I have long known we live in an age of fake news, but I\u2019m depressed to learn the plague of ambiguity has spread to celebrity<\/a> marriages<\/a>. A few of you may recall TV presenter Stacey Solomon\u2019s 2022 wedding celebrations, as gushingly covered by Hello! magazine, with the then 32-year-old bride\u2019s meringue gown, dashing groom (Joe Swash, formerly of EastEnders), garden marquee, gussied-up guests and late-night dancing to \u201cgarage classics\u201d.<\/p>\n Now we\u2019re told their much-trumpeted union had no legally binding status whatsoever, which makes a mockery of simpering press reports that the couple \u201cexchanged vows\u201d in front of their children, having \u201cpostponed their nuptials\u201d after Solomon fell pregnant with their daughter, Rose.<\/p>\n It also gives less impact to the assurance that it was \u201cimportant to Stacey for her day to uphold her strong Jewish values\u201d. True, if you followed Solomon\u2019s \u201cmarital\u201d union in forensic detail, you might have noted a mention that the service was technically a \u201crelaxed private blessing\u201d, since the couple\u2019s home wasn\u2019t licensed for weddings. However, the happy couple did assure well-wishers via Instagram that \u201cwe will register our marriage legally afterwards\u201d.<\/p>\n Olivia Attwood, \u201cstar\u201d of the reality show, Love Island, issued similarly blithe assurances after \u201cmarrying\u201d Blackburn Rovers footballer, Bradley Dack, in a ceremony at the Bulgari Hotel in Knightsbridge, clad in a \u00a330,000 designer bridal gown, with a \u00a310,000 wedding cake.<\/p>\n The wedding was filmed as part of a 17-part ITV reality series, Olivia Meets Her Match, and TV viewers watched the newlyweds sign a piece of paper in front of their siblings, acting as witnesses. But what did they witness? The marriage was never logged with the General Register Office and has no legal status, while the only lasting ink is the couple\u2019s tattoos: \u201cTill death \u201d on her arm, and \u201cDo us part\u201d on his wrist.<\/p>\n Olivia Attwood and Bradley Dack\u2019s lavish ceremony was filmed as part of a 17-part ITV reality series – Anthony Harvey\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n The tats turned out to be eerily propheti \u2013<\/strong> a shop\u2019s till ringing \u201ckerching\u201d is precisely the point of this union, which fell apart earlier this year. Weddings are huge business for TV stars and social media influencers<\/a>, who can double their audience and reach by getting hitched. This means bigger sponsorship deals, more freebies and fresh contracts for podcasts and reality series.<\/p>\n Celebs like the Beckhams whetted the taste for matrimony as a cash-raking public spectacle (OK! reportedly paid \u00a31m for exclusive coverage), while the Kardashians regularly ramp up viewing figures for their family TV shows by foregrounding romances that zoom to the altar or the Las Vegas Love Chapel \u2013 even if it isn\u2019t strictly legal. Look at Kourtney Kardashian\u2019s \u201cspontaneous\u201d post-Grammy 2022 \u201cfirst wedding\u201d to Travis Barker!<\/p>\n What we\u2019re seeing is a worrying trend where Insta-weddings focus on the big day and party, but are lacking any long-term commitment. Why should an ersatz marriage last when there\u2019s not even enough intent or moral fibre to give a marriage any legal framework? Long relationships require hard work, compromise and an ability to muddle through less photogenic times, but TikTok and podcasts aren\u2019t about sacrifices or laying foundations for old age. The saddest part is these un-wedded couples don\u2019t even want to create stability for the children they parade on social media.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t help wondering how such duos\u2019 family and friends feel about attending superficial ceremonies. Attending a big wedding increasingly feels like you\u2019re re-mortgaging a friendship, as you count the cost of hen and stag weekends, presents and, increasingly, watching mates tie the knot in some far-flung location. I\u2019d be furious if I\u2019d shelled out hundreds to support a good friend on the path to wedlock, only to find the entire confection wasn\u2019t legally binding. Perhaps publicly calling out these brides and grooms is the one thing that might stop impressionable youngsters from jumping on the bandwagon.<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n