Bridget Marquardt Details Visit by Ex Hugh Hefner’s Ghost
Bridget Marquardt is officially the bride next door.
The Girls Next Door alum and film director Nicholas Carpenter revealed that they tied the knot 11 years after they got engaged and 18 years after they first started dating. The couple dropped the news during Carpenter’s appearance on Marquardt and her co-host Holly Madison‘s Girls Next Level podcast.
“We are f–king married,” Carpenter exclaimed on the Oct. 19 episode. “Sorry if it didn’t come out in the press or that you didn’t know or that we didn’t say anything, but that’s just the way it is.”
Marquardt gave a laugh, telling her husband, “Shhh! We still have to have a wedding.”
And while Carpenter assured his bride that they “will have a wedding,” Marquardt teased back, “I don’t know about that.”
The couple did not clarify when they wed, but Marquardt shared that they were celebrating their 18th anniversary this October.
She and Carpenter first crossed paths at the Playboy Mansion in 2008, where Marquardt lived as one of Hugh Hefner’s girlfriends from 2002 to 2009. She previously married Chad Marquardt in 1997, although the two split before she moved to the Mansion and finalized their divorce in 2008.
Marquardt announced her engagement to Carpenter on Oct. 1, 2015, posting a photo of her distinct spider-shaped ring to Instagram with the caption, “Happy Oct. 1st!!! Oh…and… Did I mention @nicholascarpenter and I are engaged?”
And the former Playboy model knew her unconventional engagement ring would be a topic of conversation.
Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images
“I wanted something different,” she told People at the time. “The traditional rings were just really, really traditional and I just wanted something different, unique and special. We saw this and I was like, I love that!”
But Marquardt wasn’t necessarily drawn to the ring because she loves spiders, but rather because it represented “my personality more and something different for our relationship.”
And Carpenter’s proposal was just as unique, with Marquardt recalling that he took her to a spot they like to hike in Los Angeles and “totally faked me out with a fake spider ring in the dirt.”
“Long story short, I went to put the ring back because it wasn’t mine—I just thought it was cool that it was there,” she shared, “and I turned around and he was on one knee with the real ring. It was really sweet.”
For a look at all the stars who’ve walked down the aisle this year, keep reading.
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EJAE & Sam King
The KPop Demon Hunters star and her longtime love tied the knot in Seoul, Korea, on Oct. 17.
“There was so much joy to be shared,” she told Vogue. “The ceremony was beautiful, heartfelt, and fun.”
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Jason Segel & Kayla Radomski
The How I Met Your Mother actor and his partner of over two years officially tied the knot in October 2026.
In an Oct. 18 Instagram Story showing off a glimpse into the ceremony, Radomski called it an “absolute dream.”
Instagram/Emily Markus
Matthew Lowe & Emily Markus
Rob Lowe’s eldest son married the social media exec in Santa Barbara, Calif., Oct. 10, where family friend Gwyneth Paltrow officiated the nuptials.
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Simu Liu & Allison Hsu
A marvelous matrimony. The Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star wed the marketing director in an Oct. 3 ceremony in France, where the pair got engaged in 2025.
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Dove Cameron & Damiano David
The Disney Channel alum and the former Måneskin member wed on Sept. 24 at the Palazzo dei Priori in Montalcino, Italy.
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T.J. Holmes & Amy Robach
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Phoebe Dynevor & Cameron Fuller
Dearest readers, the Bridgerton actress confirmed her marriage to the film producer on Sept. 17, writing on Instagram, “Married my best friend.”
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Anthony Barr & DJ Millie
In August, the former NFL player married the DJ (real name Chelsea Miller) at a Southern California wedding complete with signature cocktails inspired by the couple, including a Grey Goose esspresso martini.
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AnnaLynne McCord & Danny Cipriani
The 90210 alum and retired rugby star tied the knot in the backyard of their Los Angeles home on Aug. 22.
“I married the love of my life yesterday,” McCord shared in an Aug. 23 Instagram video. “And it’s real, it wasn’t a dream. This love is a grace upon my being.”
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Charles Melton & Camille Summers-Valli
Five months after announcing the birth of his first baby, the Beef actor referred to the photographer as his wife in an August interview with People.
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Karl-Anthony Towns & Jordyn Woods
Two months after winning the NBA champsionship, the New York Knicks player tied the knot with the influencer at an Aug. 15 wedding in Malibu, Calif. The nuptials boasted a star-studded guest list that included Kylie Jenner, Timothée Chalamet, Hailey Bieber, Justin Bieber and Jaden Smith.
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Brooks Laich & Katrin Tanja Daviðsdottir
The former NHL star and the CrossFit champion married at their Idaho lakehouse on Aug. 15. The wedding took place near the waterfront resort where Laich tied the knot with ex Julianne Hough in 2017.
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Tallulah Willis & Justin Acee
The daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis signed onto forever with each other in August in Idaho.
For the occasion, the bride wore a custom Balenciaga gown.
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Tyrese Haliburton & Jade Jones
The NBA star and former Iowa State cheerleader tied the knot at an Indianapolis courthouse in July the week before their formal ceremony.
