Hitched and... ditched in 2008

Trust celebrities to deliver the goods. 2008 was no different, as they went about their business of marrying, divorcing and clawing each other's eyes out in court with great passion.

Manjusha Radhakrishnan looks back at some of the stars who left an indelible impression in the past 12 months.

Hitched

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon

When: April 30
The way they like it? Their whirlwind romance and their hasty nuptials may have taken everybody by surprise, but their secret sunset ceremony at the popstar's Bahamian Windemere Island estate was a hit. At least the ceremony put to rest questions as to whether the 17-carat, $2.5 million (Dh9.18 million) engagement ring was just an attention-grabbing gimmick to up the sales of Carey's latest album.

Sanjay Dutt and Manyata

When: February
The way they like it? Troubled Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt chose to stay away from the usual song-and-dance wedding extravaganza and chose to solemnise his vows at a court in Goa as per the Hindu rituals.

Third time lucky?: Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller

When: May 30
The way they like it? Clad in a Reem Acra gown, Mueller exchanged vows with her long time boyfriend Sheen in an intimate ceremony at a Beverly Hills estate.

He said: "I was telling a couple of friends last night that this feels like my first real marriage. The first one was a show, the second one was a con, and this one is the real deal," Sheen was quoted in a popular magazine.

Power packed couple: Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni

When: February 2
The way they like it? Twice-divorced Sarkozy, who became the first bachelor president of France, altered his single status in a jiffy by marrying the supermodel-turned-songwriter Carla Bruni at a civil ceremony at the Elysee Palace. It took him just three months of dating the leggylicious model to pop the question.

Finally they did it wedding: Beyonce Knowles and Jay Z

When: April 4
The way they like it? Shrouded in secrecy, the superstar couple who have dated for the last five years made it official in an intimate rooftop ceremony in New York.

The longest survivor award: Morgan Freeman and Myrna Colley-Lee

Survival period: 8 years of dating plus 24 years of marriage
Their parting shot: The Academy award winner may have survived a car crash, but he was not able to salvage his three-decade long relationship with his college sweetheart Myrna. Perhaps that's because he was travelling with his mistress in the fated vehicle.

No frills quckie wedding: Jessica Alba and Cash Warren

When: May 19
The way they like it? Here is one couple who said their "I dos" in a clinical courthouse in Beverly Hills. The highlights included getting married under an arch studded with fake white flowers, applying for a marriage licence, waiting 40 minutes for them to process it and having the witness provided by the court as their only guest.
Party girl: Seven months later, they threw a big wedding reception. "Everyone I know hates weddings. I've been to very big, beautiful and romantic weddings, but I would rather just throw a big party," was Alba's line of defence.

James Gandolfini and Deborah Lin

When: September 1
The way they like it? A 20-minute ceremony at the Lin's hometown Honolulu in Hawaii and a church wedding at the
historical Central Union Church was the beginning of their road to marital bliss.

Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson

When: May 17
The way they like it: With the help of the wedding planner Mindy Weiss, Simpson brought to life her fairytale wedding. A private ceremony at her parents' Los Angeles home and an Alice In Wonderland themed reception is just scratching the surface of the extravagant affair. Even the ring bearer — English Bulldog Hemingway — was looking dandy in an Elizabethan collar coat.

Call of the wild?: Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds

When: September 27
The way they like it? At a remote lodge in British Columbia, Canada the handsome couple hung up their boots. Aside from the usual wedding fun, salmon hunting and horse back riding were also on the agenda.

They got married too

Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen
When: April 18

Nicole Appleton and Liam Gallagher
When: February 14

Preeti Jhangiani and Parvin Dabas
When: March 23

Ditched

Robin Williams and Marsha Garces

Survival period: 20 years of togetherness
Their parting shot: "Irreconcilable differences." As in, Williams apparently can't tell the difference between a bottle of vodka and a bottle of water.

Will they or won't they... split: Liv Tyler and Royston Langdon

Survival period: 5 years of marriage
Their parting shot: With no acrimony, bad blood or ugly custody battles between the two, this celeb-couple have decided to raise their three-year-old son together while living apart.

Costliest divorce: Madonna and Guy Ritchie

Date of marriage: December 2000
Settlement amount: It was revealed that Madonna was to give Ritchie between £50 and 60 million (Dh267 — 321 million). The figure is inclusive of the value of the couple's country home, Ashcombe.

Heather Mills and Paul McCartney

Date of Marriage: June 2002
Settlement amount: It was revealed that McCartney was to pay activist and former model Mills a whopping $48.6 million (Dh178.6 million).

Shortest marriage: Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds

Marriage date: January 1
Survival period: Two weeks
Their parting shot: They could not have chose a better one than New Year's day to profess their undying love for one another. At a private sunset ceremony on a private island off Bora Bora, Murphy got hitched in true fairytale style. But two weeks later, they decided to call it quits. By the looks of it, Murphy and Edmonds' New Year's resolution did not exactly read "Till death do us part".

Pink and Carey Hart

Survival period: 2 years of marriage
Their parting shot: Using technology to the best of her advantage, Pink posted this post-split message: "The most important thing for you all to know is that Carey and I love each other so much. This break-up is not about cheating, anger or fighting. We are best friends, and we will continue to be." Then came her album and the hit So What that suggests otherwise.

Marry in haste, repent at leisure: Kate Walsh and Alex Young

Survival period: 1 year
Their parting shot: Together for barely a year, this couple is a walking testament to the catastrophic results of quickies.

They parted ways, too

Emily (Dixie Chick) and Charlie Robison
Survival period: 10 years of togetherness

Star Jones and Al Reynolds
Survival period: Three years

Shania Twain and Robert Mutt
Survival period: 14 years of marriage.