Salma Hayek and her husband, François-Henri Pinault, celebrate 2 anniversaries: the first one is on February 14, and the second is on April 25. The reason for this had been shrouded in mystery for over a decade until, finally, the famous actress revealed that their first official ceremony in Paris was somewhat unorthodox.
Hayek and Pinault were engaged in 2007 and eventually got married in 2009. So what was the reason for such a delay?
The actress explained that she was quite afraid of marriage and couldn’t go through with it, admitting, “I actually didn’t believe in marriage. I didn’t want to marry him. He tried for a long time, and I would say yes, and then I wouldn’t show up. And he didn’t go away when I didn’t show up, he had to stick around until we got it done. And I was terrified.”
After several attempts, Pinault concocted a plan with Hayek’s family to make sure he could finally make her his wife. “I didn’t even know I was getting married that day. It was like an intervention… they just took me to the court. My parents, my brother, they were all ganging up on me. I had a phobia of the marriage thing,” the actress explained.
Both Pinault and Hayek’s families were in on it, so they arranged a courthouse and a small celebration after. The famous actress had no say in it.
“They dragged me there. I was nervous. And then after, there was a lunch at his parents’ house,” shared Hayek. “My mother-in-law, who’s the most tasteful person when it comes to entertaining, had already been doing the lunch. I had no choice.”
After confronting her fears and finally marrying the man that she loved, Hayek was finally over her fears and even agreed to a much bigger celebration.
“It was because I had said yes to the marriage, but I just wouldn’t actually show up on the day or do it. And then afterward I said, ’Oh, it’s okay. I don’t feel any different.’ And then a little bit later I said, ’Okay, this is kind of exciting.’ And he’s like, ’Can we have a party now?’” dished the actress.
Hayek and Pinault became officially married in Paris on Valentine’s Day. Then, after a little over 2 months, they had a much grander ceremony in Venice, which boasted numerous high-profile wedding guests, including Penélope Cruz, Woody Harrelson, Charlize Theron, and many more.
