All the celebrities who have cashed in with fake wedding ceremonies – after Stacey Solomon and Olivia Attwood’s sham marriages were exposed

Lavish weddings, emotional vows, and picture-perfect ceremonies are often presented as authentic glimpses into a couple’s private life.

But while they may be presented as the ultimate declaration of love, not all of them actually mean anything, because they are not legally binding.

From reality TV spectacles to publicity-driven unions, some stars have chosen to stage commitment ceremonies that look entirely real, yet hold no legal weight. 

On Thursday, it was revealed that Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash‘s televised wedding was not official, despite describing it as ‘the best day of their lives’.

But they are not the only two to have faked their nuptials. 

Here, the Daily Mail takes a look at the stars who have faked their big day.

Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash

Their wedding was celebrated with family and celebrity friends at their £1.2million home.

But there was one thing that Stacey and Joe’s wedding was not… legally binding.

The couple tied the knot at their Essex home, Pickle Cottage, back in July 2022 but it has now been revealed that they never made the marriage official.

At the time, Stacey said they were planning to register their marriage after the wedding as their home didn’t have a civil ceremony licence.

But three and a half years on, TV’s golden couple have still not made their union official.

The bombshell comes just two weeks after the television personality was quizzed about her relationship with Joe, 44, having been spotted without her wedding ring.

A source told The Sun: ‘They always intended to do the legal part, but with six kids and busy diaries just haven’t got round to it, life has got in the way.

‘Stacey and Joe obviously knew that their garden wedding wasn’t legal and were upfront about that.’

The news might come as a surprise to fans, who watched the couple on their BBC reality show, Stacey & Joe.

It followed their lives with their children; Rex, six, Rose, four, and Belle, three. Stacey is also mum to Zachary, 18, and Leighton, 13, from previous relationships, while Joe has another son, Harry, who he had with an ex-partner in 2007.

Stacey also has lucrative family fashion ranges with Asda and Primark.

An insider said: ‘It will certainly raise eyebrows with firms and even TV execs that they’ve invested in a perfect picture that’s all a sham.’

Olivia Attwood and Bradley Dack

Olivia Attwood and her now-ex, Bradley Dack, documented their £200k wedding for a 12-episode series, Olivia Marries Her Match on ITV.

Walking down the aisle in a couture £30,000 lace-sleeved gown by the Israeli designer, Galia Lahav, the reality star looked every inch the blushing bride.

It was June 3, 2023, and she was marrying her ‘soul mate’ at the five-star Bulgari hotel in Knightsbridge in a no-expense-spared wedding.

During the series, viewers watched her nervously sign the marriage register as friends and family, including her proud father Kai and mother Jen, watched on.

But the wedding veil has slipped from Olivia, as The Mail on Sunday revealed there is no official record of the marriage.

Despite the ITV ‘wedding special’, the union has not been logged with the General Register Office, the archive of all marriages and civil partnerships for England and Wales.

Yes, the whole show, commissioned by ITV for a ‘significant’ sum of cash, was a sham.

One source familiar with Olivia said: ‘They never married, it was all about the cash, seemingly. Can you believe anything Olivia tells us anymore? Who knows?

‘It will be very disappointing for Olivia’s fans. Her team brokered the deal but she didn’t actually get married. You couldn’t make it up. What a sham, what a huge lie to tell your fans. What a joke.’

You can read the full exclusive story by Dolly Busby here.  

Jake Paul and Tana Mongeau

YouTube star Jake Paul and Tana Mongeau shocked their fans when they decided to tie the knot just after two months of dating.

They got married in a televised ceremony in Las Vegas in July 2019.

Their big day was streamed online, with thousands of fans paying $49.99 to watch their nuptials via a livestream.

Their wedding was officiated by their pal Arman Izadi. However, InTouch confirmed that he isn’t a licensed Marriage Officiant within the state.

The Clark County, Nevada website states that in order for a couple to be legally married, ‘a ceremony must be performed by a licensed Marriage Officiant who has been issued a valid Certificate of Permission by a Nevada County Clerk. Having an online ordination or religious affiliation is not sufficient.’

Within days, Tana herself admitted on her MTV reality show, Tana Turns 21, that the wedding was not legally binding and they had done it for ‘fun and content’. 

She revealed that they never intended to get married for real. 

‘I have a lot of love for him, but it’s something fun and light-hearted … obviously done for content,’ she said. 

Brody Jenner and Kaitlynn Carter

Brody Jenner and Kaitlynn Carter held a ‘dreamy’ destination wedding ceremony in June 2018 at the Nihi Sumba Resort in Indonesia.

The intimate four-day celebration included 50 guests, featuring beachside horse races and a white party.

The pair sold their wedding pictures to People magazine.

‘It was the most dreamy, incredible night ever,’ Kaitlynn told the publication. ‘And it was about us, and a celebration of the relationship we’ve always had.’

However, speculation quickly grew over whether their marriage was legally binding.

In several scenes of The Hills, the couple found themselves defending their relationship.

Brody told his pal Spencer Pratt that while they haven’t made things legal, they are married.

‘We’re fine with the way our marriage is set up, just perfectly set up,’ he said. ‘Thank you for your concern.’

In another scene, he said they’ve just been ‘incredibly busy’.

‘We just haven’t gotten around to going to do it in the whole courthouse or however we’re going to decide to get legally married,’ he explained.

‘Like I said, whether you put it on a piece of paper or have just a celebration in Indonesia, we’re married and she’s my wife and I love her to death.’

However, there was no marriage certificate in the end as the pair split a year after their big day.  

Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney

Vanderpump Rules star Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney’s wedding was aired in season five of the show.

The episode featured the entire day, from getting ready to the ceremony officiated by Lisa Vanderpump and the late-night reception.

However, in 2020, Tom shocked his friends by revealing that he wasn’t legally married to his wife Katie in an episode of the series. 

He told pal Jax Taylor that he had never submitted his marriage license.

‘At the wedding, it was sort of my duty to make sure the marriage certificate was in a secure place, and I lost it,’ Tom admitted, as a flashback suggested that he had left it in his car.

‘I wanted Tom to take initiative,’ Katie recalled in a confessional. ‘I planned the entire wedding. I said, “This is on you, bro.” This is why I do things in the house, okay?’

‘It’s a piece of paper,’ Tom continued. ‘I didn’t understand the importance of it. And a few days ago, I let it slip to [Jax], the one guy you probably shouldn’t let it slip to.’ 

Tom and Katie, who were married in 2016, ended up having a second, official legal wedding at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in July 2019, which was attended by most of the cast. 

Reza Jarrahy and Geena Davis

Reza Jarrahy and Geena Davis held a marriage-like ceremony in 2001.

‘We are very happy and we look forward to spending the rest of our lives together,’ said the couple in a joint statement to Hello!

While they remained together for 17 years and raised three children, a legal dispute during their 2018 split revealed they were never legally married. 

Geena argued in court that they never obtained a marriage license, which was corroborated by separate financial records.