At the turn of the millennium there was no one more famous on the planet than Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt.
We were obsessed with the love affair between America’s sweetheart – who was still on our screens in Friends – and the Hollywood idol whose career had gone stratospheric thanks to his roles in Fight Club, Seven, Legends Of The Fall and Interview With The Vampire.
The then 31-year-old Jennifer and 36-year-old Brad had got together two years prior and had graced hundreds, if not thousands, of magazine covers in that time as the world basked in their fairytale romance.
So when it came to their big day, interest in all things Jen and Brad had reached fever pitch. It’s fair to say, they didn’t let us down...
1. It was seriously lavish affair
The couple’s big day set them back a cool $1million.
2. The venue was rented from TV exec Marcy Carsey
The five-acre, multi-million dollar Malibu cliff-top estate has stunning views of the Pacific ocean.
3. Airspace above the estate was restricted during the ceremony
...but that didn’t stop the world’s press from getting plenty of aerial shots of the venue.
4. Security for the event set the couple back $100,000
Security measures included every guest being asked to sign a confidentiality agreement, allegedly making them liable for a penalty of up to $100,000 if they talked about the wedding. The Los Angeles County Sheriff provided traffic control.
5. 200 friends and family attended
The guests, which included Jen’s Friends cast mates as well as actors Ed Norton, Salma Hayek and Cameron Diaz, were bussed in from the near-by Malibu High School.
6. Matt LeBlanc was the only member of the Friends cast who didn’t attend
The actor, who was filming the movie All the Queen’s Men in Budapest, was a no-show.
7. The venue was filled with 50,000 flowers
The blooms were provided by exclusive Beverly Hills florist La Premiere. Jen and Brad wanted a ‘zen garden’ look inside the marquee so every table was decorated with roses, wisteria and tulips.
8. As well as the flowers, the wedding tent was festooned with lanterns
...and a mass of brown sugar candles imported from Thailand.
9. The only people to actually see Jennifer’s dress in full are those who attended the big day
What is known is that it was created by Milan designer Lawrence Steele and was glass-beaded, floor-length and low-backed in white satin and silk. Jen teamed it with a pair of custom-made ivory suede heels by Manolo Blahnik and a simple veil attached to a pearl and Swarovski crystal crown.
10. Jennifer’s bouquet was was made up of Dutch Vendela roses
She made her entrance preceded by petal-throwing and bubble-blowing flower girls.
11. The two bridesmaids were old friends of Jennifer’s
Actress Andréa Bendewald is an old friend from Jen’s days at New York City’s performing arts high school, and documentary filmmaker Kristin Hahn-Stringer is one of the first friends she made when she moved to L.A. The bridesmaids wore pale green chiffon slip dresses. Brad wore a four-button black tuxedo by Heidi Slimane, while his groomsmen wore Prada.
12. The couple wrote their own vows
Brad promised to “split the difference on the thermostat” (what a wag) and Jen pledged to make his favourite banana milkshake. Awwww.
13. The nervous bride missed her cue for the formal part of the service
Jen joked, “Oh! I’ve never done this before!”
14. Brad’s brother, Doug, was best man
Nerves also got the better of him too, as he dropped the rings.
15. The couple issued just one, close-cropped black and white shot of their big day
The iconic snap shows Jen looking lovingly at her husband, and was covered by People magazine.
16. The wedding photos were taken by Robert Evans
He was also the official snapper at Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ nuptials.
17. The day featured an eclectic mix of music
As well as a Greek bouzouki band, a 40-member gospel choir performed a song from Blur’s 1999 album 13 as the couple’s wedding march. There was also a string quartet and a band playing Latin jazz and a special appearance from Melissa Etheridge, who sang an acoustic version of Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love.
18. The couple hired a barge to set up a £15,000 firework display over the Pacific ocean
It lasted 13 minutes and featured pyrotechnic hearts and smiley faces to a soundtrack of Radiohead, Garbage and Jeff Buckley. James Souza, who devised the display, said: “They wanted it big, grandiose... the greatest effects that we had.”
19. Guests dined on caviar, shrimp and gourmet pizza
They washed it down with Dom Perignon champagne, before enjoying main courses of crab, lobster, peppercorn beef, risotto and pasta. Staff from the catering company had to lean on a local store when the party began running low on lobsters, champagne and ice.
20. The wedding cake was a huge six-tier white-frosted affair
...which the giggling newlyweds fed to each other.