Céline Dion and René Angélil’s 1994 Wedding
Updated: Aug 12
On December 17th, 1994, Céline and René said “yes, I accept”. It was the event of the year. The wedding took place at Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, in front of 500 guests, including many Quebecois stars. It was a true fairy tale celebrated with pomp and circumstance.
At the time, Céline was already an international star and the wedding celebration was worthy of such celebrity. The couple went public with their romance a year earlier. Remember that René was also Céline's manager. The two met when she was just 12 years old. After a long time living together permeated by friendship and work, at the age of 19, feelings changed and, in addition to the love of friends, the two were taken by romantic love. However, they made their relationship public only five years later, when Céline released the album The Color of My Love, in 1993. Before getting married, they wanted public support. "I had no right to let people down," said the singer. Some of my friends have often told me: "You have the right to your life, Céline, don't worry about what people might think." very easy to think like that. I'm a public figure, and without them I'm nothing, I don't have my bread and butter". René supported the singer: "Celine owes everything to the public, added René. Yes, it would be really important for us that they accept us as a couple." Guys, what a beautiful story! The choice for Notre Dame Basilica, in Old Montreal, ignored the “pitaco” of some close people who suggested that they get married in the privacy of Los Angeles or Las Vegas. About 500 people were invited to the wedding. Among them were Luc Plamondon, Michel Jasmin, Sonia Benezra, Marcel Aubut, Michel Bergeron, Guy Cloutier, Patrick Roy, Anthony Kavanagh, Mario Pelchat and René Simard. The cost of the wedding, including the ensuing ceremony at the Westin Hotel Mont-Royal, was estimated at half a million dollars. The flowers alone cost between US$100,000 and US$200,000. Preparations lasted about three months and required the work of 800 people.
The year's event attracted nearly 200 media outlets around the world, including The National Enquirer, Entertainment Tonight and Paris Match. Shortly after formalizing their union, Celine and René had met with journalists. "Celine is the woman of my life. Of course, I am very satisfied with the woman she has become. So pure, so beautiful inside. She has good values," René told the Journal.
Céline really looked like a princess on her big day. For the dress, she opted for a creation by Montreal designer Mirella Gentile. "I wanted a fairy dress, a dream dress, she told the media on her wedding day. I pay the price now because it's too heavy." The dress took more than 1,000 hours to make and had a massive train measuring ten meters, which was carried through the church by Celine's eight sisters. The huge tiara that Céline wore was another highlight. It weighed over three kilos and was made up of 2000 Austrian crystals. In order for it to stay firmly in place, it was necessary to sew it with the singer's hair. Céline later said in an interview that she lost some hair when the tiara was removed.
In the case of the singer, the saying "you need to suffer to be beautiful" made perfect sense. But don't you think that the “weight” of the dress and the tiara was insignificant compared to such an unforgettable moment and the fulfillment of such a beautiful dream?
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