Jen helps Courteney plan secret lockdown wedding
Courteney Cox has turned to best pal Jennifer Aniston to help organise her big day
She made no secret of her heartache last year when the global pandemic forced LA-based Courteney Cox to be apart from her boyfriend Johnny McDaid, who was stuck in the UK for nine months. Speaking in May, just two months into her physical separation from Snow Patrol rocker Johnny, Courteney
Cox, 56, said, “I just miss his physical touch – just all of it.” The couple have since reunited and are now living together again in LA, and insiders say Courteney and Johnny have vowed not to waste another moment and are considering tying the knot in a secret lowkey ceremony in March.
The source says, “The lengthy time apart was agonising for both Courteney and Johnny, and the pandemic shook them into biting the bullet and not wanting to wait any longer to marry. It may be a shock to everyone else, but the pandemic has made them realise that they want to cement things and marry as soon as they can – even if they have to forfeit not having everyone they want to attend.”
INTIMATE CELEBRATION
The current regulations in LA approve small outdoor gatherings, as long as everyone adheres to social-distancing regulations of staying 6ft apart and wearing a face mask.
And sources reveal that Courteney’s best pal, Jennifer Aniston, 51, has stepped in to put the wheels in motion for her former co-star’s big day.
The two women have been close for decades since their meteoric rise to fame in the hit TV show Friends. The source reveals, “Courteney had always intended for Jen to be her maid of honor. But as Jen can’t plan her a bridal shower because of the social-distancing measures, she’s gifted her a trusted event planner, Colin Cowie, to make her dream day a beautiful but intimate celebration.”
Jennifer – whose first marriage to Brad Pitt ended in 2005 – also opted for a low-key affair for her second wedding. In 2015, she married Justin Theroux at their Bel Air home in front of just a handful of guests, with Courteney as maid of honour. And pals say Courteney – who had reportedly at one stage been planning to tie the knot in the guitarist’s hometown of Derry in Northern Ireland – is keen to replicate a similar event for her own second wedding. The source adds, “Courteney wants to get married at her Malibu home, with just a few close friends and family, including her daughter Coco, who will be bridesmaid. Jen’s also planning a few surprises, including a fireworks display, and they’ve decided to have a big party in Ireland for Johnny’s family and friends once restrictions are eased.”
DREAM DAY
Courteney and Johnny, 44 – who were introduced by mutual pal Ed Sheeran – started dating in 2013 and got engaged just nine months later. Despite a six-month split in 2015, which Courteney described as “brutal”, the pair have gone from strength to strength – with the actress insisting she’s “married in my heart”, and Johnny saying husband is just a “label” amid their lengthy engagement.
In 2019, Courteney denied reports they were engaged, saying, “He’s not my fiancé. We were engaged to be married but now we’re just together.” While their break-up was rumored to be caused by Courteney pressuring Johnny to walk down the aisle, pals say their plans for a low-key wedding have brought them closer together. The source adds, “Johnny only ever wanted a small do, so now they have no choice. It’s helped settle any differences they might have had on their dream day and Courteney says as long as she has Johnny, nothing else matters.”