Even a pandemic can’t stop wedding bells from ringing. As the world slowly began to open back up in 2021 following the COVID-19 crisis, stars were eager to exchange vows.
First came Alexander Ludwig and Lauren Dear, who announced they’d eloped in Utah following a one-month engagement on January 4. Next up, Jennifer Wayne and Austin Moody wed on January 9 after a two-week engagement.
“I’m still in complete shock but I’m humbled and honored to introduce you to Mrs. Moody,” the bluegrass musician wrote via Instagram at the time. “Now more than ever, I am able to truly admire and appreciate everything she is. I’ve never met anyone so kind and generous to people she knows as well as complete strangers. Without even knowing it, she teaches me how to be a better person every day that I am with her. I can’t believe I got to marry my best friend … Jennifer, now I stand before the world a brand new man because of the love you’ve shown me. From this moment on you will never walk alone.”
Another 2021 trend? Secret weddings! Aubrey Plaza subtly revealed on May 7 that she and her longtime beau, Jeff Baena, tied the knot by referring to him as her “darling husband” in an Instagram post.
“Whoa!!!! Just took in the word husband and I am sending you both love and congratulations and blessings!!!!!
,” Mary Steenburgen wrote in a comment. “UM HUSBAND HOLD ON THERE,” a fan added.
Just over a week later, Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez got married in a secret ceremony.
“It was tiny and intimate — less than 20 people,” Grande’s rep told Us Weekly on May 17. “The room was so happy and full of love. The couple and both families couldn’t be happier.”
Us confirmed the pair’s engagement five months earlier.
“Ariana is beyond excited. She has really enjoyed getting to know and falling in love with Dalton out of the spotlight, something she didn’t get to do in her past relationships,” an insider said in December 2020. “They are so in love and committed to spend the rest of their lives together.”
Other 2021 newlyweds included two Duggar brothers — Justin Duggar and Jed Duggar — who married Claire Spivey and Katey Nakatsu, respectively.
“We are overjoyed about adding another daughter-in-love to our family,” Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar wrote via Instagram to celebrate one of their son’s weddings. “Jed and Katey have enjoyed a quiet, low-key relationship that has allowed them to prepare for a beautiful life together. Congrats to this wonderful couple on their wedding day! We are excited to see how their story continues to unfold in the future.”
Scroll through the gallery to see the other lucky lovebirds who tied the knot in 2021: