2011 Celebrity Weddings

Celebrity weddings in 2011 caused the previously unthinkable to happen - Prince William and Kim Kardashian regularly appeared in the same sentence! But even though the Royal Wedding and the Reality Wedding stole all the headlines, there were many other beautiful and noteworthy celebrity weddings this year.

When 2011 started, there were so many New Year's engagements that we knew it would be a banner year – and indeed it was! If one common theme emerged in the celebrity weddings of 2011, it was timing. There were couples who got married after many many years of being together, and others who had less than a one-day engagement before they got hitched. In fact, so many noteworthy couples got married, I had to make a full list of celebrities who got married in 2011.

Amongst that long list, some really stood out. Here were the biggest and most talked about celebrity weddings of 2011:

Prince William and Kate Middleton

April 29, 2011

If 2011 was the year of the wedding, it's primarily because of the classic Royal Wedding, which had well-wishers all over the world getting up at the crack of dawn to watch William and Kate exchange vows on TV. Their wedding was impeccable, with amazing fashion and interesting wedding guests. Many months later, I still love looking through their wedding album just to see how handsome and stylish they are.

Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries

August 20, 2011

Though the Kardashians seem to be a family that everyone loves to hate, we're all still watching to see what they'll do next. And never were more eyes upon them than during Kim Kardashian's lavish wedding to basketball player Kris Humphries. Everyone was talking about how beautiful and over-the-top the wedding was, and about the fat paychecks they got for selling the photos and video rights. Of course, the marriage didn't last, ending after just 72 days. In fact, the short-lived relationship lasted less than a year in total! They started dating at the end of 2010, were engaged in May of 2011, married in August 2011, and filed for divorce in October of 2011. Now that's a quickie wedding!

Shannon Tweed and Gene Simmons

October 1st, 2011

On the other end of the spectrum is this couple who took their time to the altar. After 28 years and two children together, the KISS front man and the former Playboy playmate got married in a lavish ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel on October 1st, 2011. 400 guests watched as Tweed and Simmons exchanged vows they wrote themselves. Their children, Nick and Sophie served as best man and maid of honor, and Sophie sang the Etta James classic "At Last" for the couples' first dance. And even though their marriage has already outlasted Kim and Kris's, it also was a reality wedding. Both their proposal and wedding ceremony were filmed for their reality show, Gene Simmons' Family Jewels. Hopefully this reality is more real.

Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton

May 14, 2011

If reality weddings leave you feeling cynical, here's a change of pace. Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton are country music royalty, and their wedding was a beautiful and heartfelt reflection of who they are. Miranda wore her mother's wedding dress as they exchanged vows in a candlelit Texas barn. At the reception, they served venison that the bride had harvested herself. In fact all of Miranda and Blake's wedding details were pretty inspiring.

Shania Twain and Frederic Thiebaud

January 1st, 2011

Another country singer, Shania Twain, also made a beautiful bride when she wed her businessman beau on the beach in Puerto Rico. The pictures and details are so stunning that they almost make me want to go renew my vows in Puerto Rico.

Vanessa Minnillo and Nick Lachey

July 15, 2011

After his first marriage fell apart on National TV, it's been lovely to watch Nick Lachey find love again with model/host Vanessa Minnillo. They dated for five years before tying the knot on a private island in the British Virgin Islands in front of an intimate gathering of 35 guests. She looked gorgeous in a Monique Lhuillier dress, he shined in a black tuxedo with a long black tie. By all accounts it was an incredible wedding.

Brooke Burke and David Charvet

August 12, 2011

Another couple taking it slowly were the Dancing with the Stars host and her Baywatch sweetheart. They've been engaged since August 2006 and have two children together in addition to co-parenting her two children from a previous marriage. When they finally tied the knot, they wanted it to be utterly private so they told no one, not even their mothers! With just their four children present, Brooke and David exchanged vows on a sailboat off of a private beach in St. Barts. In a blog post for Modern Mom, Burke said, "To stand with David in the middle of the Caribbean sea and exchange our promise to one another seemed so powerful and meaningful. It was the greatest gift that I could give to us and to our children."

Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth

March 26, 2011

100 guests watched actress Reese Witherspoon wed her CAA agent sweetheart Jim Toth. Among the many beautiful wedding details were a gorgeous setting in Ojai Valley, CA, a stunning Monique Lhuillier gown, and her incredible Ashoka cut diamond ring.