Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Kayleigh Donaldson | Celebrity | February 16, 2026
Valentine's Day is a time for romance and overpriced roses. If you're Maya Hawke, it's the perfect date for a gorgeous New York wedding.
The Stranger Things star tied the knot with musician Christian Lee Huston over the weekend, much to the surprise of pretty much everyone who didn't even know she was engaged. See, celebrities can keep secrets. Maya's famous parents, Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, were in attendance, and wow, Maya has NEVER looked more like her mother than she did at her wedding. Also among the guest list were many of Maya's Stranger Things co-stars, like Finn Wolfhard, Sadie Sink, and Natalia Dyer. No Quentin Tarantino, as far as I can tell. Maybe he was against the strict "shoes mandatory" rule.
God DANG, that is a gorgeous dress. I don't envy anyone braving the February cold for a wedding, but Maya's coat and feathery trim are so perfect for the season. Also, there's just something so rom-com movie romantic about walking the streets of NYC to your wedding. Carrie Bradshaw wishes.
Okay, let me try and add some substance to this piece. It is fascinating how these photos are a People Magazine exclusive. We're past the days where it was commonplace for A-Listers to sell their wedding photos to tabloid mags. Remember when Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas were paid over $1 million for the rights to their big day (then another magazine snuck into the event to snap some creeper photos and get the front page before the competition?) Hawke is not quite an A-Lister, certainly not compared to what her parents were like at their married prime, but she is an established name (albeit a nepo one) who was on one of the biggest shows of the decade, and there would certainly be interest in her wedding. Did she secure this People deal to earn a few extra dollars, or at least keep a few for herself before the paparazzi camped out on her doorstep? It's not a terrible strategy, although it does feel surprisingly old school for 2026.
I don't foresee a lot of big-time actors going back to the days of Hello!-exclusive wedding shoots and million-dollar paydays for baby photos, if only because the industry isn't as flush with cash as it once was. A lot of bigger names still prefer privacy and using their money to secure it. But if you're Maya Hawke and you want the photos of your big day to look gorgeous and help alleviate some reception planning costs, why not?
