Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck: are the couple married, when was the wedding - relationship timeline explained

Over the weekend, Hollywood stars Jennifer Lopez (Marry Me, Hustlers) and Ben Affleck (The Last Duel, Gone Girl) tied the knot at the famous Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, after Affleck popped the question back in April.

Lopez and Affleck had actually been due to walk down the aisle together back in 2003, but they postponed the wedding just days before the ceremony before ultimately calling off their engagement in January 2004.

They confirmed that Bennifer was back on last year, when Lopez posted a on Instagram for her 52nd birthday of her and Affleck sharing a kiss on a private yacht.

When did they get married?

Lopez confirmed her marriage to Affleck at the famous Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas in a new post on her fan website, On The JLo.

Lopez wrote: “Last night we flew to Vegas, stood in line for a licence with four other couples, all making the same journey to the wedding capital of the world.”

The pair then read their vows in front of “the best witnesses you could ever imagine” wearing “a dress from an old movie and a jacket from Ben’s closet”.

The marriage ceremony occurred at “twelve thirty in the morning in the tunnel of love drive through”, accompanied by their children from previous relationships, the post said.

“Love is patient”, Lopez added, “twenty years patient” – in obvious reference to the fact the couple were first engaged 18 years ago before the wedding was called off.

The post was then signed off: “With love, Mrs Jennifer Lynn Affleck.”

Earlier on Sunday (17 July), Clark County Court records in the US state of Nevada showed Lopez and Affleck had secured a marriage licence the day prior which revealed she was planning to take the name Jennifer Affleck.

County Clerk Lynn Marie Goya, who runs the Marriage Licence Bureau, told the PA news agency: “I can confirm that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez obtained a married licence last night, but their marriage certificate has not yet been filed. The licence is valid up to one year.

“If they have had a ceremony, they join Vegas A-list couples such as Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley and Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward – and the numerous couples who make up the Five Million Love Stories that make Las Vegas the Wedding Capital of the World.

“We wish Mr Affleck and Ms Lopez the same enduring love story.”

Lopez announced her engagement to Affleck in April, 18 years after they originally called off their wedding.

The singer and actress revealed the news in her OnTheJLo newsletter, where she shared a video of herself crying while admiring a huge green engagement ring.

The clip opened with a close-up of the ring before panning up to Lopez’s face, where she appears to wipe away tears.

Lopez had teased the “major announcement” with a video on Twitter and Instagram, in which she said: “I have a really exciting and special story to share…” and encouraged people to register for her newsletter.

She also added a diamond ring emoji to her Twitter handle.

Do they have any children?

Lopez and Affleck don’t have any children together, but they both have children from other relationships that they have had.

Affleck shares three children from his relationship actress Jennier Garner (The Adam Project, Camping), whom he was married to from 2005 to 2018.

They have their daughters Violet, born December 2005, Seraphina, born January 2009, and their son Samuel, born February 2012. When Affleck and Garner divorced, they filed for joint physical and legal custody of their children.

Lopez has two children from her relationship with singer Marc Anthony, whom she was married to for 10 years from June 2004 to June 2014.

In 2008, Lopez gave birth to twins Maximilian David and Emme Maribel. After the couple split, Lopez retained primary physical custody of their two children.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck relationship timeline

Lopez and Affleck first met back in 2001, on the set of their film Gigli, a romcom that was ultimately a box office flop.

At the time, Lopez was still married to her second husband, dancer Cris Judd, however that didn’t stop romance rumours from flying. Her and Affleck’s relationship was highly publicised, and Bennifer was the first celebrity portmanteau of its kind, soon to be followed by the likes of Brangelina and Kimye.

Later, reflecting on her relationship with Affleck in a 2016 interview with People, Lopez said: “We didn’t try to have a public relationship, 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.”

The pair then starred again in another film together, Jersey Girl, the filming of which took place shortly after Lopez and Judd called off their marriage, however it wasn’t until 2003 and their divorce was finalised.

Affleck and Lopez began dating in 2002 and, in the history of the Bennifer relationship, one of the most iconic moments was Afflecks cameo in the J.Lo music video for Jenny from the Block which premiered on MTV in November that year.

Lopez also wrote and dedicated an entire album to Affleck, called This Is Me… Then, and by November 2002 they were engaged.

However, their wedding, which was set for 14 September 2003, was postponed with just four days to go due to “excessive media attention”.

In a joint statement, Affleck and Lopez said: “Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we have decided to postpone the date.

“When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate “decoy brides” at three different locations, we realised something was awry.

“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.”

Their engagement was later called off in January 2004.

During their time apart, and outside of his marriage to Garner, Affleck went on to date TV producer Lindsay Shookus from 2017 to 2018, and then again in 2019. He then dated actress Ana de Armas (The Gray Man, No Time to Die) from 2020 to 2021, after meeting on the set of Deep Water.

Aside from her marriage to Anthony, Lopez had an on and off relationship with Casper Smart, a former backup dancer of hers, from 2011 to 2016, and she also dated New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez from 2017 to 2021.

She and Rodriguez were engaged, however had to postpone their wedding twice due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and eventually they announced the end of their relationship in April 2021.

It was in April 2021 that Lopez and Affleck were first reported to be back together, with Lopez then confirming that fact in July.

Speaking to People in February 2022, Lopez said: “I feel so lucky and happy and proud to be with him.

“It’s a beautiful love story that we got a second chance.”