Twenty years after they first dated, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck finally tied the knot—at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas this past weekend.
"We did it. Love is beautiful. Love is kind. And it turns out love is patient. Twenty years patient," Lopez wrote in her newsletter. "Exactly what we wanted. Last night we flew to Vegas, stood in line for a license with four other couples, all making the same journey to the wedding capital of the world."
She continued, "Behind us two men held hands and held each other. In front of us, a young couple who made the three hour drive from Victorville on their daughter’s second birthday—all of us wanting the same thing— for the world to recognize us as partners and to declare our love to the world through the ancient and nearly universal symbol of marriage."
On her Instagram, she shared a snap of herself in bed, wearing a simple platinum wedding ring, and captioning it "Sadie!"—a reference to Funny Girl, when Fanny Brice sings "I'm Sadie, Sadie, married lady..." Ever the businesswoman, all the engagement and wedding details have come out through Lopez's newsletter.
In April 2022, she was spotted out and about wearing a huge diamond ring on that finger, sparking a wave of internet rumors. She later confirmed the speculation: She's engaged (again) to Affleck. Lopez teased the news on her Twitter, directing fans to her "On the JLo" fan newsletter. In the newsletter she shared a short video of herself tearfully admiring a green diamond ring. The engagement ring that Affleck proposed to Lopez with in 2002 was a 6.1 carat pink diamond by Harry Winston.
It was later revealed that Affleck proposed while Lopez was in the bath. "Did you ever imagine your biggest dream could come true?" she wrote in On the JLo, detailing their engagement. "Saturday night while at my favorite place on earth (in the bubble bath), my beautiful love got on one knee and proposed. I was taken totally off guard and just looked in his eyes smiling and crying at the same time trying hard to get my head around the fact that after 20 years this was happening all over again, I was quite literally speechless and he said, 'is that a yes?' I said YES of course that's a YES."
She added, "I was smiling so big and tears were coming down my face, feeling so incredibly happy and whole. It was nothing fancy at all, but it was the most romantic thing I could've ever imagined...just a quiet Saturday night at home, two people promising to always be there for each other."
Lopez finished her newsletter: "Two very lucky people. Who got a second chance at true love."
Much has changed since their first time together: Affleck and Lopez are both now divorcées and parents. (Affleck shares three kids with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, Lopez has twins with ex-husband Marc Anthony.) Lopez told People that the growth they've been through is key to making their new relationship work: "We're older now, we're smarter, we have more experience, we're at different places in our lives, we have kids now, and we have to be very conscious of those things."
"It's a beautiful outcome that this has happened in this way at this time in our lives where we can really appreciate and celebrate each other and respect each other," she continued. "We always did, but we have even more of an appreciation because we know that life can take you in different directions."
Affleck, too, echoed Lopez's feelings about second changes, telling WSJ Magazine, "Life is difficult, and we are always failing and hopefully learning from those failures. The one thing you really need to avail yourself of the opportunities provided from that growth is the second chance. I've definitely tried to take advantage of that. I haven't always been successful, but in cases in which I have, they've turned out to be the defining aspects of my life."
The couple postponed their September 2003 wedding due to "excessive media attention" surrounding the nuptials. "When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate 'decoy brides' at three different locations, we realized that something was awry," Lopez and Affleck's statement said at the time. "We began to feel that the spirit of what should have been the happiest day of our lives could be compromised. We felt what should have been a joyful and sacred day could be spoiled for us, our families, and our friends."
They eventually split in January 2004, but reconnected in 2021 after Lopez ended her engagement to Alex Rodriguez.
"I don’t think we would have got back together if we thought that was where it was headed," Lopez told Rolling Stone, referring to their past split. "We feel like what we found again is so much more important, and how we protect that and how we live our lives—what to share, what not to share—is the balance that we have now, the benefit of experience and the wisdom that we gained over the years."
Upon her marriage, Lopez officially changed her name to Jennifer Affleck.
At the end of her newsletter sharing news of the wedding, Lopez wrote, "They were right when they said, 'all you need is love'. We are so grateful to have that in abundance, a new wonderful family of five amazing children and a life that we have never had more reason to look forward to. Stick around long enough and maybe you’ll find the best moment of your life in a drive through in Las Vegas at twelve thirty in the morning in the tunnel of love drive through, with your kids and the one you’ll spend forever with. Love is a great thing, maybe the best of things-and worth waiting for."
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
