When we talked about Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco’s weekend wedding in Santa Barbara, I didn’t talk much about the guest list, mostly because I think wedding stories should be about the bride! But we already discussed Selena’s excellent wedding gown and her more low-key wedding photos, released on social media. So let’s talk about the guests! According to many reports, Taylor flew to Santa Barbara last-minute to attend her friend’s wedding. Taylor went solo – Travis was preparing for his Sunday football game, so he wasn’t there. According to People Mag, both Taylor and Ed Sheeran made speeches at the reception. So did Blanco’s parents and Selena’s mother and stepfather. For some reason, I did not realize that Selena is still estranged from her biological father. Well, she didn’t invite her bio dad to her wedding, and Selena’s maternal grandfather walked her down the aisle.
Over the weekend, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco said “I do” in an intimate ceremony held in Santa Barbara, California. For the event, the bride and groom wore Ralph Lauren, the photos were snapped by Petra Collins, and the guest list included close friends like Taylor Swift, Paris Hilton, and Gomez’s Only Murders in the Building costars Steve Martin and Martin Short.
Despite it being a very private affair, fans got a glimpse of the nuptials through photos shared on social media, and thanks to a new post from Gomez’s mom, Mandy Teefey, it’s just been revealed who walked the bride down the aisle.
On Sunday, Teefey shared a celebratory post that included one of the happy couple’s wedding photos, over which she typed: “Sunday kind of love.” In her caption, the Wondermind CEO gushed: “What a perfect celebration for the most kick ass couple I know! The evening couldn’t have been more beautiful and perfect! Absolutely flawless! All my love to my beautiful daughter @selenagomez and to the greatest son in law @itsbennyblanco!!!”
It was at the end of the caption that Teefey confirmed a specific detail, adding: “It was a fairytale come true and it was beyond heartwarming watching my father walk her down the aisle!!! XO.”
Back in April, during a talk on the Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware podcast with Blanco, Gomez teased that her maternal grandfather, David Michael Cornett, might have a special role in the ceremony. “I am looking to have a special dance with my papa,” she said. “He never got a chance to walk my mom down the aisle because—good for my mom—she decided to go to Vegas and was like, ‘Wooo.’”
Due to her mom’s elopement, Gomez thought this could be the perfect opportunity to let her grandfather escort a loved one down the aisle. “It’s very cute that they did that, but I wanted to give my grandfather the opportunity to have that,” she added. Gomez has a stepfather, Brian Teefay, who has been married to her mother since 2006. She is not as close to her biological father, Ricardo Joel Gomez.
This is a good option if your father isn’t around for your wedding. I don’t have an issue with Selena not inviting her dad or asking her grandpa to walk her down the aisle. I imagine her stepfather probably would have been open to doing it as well. Something else I like is that it didn’t feel like Selena went bonkers planning the wedding. She and Benny hired a wedding planner and the whole thing had the feel of something planned over the course of a couple of months. She just did whatever made her feel comfortable, which included not inviting her dad.
Photos courtesy of Selena’s Instagram, Avalon Red.
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 24: Selena Gomez wearing Versace and Messika jewels arrives at the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on February 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 850580719, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Selena Gomez, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 24: Selena Gomez wearing Versace and Messika jewels arrives at the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on February 24, 2024 in Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 850892963, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Selena Gomez, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- PALM SPRINGS, RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, USA – JANUARY 03: Selena Gomez wearing Bucherer jewelry arrives at the 36th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards 2025 held at the Palm Springs Convention Center on January 3, 2025 in Palm Springs, Riverside County, California, United States.,Image: 951729614, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Selena Gomez, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
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- Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco at the 97th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, 2025.,Image: 971215842, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** EDITORIAL USE ONLY! * NB: Fees charged by Avalon are for Avalon’s services only, and do not, nor are they intended to, convey to the user any ownership of Copyright or License in the material. Avalon does not claim any ownership including but not limited to Copyright or License in the attached material. By publishing this material you (the user) expressly agree to indemnify and to hold Avalon and its directors, shareholders and employees harmless from any loss, claims, damages, demands, expenses (including legal fees), or any causes of action or allegation against Avalon arising out of or connected in any way with publication of the material. * Handling Fee Only ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red/Avalon
I didn’t invite my abusive father at my wedding either, my father-in-law walked me down the aisle.
Needless to say, anyone who had to say cr@p like “but he’s your blood and flesh!” isn’t on my friends list anymore.
Relatives on his side disregarded his stupid whining altogether and came to enjoy the wedding celebrations.
Happy for you @AlpineWitch!
I wish we, as a society, would learn to shut up about other people’s complicated family dynamics.
Saying “but he’s your father” etc to a person is not only a crappy thing to do, but also puts (often) a victim of abuse in a position where she/he may feel they have to explain- which they shouldn’t.
