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The paparazzi - oh how we love to hate them! When our favorite celeb is telling off a paparazzi for invading their privacy by taking a shot of them on the beach, or trying to enjoy a nice day with their kids, then we are usually right there with them cheering them on. What a sanctimonious lot we are! As much as we criticize the paparazzi we also shamelessly indulge in all their juicy exposés.
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One of the most infamous pastimes of a paparazzi is gatecrashing celebrity celebrations and, in particular, celeb weddings. Who can blame them though? These weddings always look like so much fun! Bad jokes aside though, the paparazzi have a moral obligation to keep us, the general public, up-to-date with all the weird and wonderful happenings in the lives of the rich and famous. While no one condones blatant invasions of privacy (especially not the type that put anyone's life at risk - we still sob over Princess Diana you know) there is no point in denying that I twerk just a little when a really dirty bit of gossip or sneaky pic hits the tabloids. The celebrities whose weddings were gatecrashed by the paparazzi will (obviously) have much-different views to my own about the value and virtues of the peskiest shutterbugs at all.
Jessica Chastain & Gian Luca
Never in her wildest dreams did Jessica Chastain ever imagine that she would play second fiddle to a bunch of ruthless photographers on her special day. When the Oscar-nominated beauty wed her partner Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo in Italy in June 2017, the last thing she could have expected was for her privacy to be blatantly infringed upon by paparazzi in helicopters and armed with drones. The ceremony, which included guests such as Emily Blunt and Anne Hathaway, took place at Gian's family's private estate which, unfortunately, didn't turn out to be private enough.
The photographs were widely shared, prompting the Oscar-nominated actress to ask fans to respect her privacy. Poor Jessica, some snapshots clearly depict most of the guests looking at the gatecrashers and leaving the blushing bride all but forgotten.
Anne Hathaway & Adam Shulman
Anne Hathaway dislikes media attention almost as much as her character Mia Thermopolis did in The Princess Diaries. When Hathaway got married to Adam Shulman in 2012, the dark-haired beauty thought she had taken all the necessary precautions to prevent the paparazzi from sneaking photos of her special day. Unfortunately, the balloons that were meant to ensure a no-fly zone over the wedding venue only drew more unwanted attention and the Shulman-Hathaway wedding was paparazzi-free no more!
Upon noticing the intruders, Anne did what any self-respecting bride would do - she flipped them off! It only lasted a second or two but it was probably one of the most empowering things she has ever done. While some may frown upon her un-ladylike behavior I can't help but applaud her. The obscenities that would have flown out of my mouth would have been worthy of an episode of the Jerry Springer Show!
Tina Turner & Erwin Bach
When Tina Turner married her partner of 27 years, Erwin Bach in 2013, her guest list included celebs like Bryan Adams and Oprah Winfrey. Unfortunately, an uninvited guest also made an appearance - a remote-controlled drone. The happy couple did everything in their power to ensure that the ceremony would be safe from prying eyes but they were no match for the persistence of the paparazzi.
Although Claudio Meier, the man behind the drone, was forced to land it and had his memory card confiscated by Swiss police, a tabloid photographer did succeed in getting a shot of the festivities, from inside a small plane. The newlyweds did share their wedding pics with HELLO! shortly after the ceremony but insisted that they felt betrayed by the infringement of their privacy. A secret wedding that was not-so-secret after all - poor Tina!
Michael Douglas & Catherine Zeta-Jones
While Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones didn't plan to have a highly-secretive wedding in 2000, they did plan to have a paparazzi-free one. In an attempt to deter unwanted media attention, the couple signed a £1m deal with OK! magazine for exclusive pictures. Being one of the most photographed couples in the world, Catherine and Michael knew they would have to put strict security measures in place. Unfortunately, their efforts were ruined by a disgruntled florist who lost out on a tender for work and revealed that the ceremony was to take place at the Plaza Hotel. Talk about a case of severe sour grapes!
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Despite a severe security sweep a paparazzo still managed to infiltrate the event, snapped a couple of photographs and sold them to, gulp, Hello!. Lawsuits followed. The Zeta-Jones Douglas's won and Hello! got a stern talking to. Oh, what I would do to have someone offer a fortune for my photos!
Jason Mesnick & Molly Malaney
When Jason Mesnick proposed to Melissa Rycroft during the Season Finale of The Bachelor we all thought it was the end of him and Molly. In what can only be described as a shocking outcome, Jason ditched Mel, proposed to Molly and started making wedding plans. There really was no secrecy to this wedding as ABC started creating a hype around The Bachelor: Jason and Molly's Wedding, long before the couple got hitched. Photo rights to the ceremony were sold to OK! , and all outside media were refused entry to the wedding. As is always the case with a celeb wedding, the troublesome paparazzi tried to sneak a few shots which they were hoping to sell for a small fortune afterward.
Things got interesting when security guards tackled the two intruders, causing a brawl that was caught on tape by a fellow paparazzo. The footage which was posted on X17 online, showed one of the shutterbugs in a headlock and well-deserved if I might add. The paparazzi were arrested but no charges were pressed. Maybe karma played a role in the wedding-day drama – payback for Jason’s heartbreaking habits perhaps? Either way, the striking couple survived the ordeal and are still happily married and proud parents to daughter Riley and Jason’s son, Ty.
Tom Brady & Gisele Bundchen
A shootout outside their wedding ceremony must have been the last thing Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen expected on their (second) wedding day, yet it is exactly what they got thanks to some very trigger-happy guards. Luckily this ceremony was the second for Brady and Bundchen (they officially tied the knot in a SoCal wedding just a few weeks ago) or it could have been seen as a bad omen at the start of their married life.
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Everything was going according to plan, the bride looked beautiful in her designer gown and the venue was adorned with countless white orchids. Outside the villa, hidden amongst the bushes, were two paparazzi risking their lives (literally) for that million-dollar photo. Once the guards spotted them and demanded that they hand over their equipment, they, rather foolishly, made a run for it. The guards opened fire, hitting the back windscreen of the getaway vehicle and narrowly missing the heads of the two rogue photographers. Although both paparazzi escaped with their lives, they were pretty shaken up and vowed to take matters further. There really is never a dull moment in the lives of the rich and famous!
Hulk Hogan & Jennifer McDaniel
How ironic is it that Hulk Hogan’s wedding to Jennifer McDaniel in 2010 almost turned into a wrestling match? The couple was busy tying the knot at Hulk’s home in Florida when a scuffle broke out amongst the guests. The reason – an unwelcome paparazzi member tried to sneak into the ceremony through the rear of the estate. Unfortunately for Robert Martinez he got caught by one of Hogan’s family members who was working as a security guard.
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Martinez can thank his lucky stars that police officers broke up the brawl, who knows what would have happened to him if the groom got his hands on him. There was a lot of speculation following the incident that the skirmish was staged but the couple insisted all they wanted to do was to become Mr & Mrs and who are we to dare argue with that!
Sylvia Jeffreys & Peter Stefanovic
When Sylvia Jeffreys and Peter Stefanovic decided to tie the knot, Australians started to prepare themselves for the wedding of the year in the land down under. The couple, together with friends, family and a myriad of celebrities gathered at a secret location in the Southern Highlands for the ceremony. Despite the secrecy surrounding the wedding, brave paparazzi showed up by the dozens, armed with super-long lenses and even drones. After being told by the security team that they “probably wouldn’t be coming out alive” if they were caught hiding on the premises, most opted for life and left the scene.
The real drama ensued the day after the ceremony when a witchhunt was conducted to try and track the source of the leaked audio from Karl Stefanovic’s best man’s speech. It was later revealed that a wedding guest brought his phone filled with videos of the day to a group of media representatives. The frisky male was offered large sums of money but seemingly took a liking to a reporter from The Daily Mail, and handed it over to her for free! Silly man, if you are going to betray your friends like that you might as well make a quick buck out of the deal!
Keira Knightley & James Righton
Keira Knightly and James were an item for more than two years when they decided to get hitched in a town hall in France. While the ceremony was a surprise, the couple did not manage to keep it a secret afterward as local paparazzi managed to sneak a few shots of the newlyweds as they were leaving the ceremony. The entire affair was extremely low-key with the lovely Keira donning a strapless Chanel tulle dress under a Chanel jacket. Keira is not only gorgeous but briefly appeared to be thrifty as well - the dress was previously worn and she has been seen in the exact same ensemble at least three times since she said her vows! She did later disclose that she also had custom-made £50,000 Valentino dress for a second ceremony. so much for frugality then!
There is no telling whether the couple was planning to share their secretive wedding with the world. The second, more lavish ceremony was attended by friends and family and although also on-the-sly, the couple never made any attempt to deny that they are in fact Mr and Mrs.
Sophie Dahl & Jamie Cullum
Sophie Dahl & Jamie Cullum had problems of a different type when they decided to get married in 2010. Everyone's favorite odd couple decided to take legal action against the Mail on Sunday after a story was published that leaked their super-secretive wedding plans. The couple demanded a whopping £250,000 from publishers Associated Newspapers claiming a breach of confidence and the misuse of private information. According to the couple they were forced to change all their wedding plans and fork out an additional £5,000 on security after the newspaper revealed what was supposedly secret details of their original wedding.
