Shortly after midnight on August 15, 2004, a stretch limo pulled up to the Vegas Weddings wedding chapel in Las Vegas and a young couple arrived to say 'I do' after what had been a girls weekend partying at the Palm with Tara Reid, Nicole Richie, Bijou Phillips, and then-couple Lindsay Lohan and Wilmer Valderrama.
Nicholai Olivia Hilton, 20, and Todd Andrew Meister, 33, said their vows and lit a unity candle inside the chapel's Indoor Garden Chapel in a ceremony that cost a few hundred dollars and pronounced them man and wife at 2:30 am.
Hilton, who wore a thigh skimming aqua blue halterneck dress and a crystal accentuated wedding veil, and her blue jeans-wearing groom were joined by elder sister Paris, then 23, who wore a pink dress to serve as her bridesmaid.
The ceremony was a far cry from the scene nearly 11 years later when the hotel heiress, now 31, stepped out of Claridges on Friday wearing Valentino couture on her father's arm and drove in a Bentley to marry English banking heir James Rothschild, 30, in the shadows of Kensington Palace.
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Then and now: Nicky Hilton pictured in 2004 with Todd Meister, who she married in Las Vegas before having the marriage annulled. She is pictured at left with banking scion James Rothschild on Thursday night, hours before they said I do
Remembered today: The Vegas Wedding Chapel proudly displays keepsake press clippings from the Meister-Hilton nuptials framed on the wall
Hilton and Meister, joined by her sister Paris, Nicole Richie, and Bijou Phillips stopped by the Clark County courthouse shortly after midnight on August 15, 2004 to apply for a marriage license. Phillips, the daughter of John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas, and Paris signed the certificate as witnesses to the early morning Las Vegas vows
The Las Vegas Wedding Bureau and Vegas Chapel where Nicky Hilton was married on August 15, 2004 as pictured on August 16 2004. The founder & CEO of Vegas Weddings told dailymail.com they were a 'very happy couple and very nice'
A general of Kensington Palace. Nicky Hilton and James Rothschild married in the shadow of the palace at the Kensignton Palace Orangery
The chapel inside where Hilton and Meister said their vows came outfitted with flowers, but they were not chosen by the couple. The couple was one of about 30 couples to wed at the chapel that day
The flowers for Hilton's 2015 wedding were a significantly bigger production. Here, preparations for the wedding outside the Orangery
The 2015 reception, seen here on Barron Hilton's instagram, featured engraved place cards and white and pink flowers roses by the truckload
The only constant was sister Paris, once again serving as maid of honor, but this time it was Paris who wore blue.
In 2004, Nicky's surprise wedding earned her the cover of People magazine, and the annulment of her sacred vows three months later made headlines again.
The younger Hilton daughter, who lived at the time in the shadow of her sister's fame, fueled by a 2003 sex tape, was designing purses and had taken some classes at FIT in New York, but never graduated.
She and Meister, a Harvard graduate money manager had met when she was 15. After the nuptials aunt Kyle, who later found fame on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, said of the groom, 'we all really love him a lot.'
Kathy Hilton, seen left cuddling Todd two weeks after he married Nicky, wasn't present for her first wedding. 'Todd exudes a great warmth and personality; he is a longtime friend of the family and is loved by all of us,' the Hilton parents said in a statement after the late night affair. But beaming Mrs Hilton was dressed in blue and ready to party at Nicky's London nuptials
For wedding two, Hilton arrived in Bentley with her father, who was not present at her Nevada nuptials. She arrived to the Vegas 'do in a limo
Mr Meister's father Robert Meister is a wealthy longtime executive of Aon, a global insurance brokerage firm. His mother had died of cancer in 2001.
He had been a guest at Paris's 21st birthday party in 2002, he split his time between Manhattan and Palm Beach and his father was rich.
The couple had been dating on and off since 2003, friends said after the wedding.
