How Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Pulled Off Their Top Secret Wedding!

"Angelina purposely planned this so it would happen between the pre-production and production of her ner new film in Malta because it meant they would be in Europe," an insider tells us

By Bruna Nessif Aug 28, 2014 9:08 PMTags
Angelina Jolie, Brad PittPascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Is this the year of secret weddings or what?!

A number of stars said I-do under the radar in recent months, but Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie took the (wedding) cake when it comes to successfully tying the knot without anybody even having a clue that it was about to go down.

The über-famous pair were married Saturday at Château Miraval in France, the couple's spokesman tells E! News, in a small chapel in a private ceremony attended by family and friends. Prior to the nondenominational civil ceremony, the movie stars obtained a marriage license from a local California judge, who also conducted the wedding ceremony in France.

This got us thinking—how did they pull it off? How did two of Hollywood's biggest A-listers manage to have such secretive nuptials?

Well, here are a few ways...

The Right Place at the Right Time: It's all about timing, people! And picking the perfect location. A source close to the couple tells E! News the wedding planning has been going on for a while, and the duo made sure to conduct their special ceremony right in between Jolie's shooting schedule in Europe.

"Angelina purposely planned this so it would happen between the pre-production and production of her new film in Malta because it meant they would be in Europe," the insider tells us. "They always wanted to have this wedding at the chapel at Miraval. That is their family home, it is where the children and them are at their happiest...There was never a question of this ceremony taking place anywhere else."

Additionally, it was very convenient that the couple decided to tie the knot over Emmys weekend!

Most of their celeb pals, including Julia Roberts, were busy gearing up for the big red carpet on Monday. Meanwhile, Pitt's bromance partner George Clooney was in Italy shooting a commercial. Additionally, since their wedding took place overseas wasn't announced until after the weekend, it was too late for the weekly mags to pick up the story. Sneaky, sneaky!

Chelsea Lauren/WireImage

Other Celeb Weddings on the Radar: Speaking of Clooney, his upcoming nuptials to fiancée Amal Alamuddin have taken over wedding watch in recent months, serving as a great distraction for Brangelina to make it official.

"How great is that?! I'm really happy for Brad and Angie and their whole family," Clooney said in response to Pitt and Jolie's secret wedding. Interestingly enough, Angelina predicted that George and Amal would be tying the knot before she and Brad exchanged vows! In a May 2014 interview with Entertainment Weekly, the mom of six was asked which couple would marry first. Angelina's reply? "Probably George!"

Way to throw everyone off track there, Angie.

ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

Barely Anybody Knew It Was Happening: "Brad and Angelina discussed the wedding with a very small group of friends," the close source tells us. "They debated whether they would be able to invite more people but ultimately decided the most important thing was to have a private family wedding and then news not to get out in any way."

In fact, a second source tells us that their ceremony only included 22 people! "The only guests were Brad's family from the states—his mom and dad, Bill and Jane Pitt; his brother, Doug; sister Julie; and their kids— Maddox, 13, Pax, 11, Zahara, 9, Shiloh, 8, and twins Knox and Viviennne, 6—so it was no more than 22 people in total."

Jolie's father Jon Voight was not in attendance, but said in a statement to E! News earlier today, "It sounds like it was a wonderful wedding. It must have been very beautiful with the kids participating. I know it was during Emmy weeks and they were able to do it very quietly. I'm very happy for them."

It's safe to say that Brad and Angie are, by far, the king and queen of secret celeb weddings!