With all due respect to Julie Andrews and the five-time Oscar winner The Sound of Music, a few of our favorite things include celebrities dancing to Top 40 Hits, dreamy tablescapes and over-the-top floral structures that serve little purpose other than to look beautiful in a photograph.
Which is why we were grateful that deliciously decadent weddings were back in a big way in 2022.
This year, we saw the Kardashians return to Italy to don couture at another extravagant set of vows and three Bachelor Nation couples (hi, JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers, Kevin Wendt and Astrid Loch and Sarah Hyland and Wells Adams) finally reach their dramatic finale after two years' worth of COVID delays.
And while Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's love may truly not cost a thing, that doesn't mean they skimped on their Georgia wedding some two decades in the making.
Though we didn't get the chance to RSVP yes, do the hokey-pokey and catch the bouquet, we glimpsed enough of these star-studded, flower-filled spectacular nuptials on the 'gram to know that we missed out.
Perhaps white is the new black? Because the actress chose the airy hue for both of the gowns (one by Christian Siriano and one by Alonuko) she wore to her and the real estate agent's January nuptials. With the duo's now-3-year-old daughter Freeya serving as flower girl and Broadway stars Jeremy Pope and Amber Iman providing the soundtrack for the pair's walk down the aisle at Miami's historic Alfred DuPont Building, it's no surprise Brooks told Vogue, "There wasn't a dry eye in the building."
After a March 12 ceremony on Maui, the Kansas City chiefs quarterback and the Versace-clad fitness entrepreneur left it all on the field dance floor at the reception. Powered by both a live band and a DJ they brought in from Los Angeles, "They danced all night," an insider told E! News of the high school sweethearts. "Everybody was dancing; it was one of those high-energy parties."
Though the American Horror Story actress didn't share a ton about her Mexican vows to the actor, glimpses of the feathery decor and her ethereal Rodarte ballgown were enough to know a good time was had on the beach March 12. As her costar Leslie Grossman put it on Instagram, "Billie and Austen's wedding weekend is over, which is so sad 'cause it was the most fun."
On March 19, the Mean Girls alum asked, Why do weddings all have to follow the same formula? So he and The Amazing Race alum wrote their own script when they wed in Mexico. They skipped a walk down the aisle in favor of entering in from the beach to the same song Vaughan penned for his 2020 proposal, dressed their wedding party in gender-neutral black and white tuxes and exchanged diamond-encrusted Kay Jewelers bands. Their hope was to create new traditions others could follow, Bennett explained to People. "As we were going through this process, we realized that our wedding is also more than just about us," said the Hallmark movie lead. "It's about the entire community."
Okay, so mother of the groom Victoria Beckham didn't design the actress' gown for the April 9 wedding on her family's Palm Beach estate. (Those honors went to the team at Valentino, who stitched a personal message inside using blue thread.) But according to Beckham, his parents did offer some stellar advice after the likes of Eva Longoria, Venus and Serena Williams, and Gordon Ramsay watched them wed. Their tips, the photographer recalled to E! News: "'Just love each other, try and not worry about anything, and keep working. Just try and have fun.'"
Six years and two COVID-related postponements later, The Bachelorette pair's journey finally took them down the aisle at California's Sunstone Winery May 14. "It took a while to get here but it was all so worth it," Fletcher raved to People of their Italian-inspired vows. "We are FINALLY married!!! Can't wait to start this next chapter of our life together."
As if the reality scion could say ciao to life as a Mrs. in a subdued way. After ceremonies in Las Vegas and Santa Barbara, the Poosh founder, the Blink-182 rocker, their kids Mason, Penelope, Reign, Alabama, Landon and Atiana and the whole krew took over Portofino, Italy, for a multi-day celebration that included a red rose-covered altar at the May 22 ceremony, a performance by famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and Dolce & Gabbana styles for all.
It's Britney's wedding, bitch! Of course it's going to be fantastic. And fortunately the pop princess satiated her fans by continuing to give us, give us more from the June 9 day. We saw the custom Versace Atelier dress designed by fashion icon (and guest!) Donatella Versace and scenes from the reception attended by everyone from Selena Gomez to Drew Barrymore to Madonna, Paris and Kathy Hilton. And, naturally, everyone was committed to keep on dancing till the night ends. "The ceremony was a dream and the party was even better," the bride shared on Instagram. "I think we all fell on the dance floor at least 2 times !!!"
Ooooooklahoma where the history comes sweepin' down the plain. Actress-slash-activist Bush chose to use her and the Oklahoma-bred entrepreneur's June 11 wedding as an opportunity to showcase Tulsa and what she called the "cultural renaissance" taking place in the city, home to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Descending down separate staircases at the Philbrook Museum of Art, "We met in the middle, took one another's hands, and together we walked into our wedding," Bush, who wore custom Monique Lhuillier, told Vogue. "As we got up to the aisle, we slowed to look at everyone there—our friends and loved ones. It was such a sight to behold. And then up the aisle we went, to meet our emcee, longtime best friend, and prolific author Jedidiah Jenkins."
