Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have been happily married since 2012 – but their controversial first wedding led them to tie the knot for a second time after they received criticism for their chosen venue.
The couple exchanged vows at Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, on September 9, which Ryan later called "a giant mistake" after he and Blake came under scrutiny for glamourizing a site where violence against Black slaves once took place. "It's something we'll always be deeply and unreservedly sorry for," Ryan said in Fast Company's September 2020 issue.
© Getty Images"It's impossible to reconcile. What we saw at the time was a wedding venue on Pinterest. What we saw after was a place built upon devastating tragedy." Pinterest even responded to the controversy by banning pictures of all plantation weddings on its platform, including Ryan's and Blake's.
"Weddings should be a symbol of love and unity. Plantations represent none of those things," a spokesperson for Pinterest said at the time. "We are working to limit the distribution of this content and accounts across our platform and continue to not accept advertisements for them."
© Getty ImagesIn the same interview, Ryan shared that he and Blake held a secret second wedding at their home years later, although he did not divulge any specific details about their special day.
"Years ago, we got married again at home — but shame works in weird ways. A giant [expletive] mistake like that can either cause you to shut down or it can reframe things and move you into action," he explained. "It doesn't mean you won't [expletive] up again. But repatterning and challenging lifelong social conditioning is a job that doesn't end."
The couple shared their first wedding day exclusively with Martha Stewart Weddings, and photos from the intimate nuptials showcased elaborate details including a dessert table filled with sweet treats, a glimpse of Blake's stunning custom-made Marchesa gown with gold embroidery, and their Lorraine Schwartz wedding bands.
© GettyBlake later revealed to Vogue that she experienced a "heartbreaking" moment on the day after she burnt her wedding dress. She said: "I get really frustrated when something goes wrong. For example, my wedding dress. Florence Welch was singing at the reception, and they brought out these sparklers, and I'm watching her sing.
"I look down and my wedding dress has a big burn mark from one of the sparklers. Right on the front! And it was just so heartbreaking to me," she added.
Her opinion was luckily changed thanks to a reassuring message from her husband. She continued: "And later, my dress was hanging up and Ryan said, 'Isn't that beautiful?' I said, 'What?' And he pointed to the burn. My heart just stopped, because it was such a sensitive little subject.
"And he said, 'You'll always remember that moment with Florence singing and the sparklers. You have that forever, right there, preserved.' Now that's my favorite part of the dress."
See more photos of Blake and Ryan below...
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