Some fans spent the second half of the Super Bowl focused on the Seattle Seahawks closing out a decisive victory over the New England Patriots. Others were concerned with another question: Did that couple who appeared in the wedding scene during Bad Bunny’s halftime show just get married for real?
Yes, the couple did get married live onstage, according to Bad Bunny’s public relations agency.
The Puerto Rican singer led a joyful celebration of Latin culture, performed mostly in Spanish. It featured a sugar cane field, domino players, a New York-style street scene complete with a bodega and a pan-American parade, and yes, a wedding scene.
About halfway through the 13-minute performance, a couple dressed in white kissed in front of an officiant dressed in black, surrounded by other dancers. The crowd parted after a moment to reveal Lady Gaga, who danced with Bad Bunny to his song “Baile Inolvidable” in a scene reminiscent of a wedding reception, including a cake and a child sleeping on some chairs in a corner.
The couple had invited Bad Bunny to their planned wedding, according to the statement from the singer’s public relations agency, which did not name them or provide any details about them. In response, they received an invitation to be part of his halftime show and were married there, with Bad Bunny serving as a witness and signing their marriage certificate.
The lead-up to Bad Bunny’s performance was marked by harsh culture-war rhetoric and the overall solemnity of this tense moment in American politics. But the performance itself was a joyful showcase of some of the most ecstatic and celebratory aspects of Latin culture.
Hayley Paige, the wedding dress designer who provided the gown worn by the bride, said that she had been asked to supply a few dresses in January, but did not know until the last minute that her dress would be worn during the show.
In an interview, Ms. Paige recalled her excitement when she was told that her dress might be worn by a real bride getting married on the spot. “It wasn’t just a performance,” she said. “It was for a real moment for a girl to just have a time of joy and say yes to her person.”
She watched the halftime show from her atelier in Palm Beach, Fla.
“It’s the best game there is, the best sporting event there is: It’s love,” she added. (Some football fans may disagree, though.)
Sadiba Hasan reports on love and culture for the Styles section of The Times.
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