The Cleveland Cavaliers center's June 25 wedding to the model was, uh, one for the books. Having enjoyed their first date at New York City's St. Regis Hotel, the pair felt marrying at another city landmark was the right play. "Kevin and I are both very curious people and love literature, art, and history and the New York Public Library encompasses all of that in such a romantic setting," the Ralph Lauren-clad bride explained to People of their black-and-white Great Gatsby-themed vows. "It evokes the old-school New York glamour we were searching for and is so iconic to the city that we love."
Unsurprisingly, details are scarce on the private pair's 2022 nuptials. But just knowing that the Fargo costars—parents to sons Ennis, 4, and James, 19 months—did actually wed and that it may have taken place in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, just before the Fourth of July was enough to whet our appetite for more.
We didn't get a ticket to the duo's July 11 elopement at a Miami courthouse or the private wedding ceremony in Namibia that followed. "It's an honor and an adventure saying I do to you," fitness trainer Michaels wrote to the designer on Instagram. "Finding you... my person... and eloping in Africa together has been one of the most magical and transformative chapters of my life." So would we be the biggest losers if we held out hope for a seat at their June 2023 celebration in Venice, Italy?
Everything from the bridal updo to the extravagant spread was table flippin' fantastic when The Real Housewives of New Jersey star wed the businessman Aug. 6. "They did not skimp on anything," E! News' Loni Love shared of her experience. "They had lamb chops, they had a seafood station, they had a pasta station—and that was the reception, and nobody told me. I thought it was the dinner."
Some 20 years of history went into the couple's Aug. 20 all-white wedding at the Oscar winner's Georgia estate. Among the details: The words "Not. Going. Anywhere." engraved inside the singer's engagement ring, a nod to how Affleck signed off his emails after they reconciled in 2021, and Marc Cohn's performance of True Companion. When they first began envisioning their wedding in the early aughts, Lopez shared in her On The JLo newsletter, they had labeled that number "the perfect wedding love song."
Two exquisite Vera Wang dresses (plus a third by Galia Lahav), a ceremony space exploding with roses and lanterns, a guest list chock full of Bachelor and Modern Family alum (including officiant Jesse Tyler Ferguson!) and a late-night after-party fueled by a DJ and a taco truck? Yes, the actress' Aug. 20 wedding to the beloved Bachelor in Paradise bartender was worth every bit of the three-year wait.
The Vanderpump Rules star served up both drama and extravagance when she wed the Australian rugby player in Cancun Aug. 23. Exchanging vows under a floral archway and above the Dreams Natura Resort & Spa's infinity pool, the parents to now-19-month-old Summer Moon offered up a menu ranging from pumpkin cannelloni to lemongrass roasted salmon to grilled filet mignon with jumbo prawns before closing the night down with fireworks and a nightcap of tacos and tequila.
Fortunately we will get a front-row seat to the intimate Parisian vows between the Dancing With the Stars pro and the Total Bellas star when E!'s Nikki Bella Says I Do premieres Jan. 26. And while it appears the lead-up to their Aug. 26 affair wasn't without its drama (including a whirlwind of a planning process), the big day served up plenty of the sweet stuff. (See: 2-year-old ring bearer Matteo in mini Dior.) "Definitely, the vows were my most favorite," Nikki shared with E! News of their self-penned commitments. "They were very emotional and beautiful, and I can't wait for the world to see them."
Dare we say the actress' Sept. 3 wedding gave new meaning to the term joy ride? The Santa Barbara, Calif., affair saw her pay tribute to her fame-making gig in the Fast & Furious film series, with costars Vin Diesel, Ludacris and Paul Walker's daughter Meadow Walker among the guests who saw the mom of two and her businessman groom drive off in a blue '90s Acura Integra GS-R—the same wheels she and Walker shared in the original 2001 flick, The Fast and the Furious.
After two-and-a-half years of almost paradise, the Bachelor Nation pair swore that they could see forever in each other's eyes as 100 loved ones (including fellow show alums) looked on at the Powel Crosley Estate in Sarasota, Fla. And the string light-, candle- and flower-filled reception Oct. 28 included at least one nod to the couple's origin story: Their first dance to "Tequila" by Dan + Shay. "A lot of it had to do with us meeting in Paradise and drinking tequila together for a month," Wendt explained to People. The plan, added his Gaila Lahav-clad bride, was to pass out rounds of the liquor to their guests to "do a little shot at the end of that together and get the party started."
Leaning into registered nurse Dome's love of butterflies (a trait she shared with her nana, whose late mom had vowed to watch over her as a white butterfly), the couple had guests walk through a garden full of the winged beauties en route to their three-course meal at California's Epoch Estate Winery. And that's just one detail that had the Lemons by Tay blogger proclaiming to Vogue that her Nov. 11 nuptials felt like "a fairytale." Also, cheers to this wedding favor: Bottles of Epoch's rosé illustrated by painter Alyssa Simpson.