Yahoo Finance Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck get hitched in Vegas ceremony: See their relationship timeline
Bennifer is back, and it's real! Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are now married.
The twice-engaged couple got married over the weekend at the A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. Lopez confirmed via her On the JLo fan newsletter that the two had in fact wed, and she shared photos, videos and details from the big night.
While the wedding wasn't the glamorous, over-the-top ceremony fans would expect from Bennifer, Lopez said it was "the best possible wedding we could have imagined." The bride and groom made use of "a dress from an old movie and a jacket from Ben’s closet" to wear for the ceremony.
"When love is real, the only thing that matters in marriage is one another and the promise we make to love, care, understand, be patient, loving and good to one another," Lopez wrote. "We had that. And so much more. Best night of our lives."
Lopez and Affleck were an early 2000s tabloid super-couple, but both moved on to other relationships. Lopez was engaged to Alex Rodriguez before they split in April 2021. Affleck was married to Jennifer Garner before their split in 2018.
"We did it," Lopez wrote of the nuptials Sunday. "Love is beautiful. Love is kind. And it turns out love is patient. Twenty years patient."
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck in new photos from their wedding. 🤍 pic.twitter.com/kcifuJQE4I
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 17, 2022
In honor of the two reuniting, we take a look at how their relationship started, ended, and how it's going again.
'Best night of our lives': Jennifer Lopez shares details from Vegas wedding ceremony to Ben Affleck
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck met on the 'Gigli' movie set
Lopez and Affleck first met in 2002 on the set of the romantic comedy "Gigli," while Lopez was still married to her second husband, dancer Cris Judd. Although the movie bombed at the box office, sparks were definitely flying between Lopez and Affleck. The pair went public with their relationship shortly after Lopez's divorce from Judd.
The "Hustlers" star told People that when she met Affleck at the time, "I felt like… 'OK, this is it.'"
Affleck and Lopez embarked on a high-profile relationship that attracted widespread media coverage. The couple were nicknamed "Bennifer," a legendary combination of Affleck's and Lopez's first names that started the one-name, pop-culture-couple portmanteau trend (think "Brangelina" and "Kimye").
“We didn’t try to have a public relationship," Lopez told People in 2016. "We just happened to be together at the birth of the tabloids, and it was like 'Oh my God.' It was just a lot of pressure."
Lopez addressed the invasion of privacy in her 2002 music video "Jenny from the Block," which included a memorable appearance from her actor beau, Affleck. The music video featured surveillance camera footage and paparazzi shots of the couple at home, restaurants, a gas station and even lounging on yachts.
The couple got engaged in 2002 with the 'magnificent' pink ring
Lopez confirmed her engagement to Affleck during a November 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer. She proudly showed off a pink engagement ring, calling it "the most magnificent thing I've ever seen."
"I still look at it and kind of marvel at it," Lopez said during the interview. "He’s like, 'I just wanted you to have something that no one else would have.'"
Lopez and Affleck were set to tie the knot in September 2003, but they postponed their nuptials over "the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding."
"When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate 'decoy brides' at three different locations, we realized that something was awry," the couple said in a joint statement at the time.
The statement continued: "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."
Bennifer broke up in 2004
The couple officially split in January 2004.
At the time, Lopez's rep said, "Jennifer Lopez has ended her engagement to Ben Affleck. At this difficult time, we ask that you respect her privacy."
Both attributed the demise of their relationship to all the media attention.
In 2008, Affleck said he and Lopez were "too accessible" during their high-profile relationship: "I think Jen and I made a mistake in that we fell in love, we were excited and maybe too accessible. I don't think either of us anticipated the degree to which it would take on a world of its own."
In 2014, Lopez called her split from Affleck "my first big heartbreak."
"I was in the tabloids every other week about how my life was falling apart. It was a tough time," she told HuffPost Live. But Lopez added that she would "do it all over again… even the relationship part."
Lopez and Affleck both moved on to new relationships
Lopez went on to marry singer Marc Anthony in 2004 and welcomed twins Max and Emme (now age 14) in 2008. The couple divorced in 2014.
Affleck married actress Jennifer Garner in 2005; the two divorced in 2018. They share three children together: daughters Violet, 16; Seraphina, 13; and son Samuel, 10.
Lopez got engaged to baseball star Alex Rodriguez in March 2019 and scheduled an Italian wedding for June 2020. They later called off their engagement in April after they "realized we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so."
Despite their early aughts breakup, Lopez and Affleck remained friendly. Lopez's May cover of InStyle magazine, published in April, included praise from Affleck.
"She remains, to this day, the hardest-working person I've come across in this business," Affleck said at the time.
'She's the original!': Jennifer Lopez's exes Marc Anthony, Ben Affleck praise career
In addition to praising her talent, Affleck also pointed out her seeming inability to age.