Meister had reportedly proposed to Hilton earlier in the year and they had planned a wedding for the fall of 2004. But the energy of the weekend – no doubt fueled by the lemon drop shots Tara Reid had handed out on the private plane to Vegas – changed the young lovers' minds.
Todd had arrived on Saturday, the day after Nicky flew in Friday with Tara Reid and the gang. Shortly before midnight someone from the couple's party called to reserve chapel time. The chapel, which hosted about 30 weddings on August 14, stayed open for the early hour wedding on the 15th.
When they met: Nicky met Todd when she was about 15 years old, although it's unknown exactly when. here she is with sister Paris when she was 15 and Paris was 18. Nicky met James Rothschild at the August 2011 wedding of Petra Ecclestone and James Stunt. The Stunts were guests at the London parties for the Hilton wedding and are pictured at right at the couple's Thursday rehearsal dinner
Wedding night suites: Nicky and Paris were staying in adjoining suites at The Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, left, when Nicky wed Meister. The Hilton family decamped at legendary Claridges, right, during the Rothschild wedding
The couple first went to the Clark County courthouse before heading to the chapel. Paris was the only family of Nicky's present, while Meister had Jeff Beacher serve as his best man.
Guests included Richie and Phillips, actress daughter of John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas.
'I was working late that night as we often did, when a limo pulled up about 1:30 am to our chapel with a couple and the bride's sister,' Cliff Evarts, Founder & CEO of Vegas Weddings told dailymail.com.
'We were able to perform a beautiful ceremony in our Indoor Garden Chapel and I did a photo shoot for them. They were a very happy couple and extremely nice.'
The 2004 wedding party: Jeff Beacher and Paris Hilton were Best Man and Maid of Honor. There are seen here in the fall of 2004. Bijou Phillips signed as the official witness. She is seen here with Nicky three weeks after the Meister ceremony, in September 2004
Family first this time: This go around Nicky had both her parents there. Her father Rick escorted her to the ceremony. Future sister-in-laws served as bridesmaids. James' sister Kate is here, center. And one of the Hilton brothers Barron is pictured at right. Her cousin Portia, daughter of Kathy's sister Kyle Richards, was one of the flower girls
The blushing bride, at the time a brunette, walked down the aisle to Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You' and the couple was pronounced man and wife at 2:30 am.
While her parents were not invited or likely even aware of the wedding, they insisted in the ensuing days there were thrilled for their second child.
'Todd exudes a great warmth and personality; he is a longtime friend of the family and is loved by all of us,' the Hilton parents said in a statement after the late night affair.
Kathy planned to throw her daughter a second wedding in the fall of 2004.
During their brief time of marriage, the couple went to a party with Paris, left, and the beach with wedding witness Bijou Phillips, right
The day after the couple's Nevada wedding they arrived at the Beverly Hills Hotel for a brief honeymoon before parting ways for work obligations – she to Mexico for a Maxim shoot and Meister to New York.
They were spotted together a few times in the ensuing months, and shortly before their three-month anniversary a judge granted them an annulment.
In the past decade Meister has vanished from the pages of celebrity weeklies, but he was back the news in 2012 when he went after his comely Ukranian personal assistant Renata Shamrakova for stealing nearly $1million from him. She eventually pled guilty.
He has been linked in society pages to several other wealthy women, including a few divorcees like Elizabeth Lindemann and Jamie Tisch, but never married himself.
Since his split from Nicky, Meister has been romantically linked to women including wealthy Manhattan divorcee Elizabeth Lindemann, left in 2005. In 2012 and 2013 was in the spotlight again after his comely ex-assistant Renata Shamrakova, seen outside court in 2013, stole nearly $1million from him. He is pictured at a party in December 2014 with actress Kelly Rutherford, at right
Hilton bounced back from Meister with Entourage actor Kevin Connolly, who she dated for two years. She followed that with a four year romance with David Katzenberg, son of Hollywood honcho Jeffrey Katzenberg. The pair are pictured right in January 2001
Meanwhile Hilton bounced back from Meister with Entourage actor Kevin Connolly, who she dated for two years following her annulment.
