The weddings of the rich and famous have always intrigued us. Maybe it’s the extravagance or all the drama that’s often tied into celebrity marriages. Whatever the reason, these vintage photos of a-list brides and grooms capture it all; they’re like peering back in time to when some of the most glamorous stars walked down the aisle. But behind the razzle-dazzle of the ’70s and ’80s was the reality of married life. From the over-the-top wedding days to which couples made it for the long haul, take a peek behind Hollywood’s curtain with these nostalgia-inducing photos.
Robert Kardashian and Kris Houghton, 1978: The High-Society “I Dos” That Featured O. J. Simpson as a Best Man
Yes, the Kardashian sisters started here when their mother, Kristen Mary Houghton, married lawyer Robert Kardashian in 1978. However, it was a marriage that almost never was. Robert reportedly had to propose to Kristen two times. As we all know, they went on to have four kids named Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, and Robert Jr. However, the couple filed for divorce in 1991. Robert passed away in 2003 after a fight with cancer.
He had made a name for himself as a defense attorney for O.J. Simpson during his 1995 murder case. The two were also friends throughout their lives, having met while in college.
Mick Jagger and Bianca Pérez-Mora Macias, 1971: The Saint-Tropez Spectacle That Nearly Ended Before the Vows Were Signed
Bianca Perez-Mora Macias was the only woman Mick Jagger ever married throughout his life. The two were wed in 1971 and enjoyed seven years together before Macias filed for divorce in 1978. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she cited infidelity on the part of Mick Jagger as the reason for the divorce. However, both Mick Jagger and Bianca Perez-Mora Macias admitted to having multiple affairs while they were married later on in their lives.
The two decided to get married not long after they started dating, and they had their wedding inside a church in Saint-Tropez, France. Mick Jagger began dating Jerry Hall a year before he was officially divorced.
Julio Iglesias and Isabel Preysler, 1971: A Secret Pregnancy and Paparazzi Chaos Defined the “Wedding of the Year”
Singer Julio Iglesias married his former wife Isabel Preysler in 1971. Preysler was a journalist from a wealthy family with an aristocratic background, while Iglesias was a singer. And if Iglesias’s last name sounds familiar, then you might’ve heard of one of their children, Enrique Iglesias. The pair had two other children as well, named Chabeli and Julio Jr. Their marriage lasted for around eight years, finally ending in 1979.
The two originally met at a party, but it took weeks for Iglesias to ask his former wife out on a date. The two are still very much on good terms.
Tatum O’Neal and John McEnroe, 1986: The Marriage That Allegedly Began With a Pre-Nup Argument
Tatum O’Neal and John McEnroe were quite the couples. O’Neal had the distinction of being the youngest person ever to win an Academy Award when she won at ten years old, and McEnroe was Tennis’s bad boy. The two got married in 1986, but they had been dating for two years, which is pretty long by Hollywood standards. They also had three children together named Kevin, Sean, and Emily.
However, things didn’t last, and they decided to get divorced in 1994. The divorce was quite messy, with both parties accusing the other of taking drugs, and O’Neal would also lose custody of the children.
Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh, 1989: The Future Dame Married the Man Who Later Broke Her Heart With Helena Bonham Carter
Actress Emma Thompson and Actor Kenneth Branagh certainly got off to a great start when they met in 1987. The two got off to such a great start that they were married only a couple of years later, in 1989. However, things didn’t last. Despite constant and unexpected coverage of their marriage in the news and interest among the general public, the two filed for a divorce in 1995.
The two were divorced because Branagh had allegedly fallen in love with another actress you might know by the name of Helena Bonham Carter. Apparently, there was something to the rumors because the two later dated.
Alana Hamilton and Rod Stewart, 1979: The Wedding That Proved the “Forever Bachelor” Could Be Tamed (For a While)
Singer Rod Stewart married Alana Hamilton in 1979, and the couple went on to have two children. Hamilton was Stewart’s first wife, but he would go on to have a couple of others while creating countless global hits. He also managed to craft quite a reputation for himself when it came to his love life. He and Hamilton finally got divorced in 1985, and Stewart went on to have six more children.
He also had two more marriages, and today, he is married to his current wife, Penny Lancaster. The two were married in 2007 and are still going strong by all accounts.
Madonna and Sean Penn, 1985: The Groom Reportedly Fired at News Helicopters Circling Overhead
Madonna and Sean Pean were one of Holywood’s power couples when they were married in the mid-1980s. Both were starting to garner some acclaim, and they both had just gotten out of relationships. They were married in 1985, but Madonna would second guess the marriage and briefly file for divorce bere withdrawing it. She finally settled on her decision in 1989, and the two were officially separated that same year.
Despite their separation, the two remained friends, and Madonna has described Penn as “the love of her life.” She even once jokingly extended a marriage offer to her ex-husband.
Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach, 1981: The Wedding Brought the Surviving Beatles Together for the First Time Since John Lennon’s Passing
Ringo Starr really needs no introduction; the legendary drummer and member of the Beatles were and probably still is one of the most popular musicians alive. He married actress Barbara Bach in 1981 after the two had met on the set of a movie a year earlier. Starr had previously been married and already had children when he and Barbara met in 1980. However, that didn’t stop the two from hitting it off.
Despite only knowing each other for a year before marrying, the two are still happily married today. They also have seven grandchildren and a single great-grandchild, a number that is likely to go up.
Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick, 1988: The “Footloose” Star’s Wedding to His Distant Cousin
Together, actors Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick have starred in countless movies. The two met on the set of PBS’s Lemon Sky in 1988, but they probably never would’ve thought that they would end up getting married that same year. And unlike a lot of other celebrities on this list, the two are still married to this day. Of course, as you might imagine, that has led some to ask Sedgwick what the two’s secret to a happy marriage is.
