You Won’t Believe How Much This ‘Happy Days’ Star Spent on His Wedding
Nowadays, when an A-list celebrity ties the knot, it’s during a glamorous, extravagant wedding that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars (and that’s on the cheap side of things).
But, with Ron Howard — who married his high school sweetheart, Cheryl Alley, in 1975 — his wedding cost less than a grand.
“It was a small, very modest wedding in Burbank, California,” Howard told People when discussing the day he and Cheryl became husband and wife.’ The couple recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, and Howard reflected on how they kept costs low.
“It was important to Cheryl’s dad that he pay for it, so therefore it was important to Cheryl to not let it get out of hand,” he said. Howard wrote in his 2021 memoir, The Boys, that his wedding cost just $800 — total! — and that included his bride’s dress.
But there was a chance that the party (and the budget) could blow up. “We sent out invitations to 300 people, and Cheryl kept saying, ‘That’s huge.’ My mom kept saying, ‘They won’t all show up,'” Howard said. But, apparently, nobody wanted to miss that day.
“[The] church was chock-a-block full,” said Howard. “It was everybody from The Andy Griffith Show, everybody from Happy Days, and so many other friends, Cheryl’s friends as well.”
Thankfully, the party (and the bill) didn’t get out of hand. “It was a great day,” said Ron. “My mom and dad had a small kind of champagne punch reception back at their house. The whole thing was super modest, but you know what? By God, it worked.”
Now, 50 years later, Howard remains as much in love with Cheryl as he was when they exchanged vows. “I just knew I wanted to be with Cheryl, and that we’d be great together,” he said. “If you would’ve asked me then, will you celebrate your 50th wedding anniversary? I would’ve said, ‘Yeah, if we live that long, absolutely.’ I was just so sure.”
Remind