5 Celebrity Couples Who Said ‘I Do’ In Vegas
Here are some Vegas weddings that lasted, and some sputtered. Check it out.
logoboom / Shutterstock By Katanya Royster
What’s the first thing you think of when someone says Sin City? Ok, after legalized prostitution. That’s right! Quickie Vegas weddings in chapels illuminated with neon lights. The fact is, Las Vegas issues approximately 100,000 marriage licenses each year and boasts almost as many wedding chapels as it does casinos.
For celebrity couples, those quickie weddings are typically followed by quickie divorced and embarrassing publicity. Vegas’ abundance of 24-hour bars makes us wonder if some of our favorite celebs were under the influence of something other than love when they tied the knot, Vegas-style.
Here are a few examples:
1. Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos
In 1996, former soap star and current television host, Kelly Ripa, married actor, Mark Consuelos, at the Chapel of the Bells in Las Vegas.
Many years and three children later, this seemingly happy couple proves Vegas weddings can sometimes stick.
2. Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton
In 2000, actress Angelina Jolie and actor/writer Billy Bob Thornton wed at The Little Church of the West on the Las Vegas Strip.
The couple called it quits after two years of marriage with Jolie petitioning for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences.” It was Jolie’s second marriage and Thornton’s fifth.
3. Britney Spears and Jason Alexander
In 2004, pop star Britney Spears wed longtime friend, Jason Alexander, at a 24-hour wedding chapel. Apparently, Spears forgot to grab a pre-nup on the way to the chapel. meaning, this stunt could have cost her a lot more than a little public backlash.
Fifty-five hours later, however, Alexander signed annulment papers and took an economy class flight home. During a subsequent interview with MTV’s Total Request Live, Spears said Vegas “took her over” and admitted "things got out of hand."
4. Pamela Anderson and Rick Salomon
In 2007, Rick Salomon, who famously co-starred in the leaked Paris Hilton sex tape, One Night in Paris, and actress, Pamela Anderson, tied the proverbial knot at Las Vegas’ Mirage Hotel, making this the third marriage for both Salomon and Anderson.
However, Salomon and Anderson’s 15-year friendship did not translate into a successful marriage. Two months later, the couple’s marriage was annulled in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
5. Doug Hutchison and Courtney Stodden
In 2011, actor Doug Hutchison, married aspiring singer, Courtney Stodden, in Las Vegas’ Little Chapel of Flowers.
The groom was 51 years old and, at 16, the bride was probably still learning to operate a motor vehicle. Despite Stodden’s age, the marriage is legal.
Under Nevada law, a person who is at least 16 years of age, but is not yet 18 years old, can marry with parental consent. Stodden’s parents, Alex and Krista, consented to the marriage.
“We all needed a good man in our lives,” Krista said. “[T]rue love can be ageless,” Hutchinson told E! News, in response to the controversy surrounding the couples’ age difference.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted on March 19, 2012 and was updated with the latest information.