Last spring was dedicated to surprise weddings.
In a February Instagram post that simply read "yup", comedian Amy Schumer announced her marriage to chef Chris Fischer, sharing a shot from their unexpected midday, midweek ceremony.
The pair, who met through Amy's personal assistant at Martha's Vineyard, had first been linked to each other in November and only publicly confirmed their romance a few days before the wedding.
A week later it was the turn of model Emily Ratajkowski, who revealed to her 20 million followers that she'd just tied the knot with actor and producer Sebastian Bear-McClard in an ultra-secret City Hall ceremony presided over by social media star and friend of the groom, Josh Ostrovsky (better known by his Instagram moniker @thefatjewish.)
Ratajkowski and Bear-McClard had apparently only started dating a month earlier, weeks after Ratajkowski's split from long-term boyfriend Jeff Magid.
Then, as spring rolled into summer, more A-list flash engagements were announced, as Hollywood millennials who'd been dating for less time than a Brita filter lifespan decided to put a ring on it.
Bollywood actress and Meghan Markle pal Priyanka Chopra announced her engagement to former boy bander Nick Jonas, after what was thought to be a brief fling.
Then Justin Bieber and model Hailey Baldwin got engaged in July and, after a few months of canoodling (and weeping) all over Brooklyn, were allegedly married in September - with no prenup.
Around the same time, Ariana Grande and comedian Pete Davidson got engaged after a few months of dating with a $90k engagement ring. "I got engaged and no one could believe it. I can’t believe it," Pete said on SNL in September. "I get it, she’s the number one popstar in the world and I’m that guy from SNL that everyone thinks is in desperate need for new blood. Do you remember when that whole city pretended that kid was Batman because he was sick? That’s what this feels like."
But sadly, despite the couple adopting a pet pig together, after a whirlwind courtship Pete and Ariana broke it off.
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What's behind the wave of flash A-list engagements? Maria Avgitidis of New York's high-end matchmaking service Agape Match thinks it's all down to money. “Celebrities who have known each other for a while in a friend capacity prior to dating, who also share a strong social circle, are becoming a couple, as ‘normal people’ do. The difference is they're getting engaged quickly, and that's likely because they can afford to do so."
Maria points to stats that prove a long-term relationship before marriage significantly improves your chances of staying together. "I would tell couples that if they date just a little longer and make it to two years, they are twenty percent less likely to get divorced. It nearly doubles to forty percent if they date for three years."
Platinum Poire matchmaker Rori Sassoon, who most recently shared her advice with The Real Housewives of New York, believes a celebrity sense of ennui is behind the flash nuptials. “They have it all. The success, the money, the fame, the loyal fans, and the huge social followings. The only missing link is someone to share that fortune and fame with. Many people wait to be successful and financially stable before finding love, but young celebrities don't have this problem.”
Brittiany Cierra, Senior Manager of Audience Development for global entertainment brand Viacom, thinks the control celebrities have over their profile through social media plays a part too - as well as the reflected glory when two become one.
“Where celebrities were once inaccessible and mysterious, now the more of your personal life you share, the more intrigued fans become. What can be more personal than sharing the person you love and the evolution of your romance?” she said. “Instantly your followers and engagements go up because not only do fans want to know more about who their faves are dating, they also get a glimpse of their celebrity through the lens of someone else. It's a less controlled look into how the celebrity lives and what they're really like.”
A celebrity couple is very often greater than the sum of its parts, something the Beckhams understood well when they tied the knot nearly two decades ago. If you're into the fame game, getting engaged is simply good for business - even if it doesn't work out. Pete Davidson's profile has rocketed since his engagement and subsequent split from one of the biggest popstars in the world.
As relationship expert Dr Venus Nicolino says, "I’d imagine the partner in a celebrity couple with a smaller social media presence might get a bump in their followers because of a crossover with their partner’s fanbase. But I really hope society hasn’t sunk so low that now we’re marrying for followers. Buying followers from a click farm on the other side of the world still has to be cheaper than a celebrity wedding, right?”
Right. Like other matchmakers, Dr. V believes all couples should test drive their relationship for more than just a few months together. “These early engagement celeb couples are definitely outliers. Because most couples start feeling the need to make some kind of shared growth and change in their relationship around the two-year mark. Usually, that means moving in together, getting engaged or even getting married. But it’s not usually until five years that a committed couple actually does get married."
So after their summer of love, perhaps Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson should take this advice and give dating another go.
In the meantime, who gets custody of the pig?
Celebrity engagement rings
