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.