• Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have finally found their happy ever after.
• They tied the knot in a surprise Las Vegas ceremony at The Little White Wedding Chapel on Saturday.
• Wedding would have cost more than £1.5 million and 200 guests, including Bruce Willis.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have finally found their happy ever after, 20 years after they called off their wedding, married and divorced other people, then fell in love again.

We may never know what the men holding hands in the back or the young couple who had gone three hours to get married with Elvis’ blessing thought of it.

However, waiting in line for your marriage licence next to the most famous celebrity comeback couple in this century will make for a tale they can retell for all time.

Jennifer Lopez described the other infatuated couples who stood in line with her and Ben Affleck as “all of us wanting the same thing – for the world to recognise us as partners and to declare our love to the world” as she announced her surprise Las Vegas wedding to him at the weekend.

Nearly 20 years after postponing their initial wedding, “Bennifer” got hitched at The Little White Wedding Chapel.

The couple has appeared in a number of rom-coms, including two in which they co-starred, but their real-life romance ended up being the best romantic comedy ever, complete with plenty of drama.

They have experienced a roller coaster of highs and lows in their personal lives, including unsuccessful marriages on both sides and a combined five children.

But after marrying Ben, Jen wrote: “We did it. Love is beautiful. Love is kind. And it turns out love is patient.

“Twenty years patient. Stick around long enough and maybe you’ll find the best moment of your life in a drive through in Las Vegas at twelve thirty in the morning…”

The wedding was far far from the couple’s original-planned party, both in terms of distance and cost. Jen, a 52-year-old actress and singer, recorded herself prior wearing a traditional white bridal gown “from an old movie.”

Ben, a 49-year-old actor, simply took a jacket out of his closet.

However, Jen claimed that the last-minute Vegas celebration, which lacked an Elvis lookalike, was ideal for them—complete with a quick wedding march played over Bluetooth.

Only Jen’s mother, twins Emme and Max, age 14, from her third marriage to musician Marc Anthony, and Ben’s children Violet, 16, Seraphina, 13, and Samuel, age 10, from his first marriage to actress Jennifer Garner appeared to be present.

It was as discreet as a Hollywood couple could possibly be (pink convertible aside).

In comparison, their wedding day in Santa Barbara, California, would have reportedly cost more than £1.5 million and included more than 200 guests, including Bruce Willis and Jack Nicholson.

Jen was supposed to have donned a Vera Wang gown. Mobile phones and expensive purses would have been included in the gift bags.

Just four days before, the news that it wouldn’t be happening shocked the entertainment industry. Jen was reportedly “crying hysterically” and called the breakup her “first real heartbreak.”

It seems like a part of them has always desired the intimate Vegas event.

A longtime friend and associate of Ben’s tells us: “In the 2000s there were several times they wanted to run off to Vegas and marry. But at the time there was an expectation they needed to have a big celebrity wedding.

“That is why choosing Vegas for this big day holds a special meaning.”

Bennifer’s first relationship was undoubtedly steamy.

On the Gigli film set in 2002, the couple first connected.

Dancer Cris Judd was already Jennifer’s second husband.

Her parents were Puerto Rican immigrants who raised her in the Bronx of New York. In 1997, she married Cuban waiter Ojani Noa for a brief period of time.

It then led to a romance with the artist Puff Daddy.

Ben, who is not one for understated public shows of love, took up a full-page advertisement in Variety magazine to praise J.Lo when they started dating.

Gigli struggled, but the couple took off. Jennifer filed for divorce from Judd in July 2002. However, Bennifer’s relationship in the 2000s took place under the harsh spotlight of irate LA paparazzi camera flashes.

Not that Bennifer, proud owner of one of show business’s first mashup names, had attempted to maintain a low profile.

Ben appeared in Jen’s music video for Jenny from the Block in November 2002, canoodling with her on a yacht’s deck and touching her well-known bottom. He claimed he felt bad about it years later.

(In an odd coincidence, Ben and Jen were pictured in a similar manner on a yacht in Monaco last year.)

In the same month, they had their first engagement, which was marked by a 6.1-carat pink solitaire diamond.

The blunt announcement about the cancelled wedding criticised the demands of celebrity. They stated:  “When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three ­separate ‘decoy brides’ at three different locations, we realised that ­something was awry.”

At first they said the wedding was only postponed, but three months later everything was over.

By June 2004, Jennifer had tied the knot with an old friend named Marc Anthony. She later admitted that she had sought for a spouse “to make me feel loved and wanted in my loneliest hour.”

Then, by October, Ben was spotted with his wife of five years, the Alias actress Jennifer Garner.

J.Lo would divorce once more in 2011, but Garner and him did so in 2018. The Oscar-winning actor has been candid about his struggles with addiction, alcoholism, and three stays in recovery. His associate claims that J.Lo supports him by adopting a “mother hen” approach that is both strong and caring.

He says: “She’s been like ‘I love you, I think you’re a great man, but stay sober and away from temptation’.

“And that’s how she’s run it since they got back together.”

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Meanwhile, Jennifer battled more ups and downs, stepping into ­relationships with rapper Drake, younger choreographer Casper Smart, then New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez.

They got engaged in 2019 but that was abruptly called off early last year. Without pointing the finger, Jen has spoken about the devastation of being cheated on in relationships, saying: “You’re left to feel like you did ­something wrong. Like there’s ­something wrong with you.”

It was in April last year that rumours suggested Bennifer were back on. In June, they were snapped kissing. By July smitten Jennifer was wearing a “Ben” necklace.

They have said they always remained friends despite splitting up.

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In April this year Jennifer announced a second proposal, this time with a giant green diamond – in the bath. She wrote she was ­struggling “to get my head around the fact that after 20 years this was happening all over again.”