Ben Affleck and Mrs. Jennifer Lynn Affleck are getting married again this weekend. They originally wed in Las Vegas in July, and now they are celebrating with their families, close friends, and Drea de Matteo at Ben’s fake plantation house in Georgia. According to Page Six, J.Lo hired luxury wedding planner Colin Cowie to coordinate the whole affair, and the budget is probably unlimited, which is why the ceremony is being officiated by one of the top podcasters in the game. But will this wedding be better than the weddings of Jen and Ben’s past?
J.Lo has previously been married three times, to Ojani Noa, Cris Judd, and Marc Anthony. She was once engaged to Affleck in 2002, but they called off that wedding and broke up before reuniting last spring. She was also previously engaged to Alex Rodriguez, but we don’t need to put that on her right now. Affleck has been married just once before (that we know of) to Jennifer Garner.
Were any of these weddings fun? Did the loved ones who gathered to take part in them think the marriages would last? I don’t know, I wasn’t there. You be the judge:
1997: J.Lo Marries Ojani Noa
There is very little public information available about this wedding, which occurred before J.Lo was super famous. That’s probably by design, as Noa reportedly tried to shop a book and footage from the couple’s honeymoon after they divorced. J.Lo sued him for $10 million in 2009. It seems like he sucks, and I bet this wedding was bad. You can see one photo from it here.
2001: J.Lo Marries Cris Judd
After she filed for divorce from Noa, J.Lo dated P. Diddy, then known as Puff Daddy, for two years. When they broke up, she started dating her backup dancer Cris Judd, and they got married a couple weeks after 9/11 at a private home in Calabasas. Media reports from that time say there were 170 guests and that J.Lo wore a Valentino gown. J.Lo’s manager Benny Medina served as the best man and reportedly tagged along on the couple’s honeymoon.
An “unnamed guest” described the ceremony to The New York Post this way: “She and Puff Daddy used to kiss a lot, but it was nothing like this. This kiss was just so romantic — like something out of a movie. Everybody who saw them embrace was enchanted.”
Judd looks back on the event with terror. He told Us Weekly in 2014, “Our wedding was a circus. I think several people got arrested trying to climb up a mountain trying to sneak in. We actually rented the airspace.”
This wedding sounds like it was only fun for Benny Medina.
2004: J.Lo Marries Marc Anthony
J.Lo filed for divorce from Judd in 2002 and immediately got together with Affleck, and of course there was no overlap there whatsoever. But then, as we know, Ben and Jen’s engagement went south. They officially broke up in January 2004, and by June J.Lo was marrying Marc Anthony in what would become her longest marriage to date, but of course fingers crossed.
According to People, the wedding was a surprise: The couple invited 40 guests for an “afternoon garden party” in the backyard of Jen’s Beverly Hills home. Then she showed up in a strapless Vera Wang gown. The tabloid offered this very specific report on the proceedings at the time:
“At 6:22 p.m., the bride walked across the backyard with a white umbrella while the guests clapped and cheered. She wore Neil Lane jewelry from head to toe, including a necklace and bracelet. At around 7 p.m., big band music began after guests went into a white tent. Lopez’s mom, Guadalupe, was in attendance and embraced new son-in-law Anthony for a long time after the ceremony. ‘She looked beautiful,’ said a source.”
This wedding sounds kind of basic, but they did stay together for 10 years, so whatever works.
2005: Ben Marries Jen Garner
Bennifer 2.0 got married on the beach in Parrot Cay, Turks & Caicos, on June 29, 2005. It was a small, private affair: Just Ben, Jen, their future child (Jen was three months pregnant), and their officiant, Jen’s Alias co-star Victor Garber. Though they did not have a big reception, they did seem to have fun, jumping in the ocean together in their dressy clothes after reciting their vows. Jen wore a white gown with a green sash, and Ben wore a cream-colored suit. You can see some blurry photos of the event here.
Garber told Entertainment Weekly in 2010 that he was honored to participate in their union. “It was an incredible honor and one of the most special events of my life,” he said. “I will never forget it. It’s embedded in my heart.”
In 2016, after she separated from Ben, Jen told Vanity Fair that she still had happy memories of the event. “I would go back and remake that decision,” she said. “I ran down the beach to him, and I would again.”
Okay, now I’m sad. Best wishes to Ben and the other Jen.
