11 months ago
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While most of us are familiar with spotlight-stealing, A-list Hollywood power couples, several of our favorite stars have opted to wed regular, non-famous people.
From meet-cutes in grocery stores to introductions via mutual friends, here are some of the celebrities who have wed people who aren’t in the spotlight.
Taylor Lautner
Taylor Lautner’s wife, also named Taylor, is a registered nurse. taylautner/InstagramTaylor Dome lived out every “Twilight” fan’s fantasy when she wed Taylor Lautner in 2022.
The registered nurse, who is close friends with her now-husband’s sister Makena Moore, was introduced to the actor at a game night.
“It’s just me and my sister so we’re super close, and she always said that she was gonna introduce me to my future wife, and I was like, ‘sure,'” he said during an appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in 2022.
“I love game nights. She’s like, ‘Throw a game night, invite me and some of my friends over, and I’ll bring Tay. She’ll just be one of them, and you guys can just meet,'” he explained of their first meeting. “We hit it off and the rest is history.”
The two, who now share the same legal name, said “I do” at a California winery in November 2022.
Ellen Pompeo
Ellen Pompeo met her husband Chris Ivory in a grocery store. Arnaldo Magnani/ Getty ImagesEllen Pompeo had a true Hollywood meet-cute with her husband, Chris Ivery, in 2003.
The pair, who now share three children, met in a Los Angeles grocery store and were initially just friends for six months.
“One night she just looked different to me,” Ivery recalled to People in 2006, after he popped the question on her 37th birthday.
“She was surprised and thrilled,” a rep for the “Grey’s Anatomy” actress told the outlet at the time.
Pompeo wed the record producer the following year in a small ceremony at New York’s City Hall with Mayor Michael Bloomberg as a witness.
Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth were married for 12 years. reesewitherspoon/InstagramReese Witherspoon met her second husband, Jim Toth, through mutual friends.
They were first spotted by fans having dinner together in February 2010. Less than 12 months later, Witherspoon was engaged to the talent agent.
They tied the knot in March 2011 in a laid-back ceremony on the “Legally Blonde” star’s California ranch.
Just days before their 12th wedding anniversary in 2023, the two announced their “difficult decision” to call it quits.
The pair noted in a joint statement that they came to the decision with “a great deal of care and consideration,” noting they would focus on co-parenting their son, Tennessee James.
George Clooney
Amal Clooney swept actor George Clooney off his feet. Getty ImagesGeorge Clooney and his wife Amal are one of the world’s foremost power couples.
However, the accomplished barrister and human rights advocate wasn’t a public figure when she met the actor at his home near Lake Como, Italy, in 2013.
“A mutual friend of ours said, ‘I’m stopping by and can I bring my friend?’” George recalled during an episode of “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.”
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Listen to our weekly “We Hear” podcast Subscribe to our daily newsletter Shop our exclusive merch“I got a call from my agent who said, ‘I met this woman who is coming to your house, who you’re going to marry,’” he added.
“The funniest thing was my mom and dad were visiting so my parents were there. And we just talked, we stayed up all night talking. And I got her email address, because she was going to send me some pictures of my parents. So we started writing. I didn’t know if she wanted to go out with me, I just thought we were buddies.”
The pair, who went on to co-found a human rights organization, the Clooney Foundation for Justice, tied the knot the following September and welcomed twins in 2017.
Patrick Dempsey
Patrick Dempsey met his wife Jillian Dempsey in the mid-’90s. Getty ImagesPatrick Dempsey met his wife, Jillian Dempsey, when he was a client at her hair salon in 1994.
The pair were both in relationships at the time, so things didn’t become romantic until 1997.
“She was always flirting,” Patrick recalled to People, noting their first date was a homemade meal at the “Grey’s Anatomy” alum’s home.
They eventually tied the knot in 1999 in a farmhouse wedding at Patrick’s family property in Maine, and went on to welcome three children together.
Flash forward more than two decades, and the “Enchanted” star was named People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” for 2023, which Jillian publicly celebrated.
“Well, the cat’s out of the bag for 2023 @people’s #SexiestManAlive and my hubz is on the cover!” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “Loved being a part of this insanely fun ride with you @patrickdempsey. What a title! You truly are my sexiest man alive.”
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande wed realtor Dalton Gomez in 2021. arianagrande/InstagramAriana Grande was briefly married to real estate agent Dalton Gomez from 2021 to 2023.
In March 2020, Page Six reported that the singer had found happiness with the luxury realtor and they were quarantined together during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A few months later, they confirmed their relationship when he appeared in her music video for “Stuck With U.” By the end of the year, they were engaged.
The following May, the pair secretly said “I do” in an intimate ceremony attended by just 20 people at the singer’s home in Montecito, Calif.
Gomez and Grande decided to call it quits after just two years of marriage.
Tina Fey
Tina Fey and her husband, Jeff Richmond, have been dating since the early days of their careers. Getty ImagesTina Fey met her husband before she became a household name.
The future “Saturday Night Live” star was working at famed Chicago comedy venue Second City in the ’90s when she met fellow comedian Jeff Richmond.
“I don’t want to say she was funny ‘for a woman,’ but there were so many talented men there at the time, and then suddenly there was Tina, who was so funny — and she was at home with all those boys on the stage,” Richmond recalled to The New Yorker years later.
After dating for seven years, they tied the knot in 2001 and headed to New York to pursue their careers in entertainment.
While Richmond found success on the music side of the industry, he has largely shied away from the spotlight and allowed Fey to take center stage.
The couple, who now share two daughters, co-wrote a musical adaptation of the 2004 smash “Mean Girls” for the stage.
Matt Damon
Matt Damon and Luciana Barroso share four kids. Getty ImagesMatt Damon met his wife, Luciana Barroso, when she was bartending at Miami hot spot Barroso while he was filming “Stuck on You” in 2003.
“I literally saw her across a crowded room,” he recalled during an interview on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
“Eight years and four kids later, that’s my life. I don’t know how else our paths would’ve crossed if that didn’t happen.”
During a rare interview with Vogue Australia in 2018, the mom of four joked that she remembers the encounter differently.
“Matt’s story is that he saw me across the room and there was a light on me. And I’m like, ‘Yeah, it was a nightclub — there were lights everywhere!'” she said.
“He had started getting recognized and asked for pictures and autographs, and then it got kind of aggressive because people are drinking and stuff. So he came and hid behind the bar … [wanting to] just hang out back there and have a drink.”
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey wed model Camila Alves. FilmMagicMatthew McConaughey and Camila Alves are among the most low-key Hollywood couples.
The pair met at a West Hollywood nightclub when the “Dazed and Confused” actor was at the peak of his fame and Alves was a model.
“She showed up, and she moved right to left in front of my eyes across that club,” the actor told People in 2020.
“It was as if she was floating. And I did not say, ‘Who is that?’ I said, ‘What is that?’ And then introduced myself. Since that evening, I have not wanted to spend time with any other woman.”
The pair went on to welcome three children together, and said “I do” in a lavish celebration that spanned three days at their home in Austin, Texas.
Their 2012 nuptials were attended by the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Kenny Chesney and Woody Harrelson.
