Anna Paquin & Stephen Moyer have bonded their True Love in True Blood... And today, they're enjoying a honeymoon in Italy. The following story describes how Anna Paquin & Stephen Moyer's romance matured and ultimately culminated with their marriage last month in California.
Stephen Moyer did more than just commit to taking the plunge into marriage with costar Anna Paquin. He went for it literally! As the sun set over the Pacific Ocean after their intimate 20-minute wedding ceremony in Malibu August 21, a witness says, the still-grinning groom, who swapped his dark suit for blue- and-white swim trunks, celebrated by sprinting into the sea alongside six friends. "They were screaming with their hands in the air and quickly ran back out of the water," says the onlooker. "All the guests lined up to take pictures!" It was a fittingly joyous free-for-all finale to the casual 6:30 p.m. nondenominational nuptials. Beneath an open-air tent in a vacant lot across the street from the ocean, the actors, who play passionate starcrossed lovers - telepathic part-fairy waitress Sookie and 173 -year-old Civil Warveteran vampire Bill - exchanged vows officiated by a script supervisor (who is also an ordained minister) for their hit HBO show. "They have been very secretive about the wedding, but Anna is thrilled," costar and guest Carrie Preston (who plays brassy fellow . waitress Arlene) tells Us.
The bride wore a creamcolored, ankle-length halter gown and Neil Lane jewels. But she stayed true to her self-described "goth girl" past with dark purple nail polish, and she changed into a racy red dress during the reception. "She really feels like this was all meant to be," adds Preston.
Sharing in their joy? About 150 family members and friends, including costars Ryan Kwanten (Sookie's brother, Jason), Sam Trammell (shapeshifting bar owner Sam) and Rutina Wesley (Sookie s drama-magnet pal Tara). Notably absent was Alexander Skarsgard, the show's 1,000-year-old vampire sheriff, Eric, who was tied up in Sweden filming his 2011 drama Melancholia.Postswim, the festivities continued in a nearby private residence. The purplethemed bash (think deep lavender-hued tablecloths, napkins, flowers and aisle runners) featured an all- organic menu by Eco Caters and music by Pilbilly Knights, the band of costar Todd Lowe (who plays Arlene's fiance, Iraq war vet Terry). "Steve makes her very happy," Paquin's trainer of five years, Clay Burwell of High Performance, tells Us. "Anna is in a great place right now."Their Love StoryFor the New Zealand-raised former child star, 28, it was a matter of letting Moyer in. "Anna is very cautious, but Stephen managed to break down her barriers," says a source close to the couple, who got engaged last August after a year of dating. Moyer admitted "we pretty much consider ourselves married now, even though we aren't yet" after popping the question with a gray star sapphire ring designed by Cathy Waterman. "Anna puts the biggest smile on his face," family friend David Zelly tells Us of the English actor, 40, and father of two (from previous relationships): Billy, 10, and Lilac, 8. "Congratulations to them!"
So far the newlyweds' road to romance has been remarkably smooth, unlike the saga of the characters they play on TV, who have broken up and reunited at least four times in three seasons. A source close to the actors says "they have a strong sexual chemistry that is quite overwhelming." And they haven't shied away from using it in Sookie and Bill's many explicit love scenes. "It's very obvious how physically attracted to each other they are," adds the source.Soon after meeting at an audition for the supernatural series, the pair were put up at the same hotel during filming and got to know each other over breakfast every morning in a West Hollywood cafe. "We tried to stay professional for as long as we could," Moyer has said of their relationship, which began a few months later. "But it was unstoppable."Yet Paquin and Moyer were also masters of discretion. Their costars were clueless until they announced the romance months after they started dating. "I feel like I was the last to know, but Anna swears I was one of the first," Preston tells Us. "But they kept it so under wraps!" From their first kiss (on screen!) to sharing a trailer on set, they let their love blossom while remaining dedicated to their work. However, says a set source, "when they have [private] moments, you can't help but go, 'Oh, look at that.' It is just an energy."
Indeed, Moyer pal Waterman tells Us: "To watch Stephen glow as he and Anna fell in love was simply gorgeous. They are lovers and friends and make the world a sunnier place." Not even Paquin's bisexuality gave him pause. "I knew who she was when I met her," he told Playboy of Paquin, who came out in January while filming a video for the gay-rights campaign Give a Damn. "It doesn't change anything." Paquin believes that they were destined to be together. "You can't choose who you fall in love with, as inconvenient as that maybe," she has said. "It's a luxury to get to go to work with the person I want to spend the rest of my life with, because I love my job and I'm really happy."Two of a RindAnd when they're not working on the dark drama, fun in the sun is exactly what the couple, who recently moved into a $2.2 million house in L.A.'s Venice, enjoy together. "They are not the typical Hollywood couple," says a friend of the veteran actors. (Moyer has been in the biz, mostly in his native U.K., for nearly 20 years, and she won an Oscar at age 11 for 1993's The Piano.) The pair forgo trendy spots for casual dinners at L.A.-area eateries such as the Cheesecake Factory and Hal's Bar & Grill. 'You won't find them club- hopping," the friend says. Whether riding bikes, working out at Gold's Gym or taking daily walks around their neighborhood with pups Banjo and Splash, the duo are rarely apart. "And they're usually holding hands," marvels a local. Even when Paquin, who takes boxing lessons, reports to the ring for practice, Moyer tags along. "They always come together," her coach, Freddie Roach, tells Us. "At first, he would watch her workout. Now he is getting into it, too. He's very supportive."
An equally relaxed attitude also helps. Instead of letting prewedding jitters get the best of them, Paquin and Moyer chilled out with family, including a bunch of children, at Santa Monica's BOA Steakhouse on August 16, a few days before the wedding. "That's how you know they are going to last," says a manager at the restaurant. "They were comfortable enough that they didn't feel like they needed to be all over each other. They are just laid-back and cool."Family Plans?With such asolid foundation, it's no wonder the newlyweds are preparing for the next step. Paquin recently declared she'd love to have children. "If I'm blessed with a body that will give them to me," she told Self. Or even if I'm not. There are many ways to make a family." She already makes a point of spending quality time with Moyer's kids (Lilac lives in L.A.; Billy is in the U.K.). "Anna loves them," says a source close to the couple, who have yet to honeymoon and are scheduled to present an Emmy together at the awards show August 29. "She knows how important Stephen's children are to him, so she was intent on making them feel at home [with her]." Paquin has been hands-on with the kids, even helping plan his daughter's last birthday party. "Anna has a great relationship with Lilac," says a source. "They often go out, just the two of them, and get ice cream or bike-ride." Their costar Lindsey Haun (Sookie's cousin Hadley) reveals that the couple are ready for more children. "They've been talking about childproofing the house," she tells Us. Tm sure a baby is in their future!" USCopyright US Magazine Company Sep 6, 2010