£5,000 extra to keep the paparazzi away does not seem like a lot of money to me, not if you take into consideration whose money it is but, to each his own. Sophie and Jamie felt horribly violated by the privacy infringement and they are entitled to feel however they want!
Natasha Bedingfield & Matt Robinson
While most celebs would love a go at the photographers who infringe on their private lives, Natasha Bedingfield was rather thrilled when paparazzi gatecrashed her wedding to Matt Robinson in March 2009. Bedingfield revealed afterward that, despite the couple's best effort to keep their wedding away from the prying eyes of the media, they failed. While tying the knot in Malibu, California, snap-happy photographers in helicopters turned the event into something resembling a movie set.
Was Natasha outraged by the intrusion? Not at all! Seemingly unruffled by everything that transpired, the sassy songbird maintains that no harm was done and that the uninvited guests merely added to the intrigue of the occasion!
Madonna & Sean Penn
The paparazzi as we know it today was born the day Sean Penn and Madonna got married way back in 1985. The ceremony took place the day of Madonna's 27th birthday (the day before Sean's 25th) and was held at the Malibu home of a family friend of Penn. It seems that a missiles bunker would have been more secure as the paparazzi infiltrated the wedding in an almost-admirable military fashion. Cunning photographers tried every trick in the book from renting helicopters and hovering over the location (completely drowning out the couple's vows) to dressing in camo and hiding in nearby bushes.
The airborne paparazzi were welcomed by a rather obscene message scrawled in the sand and were reportedly lucky to escape with their lives after Sean fired his pistol at one of the choppers. We all know that Mr Penn has a few temper issues but shooting at people is pushing the boundaries, even for him. Luckily no one got hurt.
Elizabeth Taylor & Larry Fortensky
When Liz Taylor married Larry Fortensky at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch it was her eighth and final trip down the aisle. The wedding was no secret and was said to be the most media-saturated one in Hollywood history. The ceremony was however bombarded by the paparazzi nonetheless and it's for that reason that it deserves an honorary mention on our list. A dozen uninvited helicopters hovered overhead and a very brave paparazzo even managed to parachute his way into the ceremony, landing no more than 20 feet from the astonished couple.
On-sight security made quick work of escorting the unwanted guests off the property and the ceremony could continue without further interference. In the official media photos that were released Liz can be seen laughing with best friend Michael while her new husband looks on lovingly. How sad that both MJ and Liz are no longer with us. I hope you two are moonwalking up a storm wherever you may be!
George Clooney & Amal Alamuddin
Yes I know, George Clooney and Amal's wedding wasn't secret either but they sure got stalked by the paparazzi enough to warrant an inclusion here. The striking couple opted to get married in Venice in 2014, they literally spared no expense. When the lovebirds glided down the Grand Canal in a water taxi on the Friday before the wedding, they were met by the raucous applause of tourists, and hoards of paparazzi. The entourage, which consisted of several boats, as well as the paparazzi in their water taxis, caused a huge wake in the canal causing local gondoliers to complain about the Clooney Tsunami.
Reporters and pesky paparazzi were literally everywhere in Venice trying to snap a few shots that would undoubtedly earn them a good few Euros. Hovering near the open garden at Cipriani's, the press hurled countless questions at George who denied that he was getting married. The ever-suave Clooney did end up sending a bottle to a media correspondent, shouting that he shouldn't drink it all at once. Good to see that Georgie hasn't lost his sense of humor in his (somewhat) old age!
Sarah Michelle Gellar & Freddie Prinze Jr
When Buffy the Vampire Slayer, also known as Sarah Michelle Gellar, and hunky Freddie Prinze Jr got married, they decided to hop south of the border to Punto Careyes in Mexico, away from the prying eyes of the paparazzi, or so they had hoped. Being under the constant scrutiny of the press, the couple wanted nothing more than to have a ‘normal’ wedding – but, alas, that was not meant to be as Hurricane Hernan was heading straight for them. Luckily, by sunset on the day before the wedding, the hurricane changed course and all was well in the world again.
As paparazzi was resigned to catch brief glimpses of the ceremony from a public beach, Sarah and Freddie said their vows and were wed in holy matrimony. Mother Nature was not ready to take a back seat just yet though and responded with an earthquake that measured 4.6 on the Richer Scale just as guests were checking out of the Careyes hotel. The quake didn’t cause as much damage as a rogue lightning bolt that hit a nearby pylon, causing an extensive blackout. It was during this dark spell that the newlyweds snuck out of the hotel and off to their honeymoon, the paparazzi blissfully unaware of their departure!