These stars fell in love with non-famous partners, and they're still going strong today.
Published on December 27, 2024 09:40AM
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There's so much to love about a celebrity couple. Whether it's two actors who fall in love while working together on set or a singer-songwriter pair who hit it off outside of the studio, following the romantic lives of our favorite stars is never short of entertaining. However, these dynamics are also notorious for burning out rather quickly. Even if they do tie the knot, divorce is often a common endpoint for many of these A-list relationships. Yet for some celebrities, instead of dating within the industry, they choose to step outside of it, partnering up with individuals who aren't familiar with the spotlight.
Here, we break down 15 celebrities who tied the knot with normal people who weren't living the life of a Hollywood star. In addition to sharing the details around their nuptials, we'll also offer the stories of how they first met. From John Cena asking for a fellow diner's number at a Vancouver restaurant to Matt Damon spotting his future wife bartending at a nightclub in Miami, these celebrities pursued relationships with people outside of the industry—and ultimately said "I do."
Below, 15 celebrities who married normal people.
01 of 15
Taylor Lautner and Taylor Dome
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The healthcare worker and Twilight star were set up by Lautner's sister. "She always said she was going to introduce me to my future wife," the actor said during an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show. After getting engaged in 2021, the two tied the knot on November 11, 2022, in Paso Robles, California. And less than a year after becoming husband and wife, they launched a podcast together,The Squeeze, which is focused on conversations around mental health.
02 of 15
Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Justin Mikita
When the Modern Family actor and the lawyer first met at a Los Angeles gym, Mikita was in another relationship. However, 10 months later, the two were both single and subsequently started dating, and in 2012, they cofounded Pronoun, a nonprofit organization focused on advancing LGBTQIA+ rights. The duo ultimately said "I do" on July 20, 2013 in New York City. Today, the pair has two children: Beckett Mercer, who was born on July 7, 2020, and Sullivan Louis, who was born on November 15, 2022.
03 of 15
Patrick Dempsey and Jillian Fink
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In 1994, Dempsey walked into Fink's hair salon—and sparks flew. While the two were both in relationships at the time, their dynamic eventually turned romantic in 1997. They tied the knot just two years later in 1999. The couple has one daughter, Talula Fyfe (born in 2002), and two twin boys, Sullivan Patrick and Darby Galen (born in 2007). And while they briefly called it quits in 2015, they quickly rekindled their partnership and are still together.
04 of 15
Matt and Luciana Damon
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The Good Will Hunting star met his future wife while she was bartending at a nightclub in Miami in 2003. In an attempt to hide from eager fans and get a chance to chat with the Argentinian, the actor ducked behind the bar—and was quickly put to work by her. After dating for two years, the two said "I do" in December 2005. In addition to Luciana's daughter from a previous marriage, the pair has three daughters together.
05 of 15
Lana Del Rey and Jeremy Dufrene
The "Summertime Sadness" singer first met Dufrene, an alligator tour guide, in 2019, when she took one of his Louisiana-based expeditions. She referenced him again on Instagram five years later, tagging him in an caption, and the two were spotted together at a music festival that summer. On September 7, 2024, they officially went public with their relationship at Karen Elson and Lee Foster's New York nuptials—before tying the knot themselves in a secret wedding on September 26, 2024.
06 of 15
Raven-Symoné and Miranda Pearman-Maday
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TheThat's So Raven star met her wife, Miranda Pearman-Maday, at a bar in West Hollywood in 2015. Soon after meeting, Pearman-Maday moved to New York with the actress, who was scheduled to start a new position as a host on The View. They tied the knot in a small ceremony in California in June 2020.
07 of 15
Wanda Sykes and Alex Niedbalski
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The comedian met Niedbalski, who was working in the interior design space, on the ferry to Fire Island in 2006. The two said "I do" two years later in a ceremony on October 25, 2008, and Sykes publicly came out on November 15, 2008. The two later became parents on April 27, 2009, welcoming twins into the world.
08 of 15
Jennifer Lawrence and Cooke Maroney
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When The Hunger Games actress met Maroney, an art gallery director through a mutual friend in 2018, it wasn't long before the two decided to tie the knot. After getting engaged in early 2019, the pair became husband and wife in October of that same year, hosting their nuptials in Newport, Rhode Island. Their first son, Cy, was born in 2022, and they're currently expecting their second child.
09 of 15
Ed Sheeran and Cherry Seaborn
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Even though they knew each other as children, the singer-songwriter didn't reunite with the Deloitte employee until meeting up in New York in 2015. They tied the knot three years later in January 2018, in an intimate ceremony that included just 40 guests. Seaborn gave birth to the couple's first child, Lyra Antartica, in 2020, and their second, Jupiter, in 2022.
10 of 15
Ken Jeong and Tran Ho
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Before becoming an actor and comedian, Jeong worked as a doctor in internal medicine. It was in this first career venture where he met Ho, who was also a doctor at the same Los Angeles hospital, specializing in family medicine. On September 6, 2004, the couple tied the knot, and in 2007, Ho gave birth to their twin daughters.
11 of 15
Lindsay Lohan and Bader Shammas
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The child star reportedly first met Shammas, a financier, at a Dubai restaurant. After first identifying him as her boyfriend in February 2020, the Mean Girls actress revealed they were engaged in November 2021, penning an Instagram post with the caption, "My love. My life. My family. My future. #love." The two announced that they were officially newlyweds on July 2, 2022, and on July 17, 2023, they celebrated the arrival of their first child, Luai.
12 of 15
Seth Meyers and Alexi Ashe
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Before they tied the knot on September 1, 2013, the comedian and human rights attorney met at another wedding: the nuptials of Saturday Night Live star Chris Kattan and Sunshine Tutt. Reflecting upon that first meeting, Meyes told YourTango "it was the closest I'd ever met to someone who I could see myself with." Three years after saying "I do," the couple welcomed their first child, Ashe Olson, into the world in March 2016. The pair had two additional children, Axel Strahl and Adelaide Ruth in 2018 and 2021, respectively.
13 of 15
Kevin and Danielle Jonas
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The musician first met his future wife in 2007, while the two were both on vacation with their respective families in the Bahamas. On July 2, 2009, the singer proposed to the hairstylist, and they tied the knot in December of that same year at an estate on Long Island. In 2012, the two starred in a reality show together—Married to Jonas–before announcing they were pregnant with their first child in 2013. After welcoming their daughter, Alena Rose, into the world in 2014, they celebrated the birth of their second, Valentina Angelina, just two years later.
14 of 15
John Cena and Shay Shariatzadeh
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The pro wrestler first met Shariatzadeh while at a Vancouver restaurant—and immediately asked for her number. The couple subsequently made their red carpet debut in 2019, appearing together for the premiere of Playing with Fire. On October 12, 2020, the actor and the engineer officially tied the knot.
15 of 15
Ellen Pompeo and Chris Ivey
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McDreamy wasn't the only Grey's Anatomy actor who found love with someone who wasn't a celebrity. In 2003, Pompeo met Chris Ivey, a record producer and marketing executive for an athletic brand, in a Los Angeles grocery store. While the two started out as friends, it soon became something more, and they tied the knot in 2007. They're now the parents to three children: Stella Luna (born in 2009), Siena May (born in 2014), and Eli Christopher (born in 2016).