She followed that with a four year romance with David Katzenberg, son of Hollywood honcho Jeffrey Katzenberg.
In 2011, the same year she split with Katzenberg, she met James Rothschild at the August wedding of heiress Petra Ecclestone and James Stunt in Rome.
She has called Rothschild the love of her life, and they got engaged on Lake Como last year.
At her three-day 2015 wedding, Nicole Richie and Bijou Phillips were nowhere to be found, but Nicky had her whole family with her this time, not just Paris, and even dad Rick was there to deliver a toast.
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The two rings: Hilton showed off her rings from Meister at a fashion show in September 2004, left, purchased after their wedding. She now has a impressive, large diamond Asscher cut engagement ring from Rothschild, right and diamond eternity wedding band
Instead of the jeweled cross necklace she wore to her first wedding, Nicky accentuated her new bling with a jeweled after-party dress and large diamond earrings
A three day affair: Thursday night Nicky and James had a wedding party at Spencer House, the Orangery wedding was Friday, and Saturday there was a lunch back at the Kensington Palace Orangery
Nicky has called James the love of her life, and no doubt this happy couple will beat the 11-week record of her 2004 union
THE GROOM: Todd Andrew Meister, then 33
THE GROOM'S FAMILY: Father Robert Meister is a wealthy executive at Aon. Todd's mother Wendy died of cancer in 2001 aged 57
THE VENUE: Las Vegas, Nevada
Vegas Weddings, in business since 2001, and selected four times 'Best Wedding Chapel' in Las Vegas by Nevada's Largest Newspaper
THE LENGTH: About three hours from the chapel being booked until the couple said 'I do'
THE GUEST LIST: Hard Rock entertainer Jeff Beacher, Bijou Phillips, Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton
THE DRESS A shiny blue halter dress that skimmed her mid thighs and a veil embellished with crystals
THE HAIR: Loose brown waves cascading over her shoulders
MAID OF HONOR: Paris Hilton
THE RING: They got married with no ring, but Meister bought her a large diamond after the wedding, which Nicky was seen wearing weeks later
THE GROOM WORE: Blue jeans and a black shirt open at the collar
LIBATIONS: Tara Reid served lemon drop shots on the private flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas
FOOD: No food
THE GROOM: James Amschel Victor Rothschild, 30
THE GROOM'S FAMILY: A descendant of Mayer Amschel Rothschild, who established the family bank in the 1700s, James's father Amschel committed suicide in 1996. His mother is brewing heiress Anita Guinness
THE VENUE: London, England
The Kensington Palace Orangery, originally built in 1704 for Queen Anne as a greenhouse, now open to the public for meals and an event space
THE LENGTH: A three-day affair, starting with a Thursday dinner, then the Friday wedding then a Saturday lunch
THE GUEST LIST: Chelsea Clinton, Pavlos and Marie Chantal of Greece, Kyle Richards, Naomi Campbell, Petra Ecclestone, Vera Wang
THE DRESS: Ivory custom Valentino couture gown embellished with crystals and a lace edged, cathedral length veil
THE HAIR: A low, sleek, side-parted blonde chignon
MAID OF HONOR: Paris Hilton
THE RING: James proposed with a large diamond Asscher cut engagement ring
THE GROOM WORE: A tuxedo
LIBATIONS: Cocktails first, including the English Garden, made from gin, elderflower, lemon apple, mint, and the Pine and Dandy, with vodka, lime, ginger, pineapple and rosemary, and champagne
FOOD: Included Cumberland sausages, baked potatoes with caviar, foie gras, crab and lobster Louis, Hereford beef, summer herb risotto, basil and pesto tart with mozarella, a dessert bar with 13 different dishes, and after dinner, beef sliders, fries and Baileys milkshake shots
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