In all the talk and anticipation of Valentine’s Day, it would be remiss of us not to revisit one of the most fabulous celebrity weddings ever. So fabulous, in fact, Salma Hayek and Francois Henri-Pinault did it twice.
The actress and French billionaire original became engaged in March of 2007 when Pinault gave Hayek one of the most well-known engagement rings in Hollywood: a three diamond design of oval cushion cut diamonds, reportedly worth about $200,000.
And although the couple split up a little over a year later, the couple reconciled and snuck off for a secret wedding in Paris on Valentine’s Day, 2009.
The couple exchanged wedding rings in front of a dozen guests, including their daughter Valentina, Hayek’s mother and brother, and Pinault’s daughter from his first marriage. The bride wore white and carried a traditional Valentine’s bouquet of Red and White roses, and although it may seem like things could not be more romantic than getting married on Valentine’s Day in the City of Light’s, Paris, they gave it a shot.
On April 25th of that same year, the couple held a second wedding, this time for 150 of their nearest, dearest, and famous friends, in Venice Italy. The ceremony, and what sounds like the best wedding reception ever, were both held in the Teatro La Fenice Opera House. In attendance were friends like Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Ed Norton, Woody Harrelson, Charlize Theron, Stella McCartney and Ashley Judd, who helped serenade the couple with the Hawaiian version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
This time around the bride wore a gown by Balenciaga, but later changed into a shorter Fuchsia dress when she joined Theron, Harrelson, U2’s Bono, and Damien Rice on stage for a rendition of “Stand By Me.”
The party went on well into the night, with the last guests, including Lucy Liu, leaving around 3 a.m. on foot.
“It was all about love, family and friends,” a wedding guest told PEOPLE at the time.
The second party was over the top, in the best kind of way, but there is still something sweet, simple, and symbolic about a private Valentine’s Day Ceremony. And since we can’t all party like the stars, sometimes it is enough to draw inspiration and do it ourselves.