Twenty years later, one of Hollywood’s most beloved couples exchange vows.
Finally, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are married. This past weekend, after 20 years and a whirlwind romance, ‘Bennifer’ sealed the married at the renowned A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.
On Sunday, July 17, Lopez announced the good news in her newsletter under the heading “We did it.”
“Love is gorgeous. Love is nice. And indeed, love proves to be patient. Twenty years persevering, “She signed off a note with the name Jennifer Lynn Affleck.
Affleck and Lopez, one of Hollywood’s “It” couples, began dating in 2002, made several tabloid covers, starred in movies together, had cameo appearances in each other’s films, and even got engaged. The couple separated in 2004, and for the next 17 years they lived different lives and raised separate families. Lopez was married to musician Marc Anthony from 2004 to 2014, with whom she bears twins Max and Emme. Affleck married Jennifer Garner in 2005, and the couple has three children together: Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel. In 2018, Affleck and Garner ended their relationship.
Affleck and Lopez dated others during their respective breakup, but they reconciled in 2021. On July 16, after announcing their engagement in April, they exchanged vows in a drive-through chapel at midnight. As the newlyweds begin this new chapter, here is a look back at their relationship chronology and the details of their low-key wedding in Las Vegas.
A chronology of the whirlwind affair between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in 2002
Reportedly, Affleck and Lopez met on the set of Gigli, in which they portrayed two gangsters who fell in love while plotting the kidnapping of a neurodiverse guy. The 2003 film bombed, but their chemistry was impossible to overlook. Lopez was previously married to dancer Cris Judd, but after their divorce in 2003, she and Affleck went public with their relationship.
In addition, tabloids adored them. But the attraction was not mutual. In 2016, Lopez stated to People: “We had no intention of having a public romance. We happened to be present for the birth of the tabloids, and our reaction was “Oh my God.” There was a great deal of pressure.”
Despite this, the couple appeared to be doing well, and in November 2002, they thrilled fans by announcing their engagement. Back then, Affleck proposed to Lopez with a pink-diamond Harry Winston solitaire ring that he himself selected.
In 2003, they co-starred in another film, Jersey Girl, in which Lopez played the deceased wife of Affleck’s character. The comedy, which also starred Liv Tyler, was supposed to be released in 2003, but it was pushed back a year. In addition, the film flopped at the box office, grossing only $36 million.
The pair stated in September of that year, just days before their wedding, that they were postponing it owing to increased media interest.
“Due to the overwhelming media interest around our wedding, we have chosen to postpone it. We suspected that something was amiss when we seriously considered hiring three separate ‘decoy brides’ at three different locales. The essence of what should have been the best day of our lives began to seem undermined. We felt that what should have been a happy and holy day for us, our families, and our friends could have been ruined.”
Affleck and Lopez ended their engagement on January 22, 2004, stunning Benifer fans everywhere. At the time, the duo did not elaborate on the cause for their separation.
Lopez discovered love with her longtime pal Marc Anthony in June. Lopez writes in her 2014 book True Love, “I sought consolation in another person, attempting to find someone who could make me feel loved and desired in my loneliest hour… Marc returned to my life three days after I was supposed to be exchanging vows with another man.
Affleck married Jennifer Garner the following year, in 2006, and over the duration of their marriage, which dissolved in 2018, they had three children.
Despite their history, Lopez and Affleck appeared to stay friends from 2006 to 2020, frequently praising one other’s work in talk shows and interviews.
In April 2021, when rumours of Affleck and Lopez ‘hanging out’ began to circulate, Bennifer fans were optimistic and social media was quickly filled with posts about “second chances.” Numerous occasions, according to the tabloids, the pair was spotted meeting at Lopez’s Los Angeles residence. In May, the couple travelled to Montana for a weeklong vacation. They were observed getting close in West Hollywood and then Malibu in June. In July, they went official on Instagram.
After months of rekindling their affection, the couple announced their engagement (again!) in April of 2022. Lopez revealed in her newsletter that Affleck had proposed to her in the greatest way.
“On Saturday night, while I was in my favourite location on earth (a bubble bath),” she said, “my lovely love got down on one knee and proposed.” “I was completely taken aback and just stared into his eyes, smiling and crying at the same time, trying to wrap my mind around the notion that after 20 years, this was happening all over again; I was practically speechless, and he asked, ‘Is that a yes?’ “I replied YES, therefore that’s a YES,” she wrote.
In the month of July, they are married.
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Here is everything known about their low-key wedding in Las Vegas.
A White Wedding Chapel.
Affleck and Lopez joined the ranks of other celebrity couples who wed at the drive-through chapel in Las Vegas at midnight.
According to what Lopez wrote in her email about the ceremony, the pair flew to Las Vegas on Saturday, waited in line with four other couples for their licence, and then walked down the aisle with a Bluetooth speaker broadcasting the traditional wedding march.
She added, “If you stick around long enough, you might find the best moment of your life in a Las Vegas drive-through at 12:30 a.m. in the tunnel of love drive-through with your kids and the person you’ll spend your life with.”
Established in the 1950s, the chapel gives couples five interior chapels to choose from, including the Little White, L’Amour, Crystal, Promises & Green Room, as well as an outdoor gazebo and the iconic Tunnel of Love Drive-Thru. Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow wed here in 1966, Michael Jordan and Juanita Vanoy in 1989, Eva Longoria and Tyler Christopher in 2002, Pamela Anderson and Rick Salomon in 2007, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner in 2019, and Sinéad O’Connor and Barry Herridge in 2019. (2011).
Jennifer Affleck
According to the marriage licence submitted in Clark County, Nevada, the couple’s names are Benjamin Geza Affleck and Jennifer Lopez Lopez. Jennifer Affleck was to be the “new name” for the latter.
The chapel remained available to them.
Lopez reveals that she and Affleck were running late and nearly missed the ceremony, but the church “graciously” remained open for them. The pair then posed and took photographs in a pink Cadillac convertible that Elvis had apparently used. However, the Elvis lookalike famed for performing at these prestigious events was already in bed.
The bridal dress worn by Lopez came from an old film.
Lopez also said that her wedding dress was from an old film and that Affleck chose his white tuxedo at random from his closet. She also uploaded a video in which she can be heard saying, “I feel incredible. I am overjoyed. This dress has been in my possession for so many years, and I’ve been preserving it, saving it, saving it for my wedding day.”
If Bennifer’s experience is any indication, true love may be worth the wait!