Madonna and Sean Penn’s Wedding: Guests and the newlyweds in Malibu (August 16, 1985)
And she and Sean are just so in love.
—Andy Warhol
It was held at the Malibu home of Elda and Dan Unger, friends of Sean’s parents, close to Madonna and Sean’s residence.
Andy recalled in his Diaries that being in Los Angeles felt like an epiphany, while returning to 1980s New York felt like a nightmare. On the way to the wedding in Malibu, he saw helicopters in the distance and knew they were getting close. Reporters had found out where the wedding was, and around ten helicopters were flying over the area. Warhol compared the scene to Apocalypse Now.
The guest list brought together Hollywood’s actors, writers, and directors from Penn’s side, and New York’s downtown art world, Madonna’s Michigan circle and family, and her Warner Bros. team.
Madonna’s guests included her former dance teacher Christopher Flynn, her family, Keith Haring, Debi Mazar, Maripol, Diane Keaton, Steve Rubell, Mo Ostin, Herb Ritts, David Geffen, Martin Burgoyne, and Andy Warhol, who had been invited by Burgoyne. Sean’s invitees included his family and a group of young Hollywood talent: Cher, James Foley, Carrie Fisher, Charlie Sheen, Judd Nelson, Rob Lowe, Timothy Hutton, Cameron Crowe, Harry Dean Stanton, Robert Duvall, and David Letterman.
“FUCK OFF” was inscribed by Sean Penn in twelve-foot-tall letters on the beach below the Ungers’ home so photographers could not use their shots, since editors would not publish images containing the profanity.
Tom Cruise asked Maripol if he could hitch a ride to his car to avoid the paparazzi, then threw himself into the back of the limo with Martin Burgoyne, Keith Haring, Steve Rubell, and Warhol. Maripol ended up sitting on his lap.
Cher and Tom Cruise would meet here to a year later date and become a couple. Cher would call him later one of his top 5 lovers.
That’s Madonna giving her middle finger to the choppers for the interruption and noise.
The only boring celebrity there was Diane Keaton, really.
—Andy Warhol