'Love is patient': Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck marry in Las Vegas chapel
Nearly 20 years after they called off their first engagement, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have married. Yasmin Bodalbhai reports.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were married in a Las Vegas chapel over the weekend in front of their children - 19 years after they were first due to wed.
The superstar couple - known as 'Bennifer' - were married at the famous Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon having queued up with others for a licence.
Ms Lopez wore “a dress from an old movie" while Mr Affleck donned a jacket from his wardrobe, his new wife said in an update on her website, On The JLo.
Their children from previous relationships were there to see their parents say "I do".
Ms Lopez wrote: “Last night we flew to Vegas, stood in line for a licence with four other couples, all making the same journey to the wedding capital of the world.”
The pair then read their vows in front of “the best witnesses you could ever imagine”.
The marriage ceremony occurred at “twelve thirty in the morning in the tunnel of love drive through”, accompanied by their children from previous relationships, the post said.
“Love is patient," Ms Lopez added, “twenty years patient” – in obvious reference to the fact the couple were first engaged 18 years ago before the wedding was called off.
The post was then signed off: “With love, Mrs Jennifer Lynn Affleck”.
County Clerk Lynn Marie Goya, who runs the Marriage Licence Bureau, told the PA news agency: “I can confirm that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez obtained a married licence last night, but their marriage certificate has not yet been filed. The licence is valid up to one year."
Mr and Mrs Affleck join other A-list couples who got married in Las Vegas - dubbed the Wedding Capital of the World - including Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley and Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.
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“We wish Mr Affleck and Ms Lopez the same enduring love story.”
Ms Lopez announced her engagement to Mr Affleck in April, 18 years after they originally called off their wedding in her OnTheJLo newsletter.
The marriage licence comes a year after they rekindled their romance following Mr Affleck’s split from the actress Ana DeArmas and Ms Lopez’s break-up with baseball star Alex Rodriguez.
The Hollywood stars previously began dating in July 2002 and got engaged in November of that year.
They were due to marry in September 2003 but postponed the wedding just days before the ceremony.
They ultimately called off their engagement in January 2004.
Ms Lopez officially confirmed she was back together with Mr Affleck in an Instagram post for her 52nd birthday, when she shared a picture of them kissing while on a private yacht.
They have since become red carpet fixtures as a couple, supporting each other at various film premieres and awards shows.
Affleck was previously married to actress Jennifer Garner, with whom he has three children – Violet, 16, Seraphina, 13, and Samuel, 10. They divorced in 2018 after 13 years of marriage.
Ms Lopez’s other past relationships include her 10-year marriage to singer Marc Anthony. The former couple, who divorced in 2014, have 14-year-old twins Emme and Max together.