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12 musicians who have crashed weddings
In honour of Macklemore popping up at an Alberqueque wedding, here are 12 more times that musicians have wandered into weddings
Last weekend in Alberqueque, New Mexico, a bride and groom got a big surprise when Macklemore turned up to celebrate with them. The rapper performed two tracks and gave a speech to the assembled party in which he requested to be an honorary member of the family. A resounding “Yeah!” could be heard from the crowd. Longtime collaborator XP, who recounted the whole thing on Twitter, said the couple were “hella happy”.
Macklemore is far from the only artist to crash a wedding. From Ed Sheeran to Lil Nas X, many musicians have made surprise appearances at the nuptials of fans – some with a carefully laid plan to surprise them, and some completely by accident. Here are 12 stars who got in on the celebrations.
Macklemore
Yes, this weekend wasn’t the first time Macklemore found himself crashing a wedding. Back in 2016, the rapper turned up at a reception in Washington D.C. after being egged on by his mum. Naturally, he uploaded the whole thing to Snapchat.
“When your mum tells you to crash a wedding,” read one of the captions.
Although Macklemore didn’t perform at this particular occasion, he did reportedly dance with guests as the DJ played his 2013 hit, ‘Thrift Shop’.
Katy Perry
Whilst on her Witness tour in St. Louis, Missouri, Perry decided to let loose at a reception in the Four Seasons hotel. Late in the evening, she turned up with around 30 members of her crew, and reportedly politely asked the couple: “Do you mind if we crash your wedding?”
Although her visit was brief, Perry took a few photos with the bride and groom and enthusiastically danced with guests.
Beyoncé and Jay Z
Whilst holidaying in Portofino, Italy in 2014, the famous couple decided to visit a local church. However, it was only after entering that they realised a wedding was happening inside. Beyoncé cheerfully posed for photos with the excited bride before they parted ways.
Ed Sheeran
In 2015, Australian radio hosts Kyle and Jackie O helped to pay for a couple’s wedding after learning that they’d postponed their nuptials indefinitely after the bride’s mother passed away. The celebrations were taken to another level when Sheeran appeared at the reception, surprising the couple with a rendition of ‘Thinking Out Loud’ as they had their first dance.
“Available for weddings, birthdays and bar mitzvah’s, contact your local supermarket for details,” joked Sheeran on Instagram.
Taylor Swift
So Taylor swift showed up to my cousins wedding… 😳 #Surprised pic.twitter.com/98yDtmg7kH
— Gage Simmons (@Gage_Simmons) June 4, 2016
After learning of a couple who were married beside the hospital bed of the groom’s terminally ill mother, Swift crashed their family nuptials in New Jersey to play a stripped-down version of ‘Blank Space’. She also posed for a series of photos with the couple and their guests and gave them a handmade watercolour card.
Lil Nas X
just crashed a wedding at disney world pic.twitter.com/XqBgI2DTZD
— NASARATI (@LilNasX) February 23, 2020
Whilst visiting Disney World in 2020, Lil Nas X stumbled upon a wedding and decided to get involved. He escorted the bride into her wedding reception with his smash hit ‘Old Town Road’ playing on the speakers and immediately hit the dance floor with guests, posting the whole thing on Twitter.
“Just crashed a wedding at Disney World,” he captioned the footage.
Get tickets for Lil Nas X here.
Jennifer Hudson
Hudson surprised two grooms at their Texas wedding in 2015 in support of her work on the Turn It Up For Change campaign for marriage equality. After partying and snapping photos with guests, she performed her song ‘I Still Love You’ for the couple.
“Congrats to Chris and Scott! They said girl where the hell u come from!” she wrote on Instagram.
Maroon 5
Maroon 5’s music video for ‘Sugar’ saw the band driving around Los Angeles and showing up uninvited at wedding receptions. There’s been speculation that some of the shots may have been staged, but there were also some very real surprises in the mix. Levine revealed that he coordinated with several grooms to give their brides an unexpected live show.
“It was an out-of-body experience,” he said. “I had no idea I would be affected by the overwhelming reactions we received from the couples and guests. Being able to create an unforgettable experience for several people was the highlight of it all.”
Justin Bieber
Walking through Malibu back in 2011 with then-girlfriend Selena Gomez, Bieber heard his song ‘One Less Lonely Girl’ playing in a nearby building. Going to investigate, he discovered a wedding reception, and the young couple decided to stick around. Bieber took the microphone to make a speech and he and Gomez posed for photos with guests.
“I was actually wiping cake off my face,” said the groom. “So to see Justin Bieber was just a surreal experience.”
Get tickets for Justin Bieber here.
Gary Barlow
Back in 2015, Barlow went on what can only be described as a wedding crashing spree. Announcing in January that he would perform at the weddings of three fans, he eventually upped the number to six after receiving a flood of invitations.
“Well that completes my wedding appearances for 2015!” he wrote on Twitter after his sixth and final surprise appearance. “Thank you to everyone who invited me to their special day! What started out as just a bit of fun turned into something much more meaningful and amazing.
“The incredible display of friendship and kindness showed by everyone involved was inspiring. I’ll look back fondly at 2015 as the year of the wedding crasher.”
Get tickets for Gary Barlow here.
Rod Stewart
In 2019, a British couple were almost forced to cancel their wedding after travel operator Thomas Cook collapsed. However, their venue Ceasar’s Palace stepped up to make sure the event could go ahead. Not only that, but they managed to secure a spectacular surprise guest – Sir Rod Stewart. The singer serenaded the couple with ‘Have I Told You Lately’ at the altar.
Get tickets for Rod Stewart here.
Tim McGraw
In 2016, the country star crashed a Philadelphia wedding to give a touching surprise performance. Stepping out during the father-daughter dance, McGraw sang ‘My Little Girl’ as the bride danced with her dad. The surprise was planned between McGraw and the bride’s father, with only the two of them aware that it was happening before McGraw took to the stage.