pierce brosnan keely© Photo: Getty Images

Pierce Brosnan and wife Keely's super secretive wedding was Bond-worthy

The couple tied the knot in 2001

Deputy Lifestyle Editor
November 5, 2021

Pierce Brosnan's wedding to his now-wife Keely Shaye Smith took place in Ireland in 2001 while he was starring in the James Bond films. 

READ: Who is Pierce Brosnan's wife Keely Shaye Smith? Everything you need to know

The big day, covered exclusively by HELLO! magazine, was actually shrouded in secrecy and boasted many features that would make his 007 character proud. The couple tied the knot at Ballintubber Abbey in Ireland in front of 100 guests after being forced to postpone their wedding three times.

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At first, Keely and their four-year-old son Dylan Thomas were trapped in their Californian home by floods, then Pierce's 17-year-old son Sean was seriously injured in a car accident, and finally, Keely discovered she was pregnant with their second son, Paris.

When the couple were finally able to have their much-anticipated nuptials, Pierce reportedly turned up to the 800-year-old abbey in a car with 00MO7 number plates and white sheets shrouded the pair from photographers and onlookers. Inside, the windows were supposedly soundproofed for the occasion to keep the ceremony private, according to The Irish Times.

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Pierce and Keely got married in Ireland in 2001

Pierce and Keely went on to host their wedding breakfast in Ashford Castle, and photos revealed Keely's beautiful white dress complete with scalloped lace. The day also featured a fireworks display, a seven-tier cake and an elaborate ice sculpture of Rodin's The Kiss.

The couple – who share two sons Dylan and Paris – met at a beach party in Mexico in 1994. Keely was there to interview Cheers actor Ted Danson when she started talking to Pierce and the pair hit it off immediately. "He was captivating. Tall, dark, and handsome," she recalled. "Everything that everybody would immediately be attracted to. He had a mischievous sparkle in his eyes."

The couple with their sons Dylan and Paris

This was the film star's second marriage as back in 1980, he tied the knot with Cassandra Harris. The couple had a son together, Sean, and Pierce also adopted Cassandra's children, Charlotte and Chris, when their father Dermot Harris died in 1986. 

Cassandra sadly passed away from ovarian cancer in December 1991, and Charlotte lost her life to the same disease in 2013.

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