The Julia Roberts wedding took place on 4 July 2002, when she married cinematographer Danny Moder in a midnight ceremony at her ranch in Taos, New Mexico. About 60 friends and family, by People's count, had flown in believing they were invited to celebrate Independence Day, and no photographs of the ceremony have ever been made public.
The wedding is back in conversation because of season 3 of Netflix's Nobody Wants This. In episode 5, Kristen Bell's Joanne pictures bare feet on a remote mountain and decides, "I'm gonna have Julia Roberts' wedding" (TV Insider). The real night, as People tells it, had flat sandals, candlelight and a lawn of guests who thought it was a party. Its choices still work for a private wedding at home.
Julia Roberts got married on 4 July 2002. Her guests were seated outside by midnight on 3 July and the 20-minute ceremony followed, according to People, whose report drew on guests and close friends.
Roberts was 34 and Moder 33, and his divorce had become final on 16 May, seven weeks earlier. Her longtime friend and lawyer Barry Hirsch officiated. Her business partner Elaine Goldsmith Thomas and Elaine's husband, Dan Thomas, signed the certificate as witnesses.
Julia Roberts' husband is Danny Moder, a cinematographer who was the cameraman on The Mexican when they met on set in 2000. They have three children, twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, born on 28 November 2004, and Henry Daniel, born on 18 June 2007. On Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop podcast in 2018 she said, "The best decision I ever made in my entire life was to hitch my wagon to Danny Moder" (People).
They are still married. For their 24th anniversary in July 2026 she posted on Instagram with the caption "TWENTY FOUR" (Khaleej Times).
Roberts bought the ranch in 1995, and People put it at 82 acres, with a tennis court and a stable for her seven horses. The whole weekend stayed on the property, with guest houses for those who flew in and, by People's account, a 19th-century adobe morada for the vows.
Guests flew in from Manhattan, Atlanta and Los Angeles for what they took to be a holiday party. She joined a run of celebrities who married on the Fourth of July. The New York Post printed the invitation, which opened, "Come celebrate our Independence Day on the green grass under the stars, with the dogs and the horses." It gave the party a theme, "Midsummers Night DreamISH meets Great Gatsby like combined with Wild West Bohemian", and a dress code: "Think Linen, try Seersucker" and "Free yourself from black".
The suppliers didn't know either. Her publicist, Marcy Engelman, booked hairdresser Serge Normant and make-up artist Genevieve Herr for a photo shoot, while the Wooden Spoon caterers and the Toni Price Band held the date for a Fourth of July barbecue. People reports that designer Judith Beylerian, costume designer Michael Dennison and Roberts' sister Lisa were among the few given advance word, and Lisa had the flowers flown in from Cornucopia in Manhattan.
Roberts did much of the groundwork herself, buying steel buckets at the Arroyo Seco Mercantile four days out and weeding the day before the guests arrived.
Guests spent 3 July by the pool in 86°F (30°C) heat, and Roberts urged them to "hang around". By midnight they sat in lawn chairs in a semicircle outside the morada, "a small adobe religious meeting house", lit by candles and Chinese lanterns.
Only when the couple stepped under an arch of white and pink silk, into a circle of rose petals, did most guests realise it was a wedding. Moder went down on one knee and asked, "In front of everyone we love, I want to know, will you marry me?", a close friend told People.
Roberts put her hand to her heart and said, "Yes, yes, yes," and the guests said it with her. The couple stood without bridesmaids, groomsmen or flower girls and read handwritten vows, with the 13,000-foot Sangre de Cristo Mountains behind them. Midway through, someone dropped a glass and a guest shouted "Mazel Tov". The couple kissed through the vows and kept asking, "Is it okay if we kiss?"
The New York Post reported heavy rain that stopped half an hour after the midnight start, and a white tent on the property. The cheering woke the neighbours at about 12:30 a.m., and at around 2 a.m. guests took SUVs to the guest houses and local inns while her security guard drove the couple. Roberts looked at Moder in the back seat and asked, "Shall I get in the back with you, husband?"
Less than eight hours later Roberts was cooking pancakes for the guests' children. The next night, 4 July, the Toni Price Band, a favourite of Moder's from the Continental Club in Austin, played country and blues, and each table held sweet peas, peonies and geraniums in terracotta pots. People reported that Bruce Willis joined the band on harmonica, and the dancing ran until dawn. Willis sang "Hound Dog" and "Chain of Fools", Moder's father Mike, a Hollywood producer, toasted to welcome Julia into the family, and after midnight Roberts put on "I Will Survive" and danced.
Julia Roberts wore a pale pink cotton halter dress, embroidered with pearls and antique beads and hand-painted with flowers. It was made by her friend Judith Beylerian, a Los Angeles designer who "works mostly with private clients", according to People. Her delicate wire crown, set with antique hand-carved buttons, pearls and cut glass, was by Michael Dennison.
She wore flat sandals, which People called "the bride's only nod to formality". Moder wore a red ruffled shirt and tan trousers.
Her guests' brief was linen, seersucker and no black. "Free yourself from black" tells guests the night is relaxed without ever saying casual. Add where they will stand and when, as in *"Linen and seersucker, no black. The vows are on the lawn at midnight, so bring a layer."*
No photographs of the Julia Roberts wedding ceremony have been made public. People reported "nary a paparazzo in sight" at the vows, while the New York Post had the media pressed against the estate perimeter.
What you can see is the couple's own anniversary post from 2022, captioned "TWENTY". The lead photo above is from their 2026 post, captioned "TWENTY FOUR".
Both reports agree on the date, the ranch and the midnight hour. They differ here:
People describes a 19th-century adobe morada, and the Post a tiny wooden chapel she had recently built.
The Post named George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Steven Soderbergh among the guests, while People reported no celebrity guests at the ceremony, though Bruce Willis played with the band the next night.
People describes a hot afternoon by the pool, and the Post rain from that afternoon until just after midnight.
Start with the guest list. Some 50 to 60 people she knew well sat within earshot of handwritten vows at midnight and were still there for pancakes the next morning. Write down who you'd want awake at 2 a.m., then plan the place and the hour around them. If you have no land of your own, a private estate can give you the same night.
Each step below comes from something Roberts did at Taos:
If you have no ranch of your own, Wedded Concierge gives you a Wedded Advisor who sources a private estate that seats your guests and sleeps them nearby. Browse private estates on the Wedded Marketplace, such as The Jackson Ranch on the NSW South Coast or Mona Farm near Braidwood. Read how Emma Roberts married Cody John at a private home in Sun Valley, or see more celebrity weddings.
Written by
Content and Creative Manager | Wonder Group
Joseph Joshua is the SEO & Content Manager at Wedded Wonderland, bringing an editorial and search strategy perspective to the publication’s coverage of luxury weddings, destination celebrations and bridal lifestyle. His approach to content centres on helping readers move from inspiration to informed decisions, with attention to the design, craftsmanship and personal details that give a celebration its character.
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