Why Jennifer Lopez And Ben Affleck Canceled Their Wedding The First Time Around

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's love story was complicated at times, but as we all know — they ultimately ended up together. The couple first met on the set of "Gigli" in 2002, per Vanity Fair.  In an interview with the outlet, Affleck said that he and Lopez were "really, really good friends" before things blossomed into something more. "At first, because she was married, there was no thought of a romantic relationship, so that created the opportunity to get to know each other without any of the falseness that goes with courtship because you're trying to make a good impression," he revealed. 

Of course, the pair eventually began dating after Lopez and her then-husband, Cris Judd, called it quits. Later that year, Lopez confirmed to Diane Sawyer that she and Affleck were engaged to be married — talk about a whirlwind romance. Lopez spilled the deets to ABC News about the November 2002 proposal, which was uber-romantic btw. "It's just a blanket, a quilt of rose petals, all over the whole entire house," she said of the setup. "So many candles, and vases, bouquets. And my song 'Glad' was playing ... I walk in and I was just like overwhelmed. I wasn't expecting it, and I was just like 'Oh my God.'" Ugh, cue heart-eyes.

According to Harper's Bazaar, Affleck shelled out an impressive $2.5 million on the enormous 6.1-carat Harry Winston sparkler. But as most of us know, things took a turn for the worst, and the pair called off their wedding.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez were set to tie the knot in 2003, but as we all know, they postponed and later canceled the wedding altogether. "Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we have decided to postpone the date," the couple said in a statement, per People. "When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate 'decoy brides' at three different locations, we realized that something was awry." The pair said that they felt the media attention distracted from the real reason they were getting married. MTV reports that Lopez later ended the engagement in 2004.

Years later, Lopez chatted about the canceled wedding plans with Apple Music. "Once we called off that wedding 20 years ago, it was the biggest heartbreak of my life, and I honestly felt like I was going to die," she confessed. The singer added that the split from Affleck made her really emotional over her "This Is Me... Then" soundtrack, which she recorded after the initial split from Affleck. "I wouldn't even perform these records. It was so painful after we broke up," she said.

Once Lopez and Affleck did tie the knot, he addressed their prior breakup in a wedding speech, per Us Weekly. "Ben made an impassioned speech professing his love for Jennifer and her kids and said the children are the blessing and gift that happened because they didn't get married before and that is proof that everything happens for a reason,"  the source told the outlet.

As we all know, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck got back together and rekindled their romance after what seemed like lightyears apart, and thus Bennifer 2.0 was born — is it even a relationship if the press doesn't make up a joint name? Following the theme of moving fast like they did the first time around, Affleck and Lopez quickly got engaged, and the singer confirmed the news on her website.

In an interview with Vogue, Lopez also revealed plans to change her last name to Affleck after she and the "Argo" star wed because it's really important to her. "People are still going to call me Jennifer Lopez. But my legal name will be Mrs. Affleck because we're joined together. We're husband and wife. I'm proud of that," she confessed. "It still carries tradition and romance to me, and maybe I'm just that kind of girl," she added.

The couple didn't need three times for it to be a charm, and they officially tied the knot in July 2022. According to Us Weekly, Lopez spilled the beans on the engagement in a newsletter on her website, revealing she and Affleck wed in Las Vegas. "We did it. Love is beautiful. Love is kind. And it turns out love is patient. Twenty years patient," she said, adding that the Vegas wedding was "exactly" what they wanted. The following month, Town&Country reported that Affleck and Lopez had a more official ceremony at Affleck's Georgia home.