Her Last Wedding Was So Lavish

Gwen and Blake’s intimate vow exchange stands in stark contrast to her 2002 wedding to Bush frontman Gavin. Clad in a hand-painted custom Dior gown, Gwen rolled up to St. Paul’s Covent Garden in London in a flashy 1970 Rolls-royce. Outside the 17th-century church, 250 fans had gathered to get a glimpse of the bride, while her groom waited at the altar with his beloved Hungarian sheepdog by his side. After the newlyweds’ first kiss (right), double-decker buses ferried guests to a six-course Italian feast held in the courtyard garden of a private club. But the lovebirds weren’t done celebrating. Two weeks later, they hosted a vow-renewal ceremony and a second reception at record producer Jimmy Iovine’s Beverly Hills house (below). The fete was attended by the likes of Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston and Ben Stiller. “It was beyond! It was the most spectacular event I’ve ever been to,” raved Gwen.

about beginning a new life with Gwen and about what an honor it was to be in her kids’ lives,” shares the source. “Gwen also got extremely emotional while talking. She spoke about being so blessed to have found love again at this stage in her life. She didn’t believe in love after getting divorced, but Blake showed her a whole new world.” Both Blake and Gwen, the insider says, “had tears in their eyes during the vows.”

GROOM’S CHOICE

After the emotional ceremony, it was time to just have fun. At the reception held immediately after, “The menu was all Blake,” the source says. “Gwen let him have control over what everyone ate.” So the small group of guests feasted on fried chicken, coleslaw, ribs, corn on the cob, sliders and mini grilledcheese sandwiches. “Everyone raved about the food,” the source says. The day’s grand finale was a perfect mix of what both stars wanted. “The cake was chocolate, Blake’s favorite flavor, and red velvet, Gwen’s favorite,” notes the source. “It wasn’t a fancy, over-the-top cake, but it tasted so good.”

BUMPS IN THE ROAD

If only all of their differences blended so well. While avid hunter Blake feels most at home in the woods of his native Oklahoma, animal activist Gwen has deep roots, personally and professionally, in her native California. But the issue that has plagued the duo the most is adding to their brood. “They had tried to have a baby for the past two years but have been unsuccessful,” reveals the source. “It put a lot of pressure on them and took a toll on the relationship. Gwen really wanted to give Blake a baby, even trying IVF, but it just didn’t happen.”

Blake’s been talking about becoming a dad since he was married to Miranda Lambert. Unlike Gwen and ex Gavin Rossdale, 51, though, he and Miranda, 33, never welcomed a bundle of joy before their split in July 2015 after four years of marriage. Being child-free is what made their divorce proceed so quickly, Blake admits. “Miranda and I didn’t have any kids, and we had a prenuptial agreement,” notes the crooner. “Once we filed for divorce, it was over in, like, I think it was like a nine- or 10-day waiting period until it’s over.”

Blake has said he and Miranda are still “buddies.” So before he and Gwen took the leap into marriage, he decided to give Miranda a heads-up, says the source, with a courtesy call. The response she gave him was shocking. “Miranda was very appreciative of the call and wished him all the best,” says the source. “She truly wished him good luck and said she hoped he was happy. Blake was blown away by her kindness and truly humbled by it.”

A NEW BEGINNING

Blake’s union with Gwen couldn’t have started off on a better foot. And they’re not done celebrating. “There definitely will be a much larger church wedding later this year to make the marriage official,” says the source. “They will invite all of their celebrity friends, including Alicia Keys, Pharrell Williams, Adam Levine, Carson Daly and all of Blake’s country pals.”

For now, Gwen’s reveling in alone time with her new husband. (“I overheard her telling Blake about how she’d like to go wine tasting in Napa,” says the witness who saw the happy pair at Cecconi’s on June 25.) And Blake’s counting his blessings. “I think it’s so hard for people to wrap their head around why Gwen would want to be with me,” he recently said. “I don’t blame ’em!”

“I love Blake! He is the most incredible guy.” — Gwen