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Low-key celebrity weddings of note:

• 20 of the most famous low-key weddings
• Cheap, chic and private affairs
• From no guests, court houses to eco-friendly resorts

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Low-key celebrity weddings

14 January 2011

Say “celebrity wedding” and the words “low-key wedding” doesn’t come to mind. And for good reason: Who can forget reports of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ three-day destination wedding in Rome that ended with a ceremony and reception in a castle, and a tab of about $3.5 million?

When Nicole Kidman married Keith Urban near Sydney, there were many bold-faced names among the 230 guests. Catherine Zeta-Jones wed Michael Douglas in a million-dollar extravaganza at New York City’s Plaza Hotel that forced even jaded Manhattanites to take note. When you’re living a red-carpet life, how can you have a low-key wedding?

In these cautionary and eco-conscious times, however, low-key wedding is a buzzword. Amy Sultan, editor of CelebrityBrideGuide.com, points out that more and more celebs are opting for low-key weddings, for a number of reasons. “The desire for privacy is huge so guest lists are cut way down; the press — even family and friends — are often told after the fact. With the economy being what it is, many don’t want to look insensitive with a showy event.”

Marcy Blum, an event planner in New York City who has coordinated weddings and events for a number of bold-faced names, adds, “Celebrities are choosing to spend their money in ways that don’t make outrageous statements. They keep their weddings low-key, but then pick up the hotel and airfare for all the guests. It’s a quieter way to be lavish.”

Sultan says the low–key celebrity weddings now take on one of four forms:

Low-key wedding 1: The surprise wedding
Guests think they’re just going to a party. And then — surprise! The couple ends up getting married. Think Julia Roberts

Low-key wedding 2: The courthouse wedding
With just the bride and groom and witnesses in attendance. Think Jessica Alba

Low-key wedding 2: The green wedding
Kaitlin Olson and Rob McElhenney of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia had a nature-themed wedding at Saddlerock Ranch in Malibu. The bride told InStyle she wanted their wedding “to produce as little waste as possible”.

Low-key wedding 2: The restaurant wedding
Keri Russell married Shane Deary in New York City on Valentine’s Day in 2007, followed by a small reception at The Harrison restaurant in Tribeca.

Low-key Celebrity Weddings of Note

Low-key wedding at home

• Julianne Moore wed her long-time beau, director Bart Freundlich, in a low-key wedding ceremony in the backyard of their Greenwich Village, New York, townhouse, where a reception for 36 was also held.
• Singer Mary J. Blige married record producer Kendu Isaacs at her home in Bergen County, New Jersey. Completing the low-key wedding, her mother and sister prepared the reception food for 50 guests.
• Mariah Carey low-key wedding to singer and actor Nick Cannon was held at her house in Eleuthera with a small gathering of family and friends.
• The 50 guests at Julia Roberts’ low-key wedding to cameraman Daniel Moder thought they were going to a Fourth of July party at her Taos, New Mexico, ranch. At least that’s what the invitations said. The wedding reception was a barbeque.
• Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour wed child psychiatrist David Shaffer in 1984 at their Greenwich Village townhouse, where the low-key wedding dinner for 20 guests was also held.
• Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher had a low-key wedding at their Beverly Hills home. There were 45 guests.
• Dennis Quaid wed Kimberly Buffington at his Montana ranch with nine guests in attendance.

Low-key wedding with no guests

• Jennifer Garner married Ben Affleck in a super-private, low-key ceremony (the only people in attendance were the actor Victor Garber, who was the officiant, and a witness) at the Parrot Cay Resort in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
• Jessica Alba wed Cash Warren at the Beverly Hills Courthouse. There were no guests.
• Gwyneth Paltrow married Chris Martin, also without guests at the San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara.
• Tori Spelling’s low-key wedding to Dean McDermott, without guests, was on a private island in Fiji.
• David Letterman married long-time girlfriend Regina Lasko at the Teton County Courthouse in Choteau, Montana. Son Harry tagged along.
• Matt Damon and Luciana Bozen Barroso’s low-key wedding was held at New York’s City Hall. Luciana’s then seven-year-old daughter was in attendance.
• Ellen Pompeo's low-key wedding to Chris Ivery also took place at New York's City Hall.

Low-key small weddings

• Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard married at the Convento di Santa Maria di Costantinopoli, in Brindisi, Italy. There were 40 guests.
• Carla Bruni wed the president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, in a civil ceremony in the Elysee Palace. Only 30 guests were invited.
• Scarlett Johansson married Ryan Reynolds at the eco-friendly Clayoquot Wilderness Retreat in Tofino, British Columbia. Thirty to 40 guests came along for a low-key destination-wedding weekend.

Excerpt from Stylish Weddings for Less: How to plan your dream wedding on a budget, by Catherine Sabino (Filipacchi Publishing, 2009).

Trying to keep it small and intimate? Why not try some of these unique ideas to personalise your low-key wedding. Or if you're looking to keep your wedding low-key, check out these budget wedding options.