From full-speed ahead to postponed to not happening. Before calling it quits, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez were vocal about their wedding plans, even after they were forced to put their nuptials on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The singer accepted a proposal from the retired baseball player in March 2019 after two years of dating. However, the couple did not hit the ground running on preparations.
“Not yet, not yet, not yet,” Lopez told Elvis Duran during an episode of his radio show in April 2019. “We’re not there yet. Yeah, we just got engaged, so … We’ve vaguely talked about, like, ‘Oh, when do you think?’ and things like that, but nothing is set in stone, and we’re not there yet.”
Us Weekly broke the news in February 2020 that the pair planned to marry that summer. Later that month, a source revealed that Lopez was prepared to put her attention on the nuptials.
“J. Lo and Alex’s wedding is supposed to be this summer after postponing it because of her filming schedule, her Super Bowl performance and other work commitments,” the insider told Us at the time. “She is finally ready to shift her focus to wedding planning and making that a top priority.”
However, the coronavirus pandemic threw a wrench in things, with the wedding subsequently getting pushed back multiple times. A source noted in April 2020 that the event was supposed to take place in Italy.
“It was all planned out and paid for,” the insider said. “They obviously had to postpone it due to coronavirus, but J. Lo wants to marry A-Rod shortly after things go back to normal. She wants to marry him and celebrate their love in front of her family and close friends.”
Prior to her engagement to the former athlete, the actress opened up about her willingness to tie the knot again after her previous divorces. (She was married to Ojani Noa from 1997 to 1998, Cris Judd from 2001 to 2003 and Marc Anthony — with whom she shares twins Max and Emme — from 2004 to 2014.)
“I do believe in marriage,” she told Harper’s Bazaar in March 2018. “And I would love to grow old with somebody in a committed relationship. But I’m not forcing anything right now.”
Lopez confessed on Today in May 2019 that she “always planned to get married again,” adding: “I think that’s the goal, right? To find a partner to kind of walk through this crazy thing with, right?”
After reports surfaced in March 2021 that the duo split, they denied their breakup, telling TMZ that they were “working through some things.” One month later, however, the duo confirmed they ended their engagement.
“We have realized we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so,” the former couple said in a statement to the Today show. “We will continue to work together and support each other on our shared businesses and projects. We wish the best for each other and one another’s children. Out of respect for them, the only other comment we have to say is thank you to everyone who has sent kind words and support.”
Scroll through the gallery below to revisit everything Lopez and Rodriguez said about their wedding plans: