Jessica Simpson celebrated her 36th birthday last weekend! Of course, we have weddings on the brain, so that got us thinking of her two incredibly over-the-top, fairytale-like walks down the aisle. The mom of two has gone from pop star to business mogul, but her wedding tastes have kind of remained the same. Come along as we make our way down memory lane and relive Jessica Simpson’s two weddings.
Photo: Courtesy of Pinterest
Nick Lachey, October 26, 2002
Ah, 2002, the good old days — it was the age of blonde pop stars and boy bands, a simpler time, before Instagram, and Snapchat, a time before Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey were the greatest reality TV couple of our time. But before the pop star couple, who met at a Christmas parade when Simpson was just 18 (Nick proposed 4 years later with a pear-shaped diamond ring), would go on to chronicle their love on their MTV reality show Newlyweds, they had to get, well, wed. On October 26, 2002, 350 guests gathered to see self-proclaimed virgin Simpson tie the knot to 90 Degrees frontman Lachey, and the rest is reality TV history.
With the help of celebrity wedding planner Mindy Weiss (Jess liked her so much she used her twice, more on that later), Simpson and Lachey said their “I Dos” in front of 350 guests at the Riverbend Church in Austin, Texas in a 40 minute ceremony. The Vera Wang-clad bride (cascading waves courtesy of her mane man Ken Paves) walked down a rose-covered aisle with dad Joe Simpson. With hundreds of candles and pink roses decorating the church, the ceremony had a fairy tale quality. The musical couple had written songs for each other — his called “My Love,” hers called “My Everything” — which their friends (aka Nick’s 98 degrees bandmates) performed at the altar.
An estimated 30,000 roses filled the ballroom at Barton Creek Resort and Spa where the newlyweds held their reception. They spared no expense with a lavish menu, a five-tier cake, carrot cake, red velvet cake, pound cake, and a chocolate groom’s cake decorated with a Cincinnati bear claw. For the first dance the couple chose “Crazy Love” (a bit of foreshadowing?), and later serenaded each other with the same songs performed at the reception — lucky guests got to take home a CD recording of the songs as favors.
Three seasons of Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, and one “Chicken of the Sea” debate heard round the world later, Simpson and Lachey would call it quits in 2005.
Eric Johnson, July 5, 2014
Simpson’s come a long way since Newlyweds — with a bustling fashion empire that won’t quit growing, these days she’s more mogul than pop star. So, it’s no surprise that the blonde bombshell would go all out for her second wedding to long-time love, footballer Eric Johnson — father of her two children Maxwell and Ace. After all, the couple was engaged for 4 years before finally deciding to say “I Do.”
The adorable couple made it official in a Great Expectations (the Gwyneth Paltrow movie, not the book…) inspired event. “She really wanted to have that feeling in the movie when they’re dancing,” celeb planner Weiss told People.
Photo: Courtesy of the Dress Reserve via Instagram
Of course the bride had to shine — and she did just that in a glowing custom-made golden Carolina Herrera gown, and $750,000 worth of Neil Lane jewelry. The handsome groom also went the custom route in a gray John Varvatos tux.
And Simpson might just have pioneered the mismatched bridesmaid dress trend. “I personally can’t have all of my girls in the same dress,” Simpson said to People. Nicole Chavez, Simpson’s stylist and a bridesmaid, chose looks for the bridal party by Marchesa, Jason Wu and Temperley, Carmen Marc Valvo and Herrera. “I’m a bridesmaid and I’m styling this entire production,” she told People.
The celebration was all about family for the couple with their children, siblings and parents participating in the festivities. From People‘s video you can tell guests hit the dance floor all night and the Simpson girls were the hit of the party. The fun celebration featured a Southern-inspired buffet and a pie bar (yes, a pie bar!), plus patriotic sparklers, a photo booth, and games for the kids.
The estimated cost of the 4-day Fourth of July extravaganza? $1.4 million.
If the couple’s Instagram PDA is any indication, things are going strong in the Johnson household.