She’s said that their secret is “to not take marriage advice from celebrities.” She’s also told People, “There has to be some piece of wholeness that is within yourself before you can let somebody love you the way that you need to be loved.”
Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, 1976 & 1989: The Twice-Married Couple Whose Romance Reportedly Began When She Was Only 14 Years Old
Actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith first met on the set of The Harrad Experiment in 1973, when her mother was working and costarring with Don Johnson. Griffith was just 14 when she caught the eye of a 22-year-old Johnson. The two moved in together and were married in 1976, but that marriage only lasted around six months. However, the two would end up getting back together again in 1989.
The second marriage ended up lasting for around seven years, during which actress Dakota Johnson was born. And despite the second marriage not working out, the two are still close to this day.
Aretha Franklin and Glynn Turman, 1978: She Had Her Dress Flown in From New York on Its Own Private Airplane Seat
Legendary singer Aretha Franklin married Glynn Turman in 1978. When they were married, Turman already had three children. Turman eventually moved to Michigan, and the two’s marriage was over a couple of years later, in 1984. Turman was Franklin’s second husband. She’d married her first husband without the approval of either of her parents, but she did receive that approval the second time around when she found and married Turman.
Despite having many relationships after her divorce from Turman, she never remarried, and the two stayed close friends until Franklin’s death. The two had been married in her father’s church.
Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, 1987: $100 Las Vegas “I Dos” That Took Place Just Three Months After They Met
This just might’ve been one of the most fun weddings of the decade, but you could probably tell by looking at the wedding photo. There’s almost enough confetti in the photo, which was taken in 1987, to make it unclear. And if you look closely, you can see another star in the background. The couple ended up having three children together, named Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah. However, the marriage didn’t last, and the couple separated 13 years later.
They still remained close, though, and Willis decided to get married again in 2009 to Emma Heming. Moore would go on to marry Ashton Kutcher in 2005 before the two eventually got a divorce.
Cher and Gregg Allman, 1975: Wedding Took Place Just 3 Days After Her Divorce From Sonny Bono, and the Couple Divorced After 9 Days
Southern rock pioneer Greg Allman and music superstar Cher were married in 1975. This was Cher’s second marriage and Allman’s third. He would go on to have three more after he and Cher called it quits in 1979. However, the two did have a child together, whom they named Elijah. Cher is still around today and is perhaps famous as ever. However, Allman passed away in 2017 at the age of 69.
Cher ended up filing for divorce just nine days after they were married because of Allman’s drug abuse, but she withdrew her decision, and the two made it until 1979.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, 1969: They Turned Their Marriage Into a “Bed-In” for World Peace
This marriage might’ve happened a year before the start of the 1970s, but it was too influential not to put it on this list. John Lennon’s marriage to Yoko Ono might’ve been one of the most popular and controversial of the last century. Lennon’s bandmates were very happy that the two were married, but Lennon and Ono didn’t seem to care all that much, and the two stayed together until Lennon’s death in 1980.
Ono was Lennon’s second wife, and while they were together, they had one child named Sean together. Ono hasn’t remarried as of yet, and she still works on music, art, and peacebuilding initiatives.
Renata Blauel and Elton John, 1984: The Wedding That Allegedly Attempted to Silence the Rumors About the Star
Music legend Elton John married German recording engineer Renata Blauel in 1984. However, the marriage was not meant to be, and the two decided to file for a divorce in 1988 after John announced during an interview that he was attracted to both genders. John eventually came out fully years after the divorce during an interview with the press. After the divorce, Blauel retreated from the public eye and hasn’t spoken to the press since.
In 2007, John said that he had met with Blauel and that the two had finally had a chance to talk things over, but of course, Blauel has never confirmed this.
Mike Tyson and Robin Givens, 1988: The “Secret” Valentine’s Day Wedding That Was Arranged in Just 24 Hours
To say that this marriage could’ve gotten off to a better start might just be an understatement. Mike Tyson married actress Robin Givens in 1988, but the marriage would only go on to last a year. During the latter half of the marriage, Givens went on to claim that Tyson had a short temper and was abusive. During the divorce, which was based on spousal abuse, a judge granted Givens a restraining order.
However, that wasn’t the end of it, and Tyson went on to claim that Givens had stolen from him on her way out. Tyson’s fans also berated Givens and claimed she was a gold digger.
Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson, 1980: The Groom Wore a Suit Borrowed From a Friend
Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson met while the two were still in college in 1974, and they were married six years later in 1980. And while Jackson has certainly played a starring role in plenty of films throughout his life, his early years at university with LaTanya might just rival some of the best scripts he’s worked with. During college, Jackson actually held members of Morehouse College’s board of trustees hostage when demanding school reform.
Luckily, that hasn’t seemed to impact his professional or his love life too much, and he and Richardson are still married to this day. The couple has a daughter who now works as a producer.
Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden, 1973: The “Anti-War” Wedding Where Guests Sat on the Floor and Sang Folk Songs
For whatever reason, Hollywood stars are known for marrying… well, other Hollywood stars. So, it certainly wasn’t the norm when Jane Fonda announced her marriage to politician and activist Tom Hayden back in 1973. Something must’ve been right about the pairing, too, because the marriage went on to last around 17 years before the couple finally decided to split in 1990. They reportedly split up because Hayden had fallen in love with another woman.
Perhaps it lasted so long because Fonda was into activism herself. Whatever the reason, it certainly could’ve lasted longer had it not been for Hayden. Fonda later said, “I didn’t know that pain could be so bad.”