Britney Spears' wild New Year's Eve party which ended with whirlwind wedding
Britney Spears shocked fans across the world when it was revealed she had married her childhood friend Jason Alexander in Las Vegas in 2004.
The pair exchanged vows after the ultimate New Year’s Eve party in Sin City turned into a three-day bender and they ended up husband and wife holed up in a lavish Las Vegas hotel suite.
However, pair’s union lasted just 55 hours giving the newly-weds barely time to get over their hangovers.
Back in 2004, Britney was 22 and still at the height of her powers. She was arguably the most famous pop star in the world having just released her hugely successful fourth album In The Zone.
She was gearing up to hit the road for her Onyx Hotel Tour when she headed to Las Vegas with friends for a New Year weekend away.
She’d grown up with Jason in Kentwood, Louisiana and sent him a text asking him if he’d like to join her in Vegas to ring in 2004.
The singer even took the liberty of flying him out there in a private jet.
In an interview with America’s ABC News, Jason said of the trip: “It wasn’t really a booty call. It was just, you know, a friend asking a friend to come on a trip.”
He described their relationship as friends “with benefits” but admitted he was totally in love with the superstar.
Britney was staying at the Palms resort in the hotel’s famous Real World Suite and she was booked in under the name Alotta Warmheart
On New Year’s Eve, she was seen partying at the Palms’ Rain and Ghostbar, returning again on New Year’s Day.
On January 2, the gang headed to the cinema to see Julia Roberts movie Mona Lisa Smile before going back to the hotel bars for the third night in a row.
After the party ended, Britney and Jason retired to her suite to watch The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and that was when they decided to get married.
Jason said trip was a particularly boozy affair and when Britney suggested they tie the knot, he readily agreed.
(Image: Splash News)
(Image: Palms.com)
He said: “She just came out and asked me. She was like, ‘Well, let’s get married.’ And I was like, ‘Sure. You know, let’s do this…
“I went with my feelings. I was in love with her… I feel like she felt the same way.”
They ended at the Little White Wedding Chapel, which has hosted numerous celebrity nuptials over the years and is known for being the spot where Bruce Willis wed Demi Moore back in 1987.
The bride-to-be and her groom took a limousine to the venue around 5.30am on the morning of January 3 2004.
However, they were turned away by staff there who told them they needed to get a marriage licence.
The pair obliged and headed back to the chapel with the correct documents.
(Image: Getty)
The wedding picture showed Britney wearing a black crop top and jeans with a white baseball cap, while Jason rocked an almost identical outfit.
Reports suggested Britney was escorted down the aisle by the limousine driver.
The ceremony lasted just seven minutes and cost $70.
Afterwards, the pair went back to the suite together.
(Image: Getty Images for GLAAD)
However, their wedded bliss didn’t last long as Jason said: “Everyone went crazy because there was no prenup.”
An annulment was rushed through in just 55 hours meaning the pair were both single again just over two days after the wedding.
They signed the papers on the afternoon of January 3 – just hours after they tied the knot and then went out for a steak dinner afterwards.
Jason later admitted he felt crushed by the way the marriage was ended so swiftly.
According to the annulment documents, it was claimed Britney “lacked understanding of her actions, to the extent that she was incapable of agreeing to the marriage.”
(Image: WireImage)
However, her former husband insisted that wasn’t true and said he only signed the papers because he wanted to be a “nice guy”.
He then flew home in economy class after his whirlwind few days.
Britney later opened up about the wild wedding and admitted she was just being a bit of a rebel.
Speaking in an E! News special, she said: “It was me being silly, being rebellious, and not really taking the responsibility of what I was doing, you know?
“And after partying, you know, you really don’t think about what you’re doing. So it was one of those things that were really silly…
“I think I was running away from something, I didn’t quite know what.”
Britney went on to get engaged to dancer Kevin Federline just months after the Las Vegas wedding and they married in the autumn of that year.
They became parents to two sons before splitting in 2006.