Alongside pics from outside the government building, Jones wrote, “It’s (courthouse) official.”
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Paulina Porizkova & Jeff Greenstein
The supermodel tied the knot with the TV writer in Italy in front of 100 of their close friends and family, three years after matching on a dating app.
“We’re warmed by feeling we got exactly the wedding we wanted,” the couple told Vogue in a statement in July, “and exactly the partner we’ve always dreamed of.”
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Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce
JUST&T MARRIED! In the blink of a twinkling eye, the Grammy winner and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end took their romance to the next level with a lavish, star-studded wedding at Madison Square Garden July 3.
A press release shared on behalf of the couple confirmed they were joined by 1,000 guests, including their officiant Adam Sandler, and sported custom Dior looks designed by Jonathan Anderson.
Marsha Bernstein/WWD via Getty Images
Natalie Kuckenberg & Paul Wesley
The Vampire Diaries alum and his partner of just over four years confirmed they tied the knot in an intimate ceremony. In a July 13 Instagram post, Kuckenberg mused, “Mr. and Mrs. and the Best Boy Greg.”
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Zac Brown & Kendra Scott
The “Chicken Fried” singer and jewerly designer got married during a private wedding in Greece on May 25, just one year after they hard-launched their relationship at the 2025 American Music Awards.
Taylor Hill/WireImage
Lainey Wilson & Devlin “Duck” Hodges
The country singer and former NFL quarterback tied the knot on May 10 in an outdoor ceremony in Tennessee.
“My absolute dream ceremony,” Wilson told Vogue in an interview published May 14. “There’s a small waterfall flowing down the hill behind the altar and windows. The waterfall is what convinced us to do the ceremony in this spot.”
Later, she said, “My mama led the dinner prayer for all of our guests, and we settled in for a night of good food, good company, and good music.”
Leila Roker & Sylvain Gricourt
The daughter of Today co-host Al Roker married her longtime partner in a small Paris ceremony, Al confirmed on the morning broadcast in May.
Weeks before, he explained how Leila’s nuptials were—sort of—a gift for her mom Deborah Roberts.
“Our daughter, Leila, is getting married, just before Mother’s Day. That Mother’s Day weekend, actually,” he told Swooon. “So, that’s kind of her Mother’s Day gift, I guess.”
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Jack Quaid & Claudia Doumit
The Boys costars tied the knot in an Australian ceremony in April, with the Novocaine actor confirmed during a June appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
“It happened,” Quaid said at the time. “I’m so happy about it.”
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Steven Kreuger & Candice King
The Originals costars eloped in Nashville in February while Candice was pregnant with the couple’s first baby together.
“Walking down the aisle in that warm glow of the magic hour felt like our own little secret,” she told Vogue. “Like the rest of the world kept turning in chaos, and we had this small little nook of the world to ourselves. Time slowed down and felt like a love song.”
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Crystal Harris & James Ward
The former Playboy model—who was married to Hugh Hefner from 2012 until his death in 2017—tied the knot with James Ward in an intimate tropical ceremony on April 2 in the Cook Islands.
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Chaz Bono & Sara Blue Mathes
Cher‘s son, whom the singer shared with her late ex-husband Sonny Bono, married Shara Blue Mathes on March 8 in Los Angeles after nearly a decade of dating.
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Brooke Hyland & Brian Thalman
The Dance Moms alum tied the knot with Brian Thalman on Feb. 21 with her fellow Abby Lee Dance Company alums Kendall Vertes, Melissa Gison, Nia Sioux, Kenzie Ziegler, Chloe Lukasiak and Kalani Hilliker in attendance.
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Maya Hawke & Christan Lee Hutson
The Stranger Things actress and “Northsiders” singer wed in a Valentine’s Day ceremony on Feb. 14 in New York City.
“I’m a very, very lucky person who’s very happy right now,” Hawke told to People in a March 12 interview. “And yeah, couldn’t be more grateful.”
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TreVeyon Henderson
The New England Patriots player and his partner—whose name has not been publicly revealed—got married in a private ceremony, days before his team will match-up against the Seattle Seahawks at the 2026 Super Bowl on Feb. 8.
Photo by JB Lacroix/Getty Images
Vanna White & John Donaldson
On Jan. 21, the Wheel of Fortune co-host shared that she tied the knot with her longtime partner in a private wedding ceremony.
“Surprise! We got married!” White wrote on Instagram at the time, alongside a photo of the couple from their big day. “John and I have been in love for more than a decade and a little while back, we wanted to make it official in a private ceremony.”
She added, “We’re excited to share this new joyful chapter in our lives with all of you!”
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Iyanna McNeely & Alexander Lewis
The Love is Blind alum tied the knot with the corporate attorney Jan. 17 in an “elegant” Chicago wedding three years after her 2022 divorce from costar Jarrette Jones.
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Will Reeve & Amanda Dubin
The ABC News correspondent, whose parents are the late Christopher Reeve and Dana Reeve, exchanged vows with event planner Amanda Dubin in Miami Jan. 17.
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