On Monday, actress Cameron Diaz married rocker Benji Madden.
In a Jewish ceremony, despite there being no evidence either of them are of the faith.
Benji’s bride! As previously reported, Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden made things official on Monday, Jan. 5, tying the knot at the Annie star’s Beverly Hills pad.
Prior to the ceremony, the couple got ready in separate rooms — with Diaz, 42, and her bridesmaids Nicole Richie (her new sister-in-law!), Drew Barrymore, her older sister Chimene Cain, and Diaz’s assistant Jesse Lutz getting their makeup done by Lona Vigi. Madden, 35, and his groomsmen Josh and Joel Madden changed into their black tuxes. Madden gave his bride a special note that she received just before the vows.
The event, which was planned by Yifat Oren and Stefanie Cove, featured a Jewish ceremony on a stage set up inside of Diaz’s home. The bridesmaids wore black dresses and carried white bouquets, entering the room to a Ryan Adams song. See photos of Diaz’s gorgeous engagement ring.
Benji’s nephew Sparrow Madden, the 5-year-old son of Nicole Richie and Joel Madden, was the couple’s ring bearer. Diaz entered to “Stardust” by Nat King Cole. She wore a gown with a low-cut back and lots of sparkle.
An officiant presided over the service, reading the seven blessings for the couple. When the time came for the pair to exchange rings, Benji accidentally dropped his, and the 100 guests laughed along with the bridal party. To seal the deal — as is custom in a Jewish ceremony — Madden stepped on and broke a glass as the crowd shouted, “Mazel Tov!”
“It was a beautiful, heartfelt ceremony,” a source told Us Weekly.
After the vows, Madden requested personal time with Diaz, during which they entered a private room for about 30 minutes, asking not to be disturbed — a Jewish wedding ritual known as Yichud.
I should add that Yichud is typically only performed in Orthodox Jewish ceremonies. So at least from that point of view, the ceremony was hardcore…Jewish.
But this is mind-boggling, since there is absolutely no evidence that either Diaz or Madden are Jewish. Which begs the obvious question.
The Jewish Journal speculates:
One possible clue to a solution could lie in Madden’s middle name, which, according to his Wikipedia page, is Levi. Perhaps there is some kind of conversion or interest that the tabloids have missed there.
The other possible phenomenon at work is the Jewish wedding’s transformation into a chic cultural statement.
For the first time in the history of America, Jewishness — and not just the bagels-and-lox part — is aspirational. There’s a Seder in the White House, and rabbis gave the invocation at the conventions of both major political parties … Ralph Lauren built an empire giving us all WASP anxiety; now the WASPs want to be Jews.
The truth behind the Diaz-Madden wedding may turn out to be more straightforward, but having a Jewish wedding — even if the couple isn’t Jewish — might just be the next trend in Hollywood.
Oy vey.
