Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash have celebrated another romantic wedding anniversary, marking four years since the unforgettable day they exchanged vows surrounded by family and friends at their beloved Pickle Cottage.

Their beautiful garden celebration in July 2022 looked every inch the dream celebrity wedding — from the fairytale setting and emotional family moments to Stacey’s carefully planned DIY touches.

But behind the picture-perfect occasion lies one surprising detail that many fans may not realise.

Despite referring to themselves as husband and wife, the ceremony held at their Essex family home was reportedly not legally binding.

The surprising truth behind their Pickle Cottage wedding

Stacey and Joe transformed the grounds of Pickle Cottage into a romantic countryside wedding venue for their intimate celebration in 2022.

However, because the ceremony took place at their private home, reports have stated that the blessing itself did not constitute a legally recognised marriage ceremony.

Under marriage rules in England and Wales, legal requirements must be met for a marriage to be officially registered, including requirements relating to the ceremony and authorised arrangements.

The couple reportedly intended to complete the necessary legal formalities separately after their garden celebration.

However, according to reports, they never got around to completing that final step.

That means their spectacular Pickle Cottage wedding may have represented their emotional commitment to one another without necessarily establishing a legal marriage.

For Stacey, however, the meaning behind the vows appears to matter far more than paperwork.

She has previously made clear that she does not believe a certificate is what defines the strength of their relationship.

And four years after their magical celebration, Stacey and Joe continue to publicly embrace life together as a devoted couple and parents to their large blended family.

A wedding built around family

Their 2022 celebration was designed to feel deeply personal rather than like a traditional celebrity spectacle.

Held within the grounds of their sprawling Essex home, the wedding featured a relaxed countryside-fairytale theme, with white and sage-green details helping create the romantic atmosphere.

But the most important part of the day was undoubtedly their family.

Stacey’s eldest sons, Zachary and Leighton, played an emotional role by walking their mother down the aisle alongside her father.

Joe’s son Harry and the couple’s young son Rex were involved as page boys, while their daughter Rose was given the adorable role of flower girl.

Even the family dogs, Peanut and Teddy, were included in the celebrations, wearing outfits for the special occasion.

It was exactly the kind of family-centred event fans had come to expect from Stacey, whose home life has become a major part of her public persona.

Her close friend Sophie Hinchliffe — widely known as Mrs Hinch — was reportedly among her bridesmaids, while friends from the entertainment world joined the couple for the celebration.

Guests included Linda Robson, while former TOWIE star Ricky Rayment reportedly served as one of Joe’s best men.

Music, dancing and a very personal celebration

Entertainment also played a major role in the festivities.

James Argent and The Arg Band performed for guests, including during the couple’s first dance, before a DJ kept the celebrations going with classic UK garage tracks.

Rather than choosing a luxury hotel or exclusive country estate, Stacey and Joe decided to create their dream celebration at home.

The decision reflected Stacey’s famous love of DIY projects and personal touches.

She reportedly worked with IKEA to provide items including tables, chairs, crockery and cutlery for the garden celebration, with furniture later donated to charity.

It was an approach that made the wedding feel distinctly personal — glamorous enough for a major celebration, but still unmistakably “Stacey”.

Guests were asked to put their phones away

Privacy was another important part of the day.

Guests were reportedly asked not to use their mobile phones during the celebration, allowing the couple and their loved ones to enjoy the occasion without worrying about private photographs immediately appearing online.

Stacey later shared selected images from the wedding herself.

Rather than following the traditional celebrity route of selling exclusive wedding photographs, she reportedly allowed publications to use certain pictures on the condition that money was donated to a children’s bereavement charity.

The decision added another meaningful element to a day already filled with deeply personal touches.

Their love story began years before romance

Stacey and Joe’s relationship had been years in the making before they eventually became a couple.

They first crossed paths through I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! after Stacey appeared on the programme in 2010.

Although they knew one another for years, romance did not immediately follow.

The pair eventually began dating in 2016, and their relationship quickly became one of British television’s most familiar celebrity partnerships.

Then, on Christmas Eve in 2020, Joe proposed during a woodland walk.

Stacey later shared the emotional milestone with fans, beginning the journey toward the Pickle Cottage celebration that would take place in July 2022.

Life with their blended family

Today, family remains at the centre of Stacey and Joe’s relationship.

Together, they share children Rex, Rose and Belle, while Stacey is also mum to Zachary and Leighton from previous relationships.

Joe also has son Harry from a previous relationship.

Their blended family has frequently appeared in the couple’s social media updates and television projects, giving viewers a glimpse into the organised chaos of life inside Pickle Cottage.

Stacey and Joe have also been open about the realities of balancing parenting, relationships and demanding television careers.

Their lives are far from the polished image sometimes associated with celebrity couples — something that has arguably become a major part of their appeal.

They regularly share the funny, exhausting and occasionally chaotic realities of raising a large family.

“A piece of paper” doesn’t define their relationship

The revelation surrounding the legal status of their wedding may sound dramatic, but it does not appear to have changed how Stacey and Joe view their commitment.

For them, the emotional significance of exchanging vows in front of the people they love appears to remain the defining moment.

Their anniversary therefore celebrates the day they publicly committed themselves to one another — regardless of whether every legal formality was completed afterward.

The couple have also continued to dismiss speculation about trouble in their relationship, presenting a united family life despite acknowledging that, like any couple, they face everyday pressures.

Between raising six children across their blended family, filming television programmes and managing their individual careers, their lives remain exceptionally busy.

Perhaps, as reports have suggested, life simply got in the way of completing the paperwork.

Four years on from their fairytale day

Four years after transforming Pickle Cottage into their own countryside wedding venue, Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash have plenty to celebrate.

Their 2022 ceremony may not have followed the conventional route — and reportedly may not have resulted in a legally registered marriage — but emotionally, the couple have consistently treated that day as their wedding.

It was a celebration built around their children, their home and the life they had created together.

And perhaps that is what makes the surprising detail about their marriage so fascinating.

To the outside world, a legal certificate may represent the official definition of marriage.

But for Stacey and Joe, the vows exchanged in the garden of Pickle Cottage appear to carry a significance that no piece of paperwork could easily replace.

Years later, they are still celebrating that day as their anniversary — surrounded by the family and home that were at the heart of their love story from the very beginning.