Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds Hit By Resurfaced 'Slavery Scandal' As Bitterness Erupts Over Actress' $400Million 'Harassment' Fight With Justin Baldoni
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are facing a renewed backlash over their plantation wedding venue amid the pair's legal battle with Justin Baldoni.
Jan. 30 2025, Published 10:31 a.m. ET
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are facing a renewed backlash concerning their wedding venue, amid their ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldini.
RadarOnline.com can reveal their 2012 nuptials, held at a former plantation, are being scrutinized once again as their relationship has come under the microscope due to their feud with Baldoni.
Deadpool star Reynolds said in a 2020 interview getting married at the venue in South Carolina was a 'giant f------ mistake'.
The Hollywood couple tied the knot in front of celebrity friends at Boone Hall Plantation & Gardens in South Carolina.
But the property and its surrounding land has a dark history of slavery, with "preserved" slave cabins and fields of cotton serving as a constant reminder of the horrors that once took place there.
Lively and Reynolds were widely criticized for seemingly glamorizing the former plantation where Black slaves suffered and died.
Years later, the Deadpool actor branded the wedding "a giant f------ mistake" in a 2020 interview.
The "shame" felt by the couple was so strong Reynolds and Lively decided to wed for a second time at their New York home.
They've also gone on to donate millions to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and have been vocal about their support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
However, despite their efforts to right their wrongs, the scandal surrounding Lively and Reynolds' wedding has resurfaced in recent weeks as their legal war with the actress' It Ends With Us co-star Baldoni, 41, continues to play out in the court of public opinion.
The couple have only ever released a handful of images of their wedding via their planner Martha Stewart's magazine.
Lively and Reynolds felt so much 'shame' over their big day they decided to get married again at their New York home.
Lively, 37, wore a couture Marchesa ballgown and Reynolds, 48, was dressed in a Burberry suit with one of the pictures giving a glimpse of their attire as the couple stood hand in hand.
The ballgown featured hand-draped silk tulle bodice which was tripped with crystal and rose gold embroidery.
Her bridesmaids also wore blush silk chiffon confections with crystal detailing by the same label.
Stewart's website stated it was the pair's "sole wish to have an intimate affair", adding: "They wanted to celebrate in privacy – and in style".
Lively and Reynolds' marriage has come under scrutiny due to their legal battle with Baldoni.
The site added: "When Ryan and Blake secretly got engaged last June, they knew it would take careful planning, confidentiality, and a select crew to pull off their nuptials before word got out. Enter Martha Stewart.
"We quickly discovered that Ryan and Blake are not like the many altar-bound celebrities who sell their big-day photos to the highest bidder."
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While photos and details from the wedding painted a stunning picture, the history of Boone Hall isn't as pretty – a grim reality the plantation doesn't shy from.
It is one of America's oldest working plantations. In the 19th century it was owned by Henry and John Horlbeck who were in the brick business, building many of the public spaces in downtown Charleston using brick from the plantation.
By 1850, Boone Hall was producing 4,000,000 bricks per year using 85 slaves.
The plantation has also been owned by a Georgian prince while since the 1950s it has been owned by the McRae family, who opened the 738 acre estate up to public tours in 1956.
Twelve feet by 30 feet slave cabins still remain on the property, and today house information about the slaves who lived there.
The cabins were in use well into the 20th century, as they were occupied by sharecroppers through the 1940s.
