Star Trek: Strange New Worlds star Paul Wesley is opening up about his recent, beautifully unpredictable wedding to model Natalie Kuckenburg.
Speaking candidly on panel press lines at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, the 44-year-old actor revealed that while he and Kuckenburg, 26, originally set out to plan a traditional, large-scale ceremony, they ultimately pivoted to a spontaneous courthouse elopement.
“I just got married, yeah, eloped,” Wesley told Entertainment Tonight. “We were planning a big wedding, and then we were like let’s just get legally married.”
The decision came down to securing a rare venue opening. The couple had long admired the historic Santa Barbara Courthouse, but encountered a three-month waiting list for civil ceremonies.
“We were waiting for a cancelation at the Santa Barbara courthouse because it’s such a beautiful courthouse,” Wesley explained. “But it was booked out for three months, and we found a cancelation the night before.”
What followed was a 24-hour whirlwind of wedding preparation that turned out to be the ultimate romantic memory:
“Natalie is so amazing. She found a dress that day, and then we ended up literally doing everything, hiring the photographer. Everything was [done] the day before, and it was so special because, because it was so spontaneous, it made it more special,” Wesley added. “It was just us and our dog. It was amazing.”
Wesley and Kuckenburg were first romantically linked in 2022 before announcing their engagement in July 2025. By trading months of stressful wedding planning for a spontaneous, dog-friendly civil ceremony, the newlyweds officially tied the knot in true, memorable style.
