All The Times John And Marlena Got Married On Days Of Our Lives
"Days of Our Lives" viewers have been watching super-couple John Black (Drake Hogestyn) and Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) for decades. The couple are one of the most beloved parings in soap opera history and have become a staple on daytime television over the decades (via We Love Soaps). John and Marlena's relationship has been anything but easy. However, the couple always finds a way to make things work. They first met in 1986 when John came to Salem with no memory of his life, per Soaps. Marlena tried to help him recover the memories, and the two fell in love. Eventually, John was believed to be Marlena's presumed dead husband, Roman Brady, and they grew even closer.
However, the real Roman eventually returned to Salem and things began getting messy from there. Over the years, John and Marlena have split up and gotten back together nearly too many times to count. The couple has also blended their family, as both John and Marlena have children from previous relationships and share their daughter Belle Black, per Soap Hub.
Because of all of the drama in their lives, John and Marlena have gotten married and divorced numerous times and fans have loved each and every one of their weddings.
John and Marlena first tied the knot in 1986
The first wedding of John Black and Marlena Evans was quite the occasion for "Days of Our Lives" viewers. The couple originally wed in August 1986 at Saint Luke's Catholic Church, per Soap Hub. At the time John was thought to be Marlena's former husband Roman Brady (via Soaps). Maggie Horton (Suzanne Rogers) served as Marlena's matron of honor while Abe Caver (James Reynolds) was John's best man. The pair lived as man and wife until Marlena was presumed dead in a plane crash, per Soap Central. During that time, she was actually being held captive on a remote island. When she finally returned to Salem, she reunited with John, who still believed himself to be Roman. Marlena and John set off to find her captors, and in the process they found the real Roman.
Following Roman's return to Salem, Marlena was conflicted about her love for the two men; she ultimately decided to rekindle her romance with Roman, whom she believed to be her true husband. However, she couldn't fight her feelings for John. Although John vowed to leave Salem as to not get in the way, he couldn't stay away from the love of his life. John and Marlena then carried on an affair that was discovered by Marlena's daughter, Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney).
Marlena got pregnant with John's baby at this time, and the pair later welcomed their daughter Isabella Black (via Nine). However, that wasn't the end of their epic love story.
John and Marlena married again in 1999
After John Black and Marlena Evans' affair was discovered, things went from bad to worse. "Days of Our Lives" fans watched as Marlena and Roman Brady's marriage fell apart. They eventually got divorced, and Marlena went through a traumatic ordeal when she was possessed by the devil (via We Love Soaps). During that time, John became a priest, and he performed the exorcism that ultimately saved her life. Following the possession, John quit the priesthood and nearly married Kristen DiMera (then Eileen Davidson). However, his love for Marlena continued to shine through. The couple reunited again.
Finally, in July 1999 John and Marlena married a second time. This time, the wedding was a huge ordeal for "Days of Our Lives" viewers to enjoy. Marlena's children Sami Brady and Eric Brady (then Jensen Ackles) served as the wedding party at the lavish ceremony. Following the wedding, John and Marlena enjoyed their honeymoon in Hawaii, per Soaps.
However, the couple's happiness wouldn't last. While in Hawaii, John was brainwashed by Hope Brady, who was also brainwashed to believe that she was Princess Gina, per Soap Central. John and Gina got intimate and after they were cured of their brainwashing, it was discovered that Hope was pregnant. She later gave birth to a son named John Thomas, whom she believed to be John's biological child. However, it was later revealed that Hope's husband, Bo Brady, was JT's real father.
Marlena remarried John in 2002 after Alex North's death
Once the paternity drama was cleared up on "Days of Our Lives," a shocking new plot twist occurred. Marlena Evans was revealed to be a serial killer nicknamed The Salem Stalker. However, Marlena didn't actually kill any of her so-called victims. She and all of the presumed dead characters eventually ended up at a remote location called Melaswen Island, which was orchestrated by the DiMeras.
During this time, Marlena and Roman Brady (Josh Taylor) were tortured by Stefano DiMera, who forced them to watch their spouses John Black and Kate Roberts (Lauren Koslow) form a romance in their absence (via Soap Central). While Kate and John were getting intimate, so were Roman and Marlena. When the pair returned to Salem it was revealed that Marlena was pregnant with Roman's baby. Sadly, Marlena suffered a miscarriage after falling down the stairs and awoke with amnesia.
Dr. Alex North was called in to treat Marlena, but it was revealed that the pair had a past connection, per Soaps in Depth. They had once been married, and he had been Marlena's first husband, who was presumed dead. Marlena was torn between John and Alex but decided to reunite with her first husband. John later exposed Alex as a fraud, and the doctor was killed when he fell off a cliff.
Marlena's marriage to Alex made all of her other marriages void. So she and John decided to get remarried in March 2002, per Soaps.
John and Marlena finally made it official in 2018
Following Alex North's death, John Black began to research his family history, which had always been a mystery to him. The search led him and Marlena Evans to Italy for answers. While abroad, John and Marlena opted to show their love by renewing their vows in a sweet ceremony in December 2006. Sadly, John and Marlena's marriage and vow renewal were also proven to be invalid after they learned that John had legally married Hope when they were both brainwashed years prior, per Soap Central. John and Hope were forced to go to Albania to get a divorce. Once John returned he and Marlena settled into life together.
In August 2018, John and Marlena held yet another wedding ceremony at Horton Square. They pair were happy to finally be officially wed after years of confusion and drama. However, their dream wedding didn't go off without a hitch. Sadly, Marlena was shot and sent into a coma (via Soaps in Depth). Once she awoke, Marlena and John finally walked down the aisle in November 2018, per Soaps. The couple headed back to Horton Square with their children — Sami Brady, Belle Black-Brady, and Paul Narita — and Marlena's grandson Will Horton in attendance (via Soap Opera Spy).
After all their wedding ceremonies through the decades, the November 2018 wedding was the only time that John and Marlena's wedding vows were official. They are now living happily as husband and wife.