Ben Ofoedu tied the knot thi week with his new wife, 29-year-old Vanessa Brown, whom he calls “Vanessa 2.0”.
From famous guests and a stunning drone show to his age-gap bride’s message to Ben’s ex, Vanessa Feltz, here’s an inside look at their £100k wedding in Cumbria.
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Who did Ben Ofoedu marry?
Ben, 52, first met Vanessa, who is 23 years his junior, last year, whilst he was still with his old girlfriend, Precious. They met at an awards ceremony in April of last year. However, their romance didn’t begin until a few months later.
After the singer split from Precious, he moved on with Vanessa, an aesthetics expert who grew up in Cumbria.
In February, after a month of dating, Ben and Vanessa got engaged in New York City.
“Vanessa was completely surprised. They were walking through the park, reminiscing about Elf, when Ben suddenly proposed,” a source told The Sun at the time.
“It was so heartfelt — happy tears, laughter, and, of course, an immediate yes!”
Yesterday (Wednesday, July 16), six months after getting engaged, they tied the knot in a lavish ceremony at Rose Castle, Cumbria.
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Inside Ben Ofoedu and Vanessa Brown’s wedding
The ceremony is estimated to have cost £100k, featured famous guests and a drone show depicting the couple’s love story that cost thousands.
In pictures obtained by the Daily Mail, Vanessa dazzled in a Berta Privee strapless lace gown, whilst Ben donned a cream suit and black shirt for the nuptials.
The big day began on a smaller scale, with a blessing taking place in a tiny church. The wedding then moved onto the lawns of the castle for the celebration afterwards.
Among the 72 guests were a few famous faces, including Boyzone’s Keith Duffy, S Club 7’s Bradley McIntosh, and 911’s Lee Brennan.
Ben’s best man was another famous face, none other than Boyzone’s Shane Lynch.
Ben’s former Phats & Small bandmate, Rodney Williams, also gave a speech during the evening.
First dance, expensive champagne and stunning drone show
The Boyzone connection didn’t stop there, with Ben and Vanessa’s first dance being to the band’s hit song, Every Day I Love You. There was also a wild singalong on the dancefloor, led by the couple’s VIP Boyzone star guests.
Guests toasted the happy couple with glasses of £33-per-bottle Jean-Noel Heritage Champagne, before being treated to a stunning £7,500 drone show.
The show told Ben and Vanessa’s love story, which began in April 2024 after a chance meeting backstage at a gala dinner celebrating businessmen and women in Carlisle. Ben was performing at the dinner.
Their chance meeting was described extensively in their order of service, presumably for anyone not able to follow the drone show…
“We met on the 19th April 2024 at the Elite Awards in Carlisle – a night we will never forget. It just so happened that Ben was performing [at the event] with Boyz on Block as a last-minute addition after Boyzlife [comprising Boyzone’s Duffy and Westlife’s Brian McFadden] had to cancel. If Brian and Keith had not stepped back, Ben wouldn’t have been on that stage, and we might never have met,” it read.
“After the show, we ended up chatting – nothing planned or forced. That conversation sparked something real, and everything changed from there. Since that night, we’ve packed a lifetime into a year. Then, in February 2025, during the most unforgettable trip to New York, Ben proposed. Now standing here on our wedding day with all of you, it’s surreal and beautiful to think how it all began.”
The dinner afterwards consisted of lobster ravioli, roast chicken, salmon and cheese soufflé.
What happened between Ben Ofoedu and Vanessa Feltz?
In an interview with the Mail after the ceremony, Ben took a dig at his ex-fiancée, Vanessa Feltz.
“I almost gave up on marriage, thinking there wasn’t a lady that would walk down the aisle for me. I can’t believe the day has come, it is a dream come true. It feels like I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life. This is the finale of the chapter that was 17 years of my life,” he said.
Enjoy your retirement, your family and just chill. Stop talking about it, it’s so tragic!
Ben was, of course, referring to his relationship with Vanessa, who he split from in 2023 after she discovered he’d cheated. He also added that he’d “wasted” 17 years of his life with his long engagement to Vanessa.
Ben’s dig at Vanessa
Not content to stop there Ben also hit out at the fact that Vanessa would talk about their sex life on TV, something which affected him.
“But I know she [Vanessa Feltz] will look at these pictures today and see that everyone here knows the truth about our relationship and the narrative she spun. This love with Vanessa [Brown] has made me realise that the other one didn’t love me as much as she made out, we had two different definitions of love,” he said.
New bride Vanessa, meanwhile, added that she couldn’t imagine spending the rest of her life with anyone else.
She also took a pop at Vanessa, saying: “To be honest I don’t care whatsoever. I couldn’t care less about her. She is his ex – I have exes – and they’re in the past. Why would you care? Enjoy your retirement, your family and just chill. Stop talking about it. It’s so tragic! Part of me feels sorry for her. But it’s my life and I don’t care.”
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