shibata: Fifth time's the charm?
image

Oscar winner Nicolas Cage, 57, made news when he got married for the fifth time in February – to a Japanese woman 30 years younger than him.

Little is known about his bride, Ms Riko Shibata, 26, who is also four years younger than his first son. The couple were first spotted together in February last year in New Orleans, and this is her first marriage.

Cage announced his engagement in August last year, revealing that the pandemic had prevented him from proposing in person.

He said at the time: “She left New York and went back to Kyoto, Japan, and I went back to Nevada and I haven’t seen her for six months. We’re really happy together and we’re really excited to spend that time together so I finally just said, ‘Look, I wanna marry you’ and we got engaged on FaceTime.”

The engagement ring was FedExed to her and, when travel restrictions were lifted, they tied the knot at the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas in a small and intimate wedding.

According to his representative, they exchanged traditional Catholic and Shinto vows with poetry from Walt Whitman and haiku sprinkled in.

Cage was previously married to American actress Patricia Arquette, singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley (he was a big fan of her late father Elvis Presley), actress Alice Kim and make-up artist Erika Koike.

Text: Suzanne Sng/The Straits Times

Read Next

Comedian Hwang Shin-Young Using Wheelchair While Pregnant With Triplets

Michelle Yeoh Kicked Jackie Chan's Butt To Show Him Women Can Do Action Films

9 Top Korean Zombie Dramas & Movies That'll Get Your Heart Racing

AFP
  • TAGS:
  • ariana grande wedding
  • benjamin kheng wedding
  • celebrity weddings
  • kelly poon wedding
  • pandemic weddings
SHARE THIS ON

What’s Hot

Sex & Marriage

Inside Kim Lim's Super Lavish Guo Da Li ...

Sex & Marriage

Socialite Kim Lim Got Married On 22.2.22...

Sex & Marriage

12 Celebrities With The Sweetest Valenti...

Sex & Marriage

Nicole Chang Min Achieved Her Dream Wedd...

Sex & Marriage

Couple Gets Married 4 Months After Meeti...

Sex & Marriage

My Mum Said, "You Better Not Be Dating H...

Sex & Marriage

How To Survive The 9 Phases Of Marriage ...

Sex & Marriage

Covid-19 Leaves This Bride-To-Be Alone O...

Sex & Marriage

‘Crash Landing on You’ Stars Son Ye-...

Sex & Marriage

13 Things Sex Experts Wish You Knew

Sex & Marriage

27 Singapore Wedding Photographers Who T...

Sex & Marriage

Singaporean Millenials Are Divorcing Les...

Don’t Miss These
  • Awards Get A Year-Round Beauty Glow & Sun Protection With This S...
  • Awards Increase Your Hair Growth And Decrease Hair Loss With Thi...
Editor’s Picks
  • Family 12 K-Drama Couples Who Got Married In Real Life
  • Sex & Marriage Inside Kim Lim's Super Lavish Guo Da Li Ceremony With $2 Million Worth Of Gifts
  • Sex & Marriage Socialite Kim Lim Got Married On 22.2.22 With A Flower-filled Wedding Solemni...
  • Entertainment Brooklyn Beckham And Nicola Peltz Wed With A Star-Studded Three-Day Affair
  • Entertainment Son Ye-Jin and Hyun-bin's Wedding Guests Included Gong Yoo, Song Joong-ki & H...
  • Sex & Marriage 12 Celebrities With The Sweetest Valentine's Day Tributes
Don't Miss Out Ever Again!
Tips & tricks to stay sane + win invites to our events!

By signing up, you indicate that you have read and agreed with our Privacy Statement
Footer Menu
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Conditions of Access
  • PDPA
  • Privacy Policy
?>
SPH Magazine

Copyright © 2022 SPH Media Limited. Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. All rights reserved.