Happy 10th! Or is It?

The daffodil: the flower of choice, representing happiness, on 10-year wedding anniversaries. Photo by: robynejay

Anyone who has made it to their tenth wedding anniversary knows what an important milestone it is.  After working through traditional symbols of having walked down the aisle – paper for the first year, cotton for the second, leather for the third, etc., you’ve reached tin and aluminum.  Congratulations!

Although these metals don’t represent romance or love, they are pliable and durable, qualities needed for a successful relationship.

Julia Roberts has these features in abundance.  She has been a leading lady since Mystic Pizza in 1988.  Although not her first marriage, she tied the knot with cameraman Danny Moder on July 4, 2002 when she gathered friends and family to her New Mexico ranch to celebrate the holiday and participate in the surprise ceremony.  They are still together with reason to mark the date.

Liza Minnelli had no such concerns about privacy when she married event producer David Gest on March 16, 2002.  It was a spectacle followed by an extravagant party for an intimate gathering of 850 of their closest friends and family. The excitement lasted for months.  Too bad that the marriage was over in 2003 when Gest sued Minnelli for damages he alleged she had inflicted upon him.  Their legal battles continued for years.

Paul McCartney never asked Heather Mills to sign a prenup before their 2002 wedding because he was in love.  When he filed for divorce citing “unreasonable behavior” in 2006, she vowed to fight back.  While she was awarded less that a fifth of what she asked, a $48 million dollar settlement can soothe the soul.

Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey became a pop culture phenomenon when their October 26, 2002 nuptials led to their starring on MTV’s reality television program Newlyweds.  But making the relationship work was much more difficult than winning the hearts and minds of their followers, Jessica having many more fans than Nick.  When she filed for divorce in 2005, she asked the court not to award spousal support.

Nicholas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley won’t be celebrating together this year either.  Her throwing her $65,000 engagement ring overboard shortly before their August 10th Hawaiian wedding should have been a cue that it wouldn’t work out. Their on-again/off-again relationship ended just 107 days after it began.

It’s not easy being married to a celebrity.  It’s not easy being married period.  But Gwen Stefani and fellow musician Gavin Rossdale will celebrate their 10th anniversary in September, possibly because they keep their relationship out of the media.  Best wishes to them.  And daffodils to all you lovebirds who have made it work!

© 2012 Susan Marg – All Rights Reserved