Rodin Banica/WWD/REX/ShutterstockAre they or aren't they? Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin have sparked wedding rumors in the past 24 hours after they were spotted inside the marriage bureau of a New York City courthouse on Thursday.
Baldwin has taken to social media to deny the speculation, tweeting that she's "not married yet." But a courthouse source tells E! News that the 24-year-old "Boyfriend" singer and the 21-year-old model arrived at around 4 p.m. and got married in a back room.
People broke the story on Friday, citing two sources, that Bieber and Baldwin married at the courthouse on Thursday, with one source close to the couple telling the outlet, "They went ahead and did it without listening to anyone." While a religious source also told the outlet, "They're going to have a big blowout, in front of God and everyone they love."
According to TMZ, Bieber was crying inside the courthouse and said to Baldwin, "I can't wait to marry you, baby."
Another insider also told E! News on Friday that Bieber and Baldwin are legally married. The source also shared that the couple, who got engaged two months ago, "didn't tell anyone they were doing it," adding, "They are doing a separate ceremony out of the country with a few family members soon as well."
"Justin and Hailey told friends and family they were going to get paperwork and inquire about a marriage license but decided to tie the knot right at the courthouse yesterday," a third source tells E! News. "No one knew about their plan. They thought it would be better that way so no one would try and talk them out of it. They wanted it to be a special moment just between the two of them."
The insider adds that Justin and Hailey both "had to go through a marriage counseling course through their church which was several sessions long before the marriage became official. They both agreed that they wanted the church to be heavily involved in the process and wanted to follow all of the protocols."
"Everyone is very on board for the marriage and happy for them," the source tells E! News, adding that Bieber's manager Scooter Braun is also "happy" for the couple. "They are definitely still in the middle of planning a big ceremony for their family and friends"
In order to get married at the courthouse, Bieber and Baldwin had to complete a marriage license application, which is then reviewed by a City Clerk staff member, who also checks the identification of the couple getting married and collects the $35 fee. Once submitted to the court, a marriage license application is valid for up to 60 days and a marriage ceremony must be performed either there in the office or anywhere in New York State within that time frame in order for the couple to be eligible to receive a marriage certificate. In addition, a couple that has obtained a marriage license in New York must wait 24 hours before they can have a marriage ceremony unless they obtain a judicial waiver. It is unclear if Bieber and Baldwin had one or had submitted the required paperwork before Thursday.
Back in July, shortly rekindling their romance, Bieber got down on one knee in a surprise proposal to Baldwin while on vacation in the Bahamas. "The proposal was a very happy moment and Hailey was taken off guard," a source told E! News at the time. "Her face was in shock but you could tell they are both so in love."
Shortly after news of their engagement broke, the "Baby" singer took to social media to confirm the exciting relationship update.
"Was gonna wait a while to say anything but word travels fast, listen plain and simple Hailey I am soooo in love with everything about you! So committed to spending my life getting to know every single part of you loving you patiently and kindLY. I promise to lead our family with honor and integrity letting Jesus through his Holy Spirit guide us in everything we do and every decision we make," he wrote. "My heart is COMPLETELY and FULLY YOURS and I will ALWAYS put you first! You are the love of my life Hailey Baldwin and I wouldn't want to spend it with anybody else."
While the couple received a lot of love on their engagement, there was, as expected, some negativity on social media about their relationship. But, Hailey recently told Australian magazine Stellar that she's "beyond excited" about the engagement. When asked about the media attention surrounding their rekindled romance and how it's impacted her, she shared, "I don't think it's affected me really. I have learned to just try my best to ignore the negativity at this time so that I can enjoy this season of my life."
Earlier this month, ahead of New York Fashion Week, Hailey flew to Shanghai to walk in Tommy Hilfiger's TommyNow Icons show, where she proudly showed off her engagement ring on the runway. Days later, Hailey was back in New York City, where she attended John Elliot's presentation with the "Baby" singer.
Just this week, Baldwin sat front row at Carolina Herrera's New York Fashion Week show on Monday, where she was asked about comments her uncle, Alec Baldwin, recently made about her engagement. During an interview with etalk at the 2018 TIFF, Alec said, "People who get married young, and they are very young, I want them to just spend time with each other. Obviously, he in particular has this crazy superstar career."
Alec has lived his life in the public eye for many years, so he knows all about trying to navigate fame and family.
"When you're married... Like right now, I'm quite a bit older than both of them but I got married recently a few years ago," Alec continued. "And my wife and I had four kids in four and a half years. We have a lot of little kids. The thing is, all the work I do now is based on my family."
He went on to share, "There's movies I got offered where they say 'Come leave town for five weeks. No we can't travel your family with you, we don't have that in the budget'. And I pass, because I don't want to be away from my family. And I hope that they realize that! If you want to have a successful marriage, you have to be together. You gotta stay together."
When asked about her uncle's comments on Monday, Hailey—the daughter of Stephen Baldwin—told WWD, "I hadn't heard this yet, so you're actually the first telling me. But that sounds like very sound, solid advice. He's just trying to look out for me."
In response to his advice about putting family before work, Hailey replied, "It's smart, and it's important. You have to always put family above work, no matter what."
While Hailey has been in attendance at several New York Fashion Week shows, she's being selective about which shows she walks in. She explained to WWD, "I've tried to be really choosy with fashion week going forward, just because I want to have the time to spend being relaxed and being with family — and my fiancé."