Introduction
Enchanting Surprise: Anne Burrell’s Fairytale Wedding Unveiled—Never-Before-Seen Photos Reveal Dazzling Details, Celebrity Guests, and Magical Moments From Culinary Star’s Stunning Fall Celebration! Step Inside the Star-Studded Event That Left Everyone Speechless—Whimsical Gowns, Gourmet Feasts, and Heartfelt Vows Make This a Wedding Story No One Expected!
Chef Anne Burrell married Stuart Claxton in a fall-themed ceremony in October 2021.
The bride shared photos exclusively with PEOPLE, calling the experience “a truly dreamy and magical wedding weekend.” Scroll through to see them all.
Anne Burrell and Stuart Claxton’s Wedding Date
While appearing at the City Harvest’s 40th Anniversary Gala in April 2023, Burrell and Claxton spoke to PEOPLE exclusively about life since becoming husband and wife.
“I have to say, I love being married. We’re together all the time because Stuart works from home. It’s the being together all the time, but it’s also the adventure together,” Burrell said.
Claxton added, “It’s been wonderful, to say the least. Anne and I hadn’t lived together before we moved in and got married, so it’s been a whole adventure but very lovely at the same time.”
Burrell and Claxton got engaged in April 2020 while quarantining with her family in Upstate New York. She shared the details leading up to the special moment exclusively to PEOPLE.
“My mom and Stuart got together and made a plan where he and I were going to have a date night. She set up a beautiful table in her apartment, and we just planned a dinner for the two of us,” Burrell said. “We were having a nice time, and Stuart then starts saying, ‘Oh, this is a good song to put on a playlist for our wedding reception.’ And I’m like, ‘Okay, sure. But why are we talking about that now?’ ”
“We started talking about family and just how nice it was to be here with everyone, so I sort of started getting weepy already,” she recalled. “Then, Stuart pulls a ring out of his pants pocket, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe this is even happening.’ ”
The pair didn’t have to look far for their wedding venue, setting their sights on RedBarn20 at Windridge Estate, located in the bride’s hometown of Cazenovia, New York.
“My sister said, ‘Oh, there’s a venue that’s really great right up the street,’ ” Burrell said. “So my sister and I went and looked at it, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is it.’ And they had a date open that we wanted. So we booked it right then.”
Burrell got married with her best girlfriends by her side — including fellow celebrity chef Rachael Ray.
“My wonderful bridesmaids were amazing,” Burrell wrote on Instagram in October 2021, tagging her sister, Jane, and friends Aura Carpenter and Melissa Rosenfield.
Ray welcomed the wedding party to her home in Tuscany, Italy, as a “pre-moon/bachelorette situation” before Burrell and Claxton said, “I do.”
Burrell arrived down the aisle in a horse and carriage.
“I don’t care about the cheese factor. Every time I mention the horse and carriage, Stuart laughs a little bit,” she told PEOPLE. “And I’m like, ‘Alright, whatever. It’s my moment ,and I mean to have it.’ ”
Weeks after the wedding, Burrell reflected on exchanging her vows with her husband during an appearance on the Rachael Ray Show in October 2021.
“We wrote our own vows, which I thought were very cute and lovely,” she told host Ray, a first-time bridesmaid at the event. “And when it came to the time when they said I had to say, ‘I do,’ it just came out of me like, ‘YES, I DO!’ ”
Her favorite moment from it all?
“It was just filled with love and happiness and joy and dancing,” Burrell told Ray. “It just felt like love.”
The Food Network star’s dress was made by Carolina Herrera.
“It was actually the first dress I tried on,” Burrell said. “It’s dreamy and romantic, and I feel very classic — though with an updated twist.”
Burrell previously told PEOPLE, “I’ve loved Carolina Herrera forever because I feel like she knows how to dress real women. You don’t have to be a stick figure, which I’m clearly not, but it still makes you feel beautiful and dreamy.”
The groom wore a black tuxedo by Ralph Lauren Purple Label.
“I feel very lucky to be wearing such a nice tuxedo,” Claxton said. “It’s lovely.”
As for shoes, Claxton and his groomsmen opted for something nostalgic to coordinate with the dresses — orange Nike high-tops.
“I wanted it to be fun and have a sense of whimsy,” Burrell said of the playful sneaker choice.
Due to the rainy weather, a sailcloth tent served as a gorgeous setting for around 140 guests to watch the couple exchange their vows.
Autumn décor was a central component of the couple’s wedding theme — “the abundance of harvest time” — with vegetables, herbs and colorful leaves adorning the tablescapes.
Anne Burrell with bridesmaids (from left) Aura Carpenter, Melissa Rosenfield, Jane Burrell and Rachael Ray.Kerri Lynne Photography
The burnt orange bridesmaid dresses were custom-made because Burrell had difficulty finding exactly what she liked.
“I was looking around at bridesmaid dresses, and everything just sort of seemed shapeless and pastels. And I’m like, ‘That’s not really my jam,’ ” she said.
Burrell ultimately decided on “classic 50s-style party dresses” with an A-lined, tea-length skirt.
Claxton’s son, Javier, from a previous marriage, was his best man and gave a hilarious speech to kick off the night.
Burrell personally perfected the menu with the caterers over many months.
The starter was a roasted cauliflower steak with cauliflower purée, crispy potato shoestrings with crème fraîche and caviar. The pasta course was a goat-cheese-and-pumpkin ravioli in a sage butter sauce, with frizzled Brussels sprouts leaves, toasted pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil. For the entrée, they chose a duo plate of braised short ribs with a celery root and parsnip purée and herb-and-potato-crusted halibut on a bed of spaghetti squash, with Tuscan kale and pistachio pesto.
Wedding planner Megan Hiltbrand of MLH Events helped bring Burrell’s fall “fairytale” vision to life.
The couple’s six-tier wedding cake was created by Cake Boss star Buddy Valastro. Half the tiers were zucchini cake, and the other half were olive oil-, lemon- and rosemary-flavored.
Following dinner, Burrell and Claxton started the party with their first dance to Imagine Dragons’ “On Top of the World.” The pair had the dance choreographed and practiced for weeks so they didn’t “look like a couple of knuckleheads,” Burrell said with a laugh.
Burrell and Claxton met on the dating app Bumble in 2018.
“People ask me about it, and they’re like, ‘Oh, you give me hope,’ ” Burrell said. “And I’m like, ‘You’ve got to stick with it, and you’ve got to know what you want out of it, and persevere. It’s not like, if you try one or two dates and you don’t meet your prince charming. Oh, forget it. It’s never going to happen. You’ve got to work at it a little bit.’ ”
After what Burrell described as “the happiest day” of her life, the two headed back to their Brooklyn apartment in lieu of a honeymoon.
“I’m very happy to just have some home time and enjoy newlywed bliss at home for a little while,” she said.