I would bet Selena’s grandfather was her first father figure. The only dude she’s known since she was a little girl that has always been there for her.
I do love that as women, in a society where we are taught to comfort men’s feelings over our own, so we have to learn to ask for what we want, and to demand it.
That with age, we get better at demanding what we want, We learn to protect our peace.
Selena looks so happy in every pic with Benny. The wedding pics were gorgeous, I hope they have amazing memories of their wedding weekend.
@Ariel,
I’m not dragging you, but your first line is hilarious on a site that we literally talk about other people’s complicated family dynamics…on daily basis.
There wouldn’t be a gossip/celeb news site around if that were the standard. People like to talk about other peoples lives , famous or not. Not to mention this is an article talking about someone’s complicated family dynamics.
Weddings for grown ass adults – the theme of our wedding is we’re getting married.
Good for her. Ive found having a chill attitude towards the wedding is an indicator of a happy marriage.
Oh wow. You are so right! Having a chill attitude about the wedding is a good indicator of a happy marriage. My husband and I got married on a beach (St. John, V.I.) with just a photographer, preacher, and 2 sunbathers as witnesses. 35 years later happily married!
Cute.
OTH, why do women still have to be walked down the aisle by a man? Why are we still complying to this patriarchial BS?
From my knowledge it’s a very western Christian tradition. I’m from a Catholic country and we never had that tradition before people saw it on tv.
In our weddings the soon to be married couple came to Church together and walk the isle together
What country are you from, Denise? I’m always curious about other places traditions!
Traditions can evolve into something else. I get what you’re saying, but I doubt Selena felt like a commodity being traded between her feudal overlords. Most people just choose to honor their parents in a different way with the aisle walk, mother/son dance, etc. I mean, you could argue a wedding itself is an anachronistic ritual rooted in wealth exchange, but most people nowadays view it differently.
I didn’t have a wedding at all, but I am so, so very happy to celebrate with people who choose to express their love that way!
I am a female who walked her daughter down the isle instead of her father, who was at the wedding. My youngest daughter has stated that when she gets married that she will walk herself.
I walked down the aisle by myself at a full catholic mass ceremony. So many people tried to talk me out of it. What if I tripped etc. my mother was at the wedding but had to be massively managed as mentally ill. I was 28. Had paid for my insane socialite wedding all on my own because I was a crazy finance girl. I did it all on my own from 12 from homeless to figuring out boarding school financial aid. No one was giving me away.
I didn’t want to choose between my bio father or step father so I walked myself down the aisle. 25 years ago this October. (still married 🙂
In Jewish weddings, both parents walk their daughter down the aisle.
So diplomatic answering those questions about her family. That is hard to do. It’s great to see her and Benny happy.
Lovely pics. They do look very relaxed. I bet Benny was more of a bridezilla than she was. He has great taste and loves to throw a party
The both look genuinely happy and in love. I wish the best for the new couple. May they live long and prosper, and I hope Serena doesn’t get too sick trying to have babies.
I don’t hear much about her relationship with her father. Her relationship with her mother is widely reported to be very messy, but I guess they’re in a stable enough place now that she attended the wedding?
I’m surprised there aren’t more people talking about how messy Selena is in general. She really tries to present a certain image, and a lot of people fall for it, but she’s problematic and has more drama behind the scenes than most celebs.
Francia Raisa, the woman who donated her kidney to Selena, did not even attend the wedding, so that’s saying something.
She seems to have extremely messy parents, and I feel bad for her; messy families are a lot to deal with in private, let alone the extra pressure of the spotlight. I hope this guy helps her find the kind of love and stability she deserves.
Her father was at her wedding with his wife and Selena’s sister.
I was going to comment this as well. He was there in attendance, she just chose not to have him walk her down the aisle.
The articles linked here don’t even say he wasn’t there or wasn’t invited, so I’m not sure where they’re pulling that information from.
When it’s your wedding day, it’s YOUR wedding day. No need to invite people or try to make them a part of it if it makes you feel uncomfortable or sad. That’s so sweet that her grandpa walked her down the aisle. I had a stupid situation during my wedding planning. My dad is deceased and any time I thought about the fact he couldn’t walk me down the aisle I’d get very very depressed. I wanted my brother to do it in his place. I felt only comfort and love at the thought of that. My godfather/uncle wouldn’t leave my mother alone about how he was butt hurt I didn’t ask him, going so far as to write me a guilt trip letter about it. I wrote back and told him “Every time you keep bringing this up, all you’re doing is reminding me, my mother and my siblings that my dad can’t be here and I get really depressed. I need my brother in that moment.” He shut up after that. (Note: this is my mother’s brother in law by marriage, not my dad’s brother. I’d feel more sympathy if that were the case.)