"Where are you keeping the fountain of youth?" he joked. "Why do you look the same as you did in 2003 and it kind of looks like I'm in my 40s…at best?"
The feeling was mutual. Lopez replied, "Ben is funny! He still looks pretty good, too."
JLo and Ben start dating again, paparazzi captures them together
A month after Lopez split from Rodriguez, she and Affleck were caught on camera over and over again.
Rumors started to churn after it came to light the pair both attended the Vax Live concert in LA in May 2021, at which Lopez performed. They appeared separately, but the coincidence took over social media timelines. A couple of days later, photos obtained and published by the Daily Mail showed Lopez and Affleck driving in a car together in Montana over Mother's Day weekend.
Longtime pal Matt Damon was in on the rumors, telling the "Today" show that same month, "I hope it's true."
In June, Lopez and Affleck were spotted having a steamy PDA dinner at a Nobu restaurant in Malibu, according to photos obtained by Page Six and reports from People.
Leah Remini contributed to the talk after posting a quick clip of the two taking a picture together during her birthday celebration in late June.
Over the July Fourth weekend, Lopez and Affleck were seen enjoying a day at Universal Studios Hollywood in California with their kids, according to photos and reports from Page Six and Entertainment Weekly. The next day, photos obtained by Page Six and People showed Bennifer enjoying a cozy walk together in coordinated beige ensembles.
Bennifer goes Instagram and red carpet official
On Lopez's 52nd birthday in July 2021, she posted a series of bikini-laced Instagram photos that ended with a kiss. On the last slide, she wore her new-but-old lover Affleck, locked by the lips.
"5 2 … what it do …..," she wrote on the relationship reveal.
The couple went on to hit several high-profile red carpets.
Venice Film Festival 2021:: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck share kiss, go red carpet official
They walked hand-in-hand at the Venice Film Festival in September, ahead of the premiere of Affleck's film "The Last Duel." The couple shared a sweet kiss for all the world to see.
Not a week later, the two showed more PDA the night of the 2021 Met Gala. Lopez posed on the famed steps of New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art alone, but still put on a show with Affleck. After stepping inside the event, the two kissed in front of cameras with their masks still on.
More: Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck show PDA inside the Met Gala, days after their red carpet debut
Ben talks rekindled romance with JLo, say he's 'in awe'
In December, Affleck spoke in a cover story for the Wall Street Journal about reconnecting with Lopez
“I can say that it’s definitely beautiful to me," Affleck said. "And, you know, one of the things I really value across all facets of my life now is that it was handled in a way that reflected that. And it is a good story. It’s a great story. And, you know, maybe one day I’ll tell it. I’ll write it all out. And then I’ll light it on fire."
When Lopez was honored as AdWeek's 2021 Brand Visionary in September of that year, Affleck praised his once-again girlfriend with inspiring words.
"I am in awe of what Jennifer’s effect on the world is," Affleck said in the interview. "Jennifer has inspired a massive group of people to feel they have a seat at the table in this country.”
Lopez has returned the words of admiration in interviews.
"I feel so lucky and happy and proud to be with him," Lopez told People in February. "I'm so proud of him. I'm so proud of the man he's become that I've watched from afar."
She added: "To see the person, the human being, the man that he is today, the father that he is today, the partner that he is – he is so everything I always knew he was and wanted to be."
They support each other at movie premieres
Lopez and Affleck showed up for each other in late 2021 and early 2022 — including hitting the red carpets of their movie premieres.
The couple showed up in a warm embrace for the premiere of Lopez's romantic comedy "Marry Me" in February..
Affleck and Lopez kissed, smiled and waved for the cameras as they were dressed to the nines ahead of the special screening in Los Angeles. Lopez looked great in her white dress, apropos for the movie's title.
Just a couple of months prior, the couple gushed in front of the cameras for the movie premiere of Affleck's film "The Tender Bar" in December. That time, Lopez wore a stunning turquoise gown to match her beau's debonair suit.
JLo announces engagement to Ben, shows off green diamond ring
Lopez announced her engagement to Affleck in April via a video in her On the JLo fan newsletter.
In the video, Lopez looks at her engagement ring – a green diamond with smaller diamonds on each side – and whispers, "You're perfect."
Affleck was likely in on the color green being meaningful to Lopez. She spoke about the hue being her "lucky color" in another On the JLo newsletter.
"Maybe you can remember a certain green dress," she wrote, likely referring to the iconic Versace dress she wore to the Grammy Awards in 2000 that catapulted her to superstardom. "I’ve realized there are many moments in my life where amazing things happened when I was wearing green. It may be a coincidence, maybe not. But as I took a better look, I realized there are no coincidences."
Contributing: Elise Brisco, Edward Segarra
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck married: See their relationship timeline
