No-Frills Celebrity Weddings, From Penn Badgley and Domino Kirke to Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard

These stars proved a successful marriage can begin on a budget

By Samantha Schnurr Feb 28, 2017 8:08 PMTags
Celebrity No Frills Celeb WeddingsInstagram; Twitter; CBS

Just because they're celebrities doesn't mean their weddings have to come with all the bells and whistles. 

In fact, plenty of Hollywood's biggest couples have taken the low-key route when it came time to say "I Do." 

As Gossip Girls star Penn Badgley surprised fans by subtly marrying Domino Kirke in a Brooklyn courthouse on a Monday no less, the new Mr. and Mrs. added themselves to a growing list of famous pairs who escaped the wedding spectacle typically expected of Hollywood's rich and famous. 

From quiet civil ceremonies to Las Vegas elopements, these fellow stars vowed until death do they part in similar no-frills fashion. 

photos
Secret Star Weddings and Elopements
YouTube

When Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard promised themselves to each other in 2013, they did so in "a quiet room in the Beverly Hills courthouse."

The entire ordeal cost the couple $142

"it was still one of the best days of my life," Bell said on CBS This Morning. 

John Sciulli/WireImage.com

Jessica Alba and Cash Warren have celebrated more than eight years of marriage and two children together—and it all began in a courtroom. 

In fact, the mogul and her film producer husband exchanged vows in the same courthouse as their peers, Bell and Shepard.  

Seven months after the ceremony and the birth of their first daughter, Honor, they celebrated their marriage with an official reception at their home.

read
Jessica Alba and Cash Warren Help Create the Perfect Birthday Party for Their Watermelon-Loving Daughter
Spread/X17online.com

Keira Knightley and her hubby, James Brighton, also went the frill-free route when they wed in 2013, only this time it was in a town hall in the chic south of France. 

At the time, E! News spoke to Mayor Aimé Navello, who married the actress and her beau. "Their two witnesses (for the marriage ceremony) were Keira's parents," Navello said. "The other people were all brothers, sisters and family. There were no other celebrities as part of the town hall ceremony."

The wedding was so simple that there weren't even flowers in the room. Despite the bare ritual, the newlyweds seemed to love every minute of their special day. 

"It was really lovely. They were really happy. You could see it. They were laughing and sharing this moment with family," Navello added. They were really simple, nice people...They seemed very happy and in love."

Twitter

While some may claim a wedding in Vegas can only end in disaster, it proved to have quite the lasting power for daytime television star Kelly Ripa and her actor husband, Mark Consuelos, who have been married for 20 years. 

They headed to the Chapel of the Bells in Sin City and became husband and wife in a ceremony that cost them less than $140.  

"We didn't have cake because he was so cheap," Ripa recalled on her show years later. 

As for her white dress, "it was $199 on final clearance sale," she told her audience. 

read
Celebrities Aren't Normal, but They Love Normal: How Matt Damon, George Clooney & More Met Their Civilian Significant Others
Dave Benett/Getty Images

As for blockbuster star Matt Damon, he met his wife of 11 years, Luciana Barroso, while she was bartending and he was in town working on a movie. After two years of dating, the couple tied the knot in a private ceremony in New York City before Damon had to head back to filming. 

10 years later, the husband and wife celebrated their anniversary with a star-studded vow renewal ceremony in St. Lucia.

While they redid their nuptials, stars like Stanley Tucci and Chris Hemsworth watched from the audience. As for the price tag, the actor reportedly rented out the entire Sugar Beach Resort on the island. 

How things can change after a decade!

Latest News