When it came to her wedding to Christian McCaffrey, Olivia Culpo wasn’t afraid to block a few last-minute requests. This included her sister Aurora Culpo’s suggestion that she bring her new boyfriend as her plus one. Ahead of her and the San Francisco 49ers player’s June 29 nuptials in Rhode Island, the former Miss Universe and her older sister detailed the pre-wedding journey—and where the new man in Aurora’s life fit into the gathering.
“He’s not invited to the wedding,” Olivia said on the July 3 episode of Aurora’s Barely Filtered podcast after the 35-year-old mentioned a question about her new boyfriend, “if that’s what you’re going to say.”
While Aurora called the remark “rude,” Olivia quickly chimed in with, “No, rude to invite somebody I’ve never met.”
Noting that Aurora posited the request as “Can my friend come?” Olivia added, “Yeah, okay, Flavor of the month. Not interested.”
The 32-year-old then went on to directly address Aurora’s new boyfriend, explaining, “Sorry, it’s not a reflection of you, it’s a reflection of my sister.”
But lest you think there’s drama brewing among the Culpo sisters, Aurora set the record straight, noting that while her boyfriend—whose name she declined to share—wouldn’t be attending the wedding itself, he was going to spend time with the whole family the day before the rehearsal dinner.
While Aurora, who shares kids Remi, 5, and Solei, 3, with ex Mikey Bortone, is keeping her new romance out of the spotlight, her younger sister has been sure to bring fans along on her and Christian’s journey to the altar.
And it all comes down to being the other’s support system.
“You have to lean on each other,” Olivia told E! News earlier this year, “you have to have a healthy outlet to just to vent your frustrations.”
“Even when things are exciting—everything’s better with another person that you can share experiences with,” she added. “So being there to support each other is such a blessing and it really does make everything easier. And at the end of the day, when you have that attitude, there’s no worst-case scenario because at least you have each other.”
One person who was not on the guest list for Olivia Culpo’s wedding to San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey last weekend? Her big sister’s new boyfriend! Her kinda famous new boyfriend…
OK, so rewind a tick… Because it turns out Aurora Culpo is now seeing Bethenny Frankel‘s ex-fiance!
In case you missed it, The Real Housewives of New York City alum ended her engagement with Paul Bernon recently. It didn’t take long before the 45-year-old film producer had a new gal—the 35-year-old podcast host. Last month, Deuxmoi revealed Aurora and Paul were seen out together. Once, on May 18, an insider claimed they were “making out at The ‘Quin House in Boston.” The gossip account also received an anonymous tip from a source on June 2, saying Paul looked “SUPER lovey dovey with a woman” and “soooooo in love.” That woman he’s supposedly head over heels for was later identified as Aurora.
Then, we got pictures of Aurora and Paul together in Rhode Island last Thursday, a few days before her sister’s wedding in the same state! So Aurora seemingly brought him as her date to the ceremony, right? We certainly assumed so since he was with her and her family leading up to the big day! However, it turns out she wasn’t allowed to bring Paul as her plus-one! Olivia BANNED him from coming!
During Wednesday’s episode of Aurora’s podcast Barely Filtered—recorded before the nuptials—sis wanted to ask the Miss Universe winner a question about the new boyfriend. Olivia immediately cut off her sibling to say:
“He’s not invited to the wedding if that’s what you’re going to say.”
Damn! It’s not because she disapproves of Paul personally, however! She just doesn’t know him! When Aurora called the decision “rude,” the former pageant queen fired back that it was “rude to invite somebody” the bride had “never met” before. Not to mention it could be kind of awkward for all parties involved if the first meeting is at a wedding! Olivia noted that Aurora previously posed the question as if her “friend” could come. When her sister corrected her that Paul was her “special friend,” the bride clapped back:
“Yeah, okay, Flavor of the month. Not interested. Sorry, it’s not a reflection of you, it’s a reflection of my sister.”
Way to get in a harsh dig at Aurora! Ouch! We understand why Olivia doesn’t want him at the wedding! She doesn’t know how this relationship between Paul and Aurora will turn out. They could only last a few months—or even just a few more weeks! Who wants wedding pictures with your sister’s possible short-lived boyfriend…?
At the same time, when does a boyfriend cross the threshold to become worthy of plus-one status? It’s a fascinating wedding etiquette question.
But don’t worry! There is no feud brewing between the two sisters now over the matter! Aurora said they reached a compromise where her boyfriend wouldn’t attend the wedding. Instead, he would spend time with the entire family the day before the rehearsal dinner. So Paul didn’t appear in wedding pics, but the fledgling couple still took a big step in the relationship—he met her loved ones, which could turn out to be important if they have a future together!
Olivia Culpo is setting the record straight on why her sister, Aurora Culpo, wasn’t allowed to invite her new boyfriend, Paul Bernon, to her wedding. Olivia, 32, tied the knot with San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey in a luxury Rhode Island ceremony over the weekend, surrounded by their closest friends and family—sans Aurora’s new man, Bernon, who is the ex-fiancé of Real Housewives of New York City alum Bethenny Frankel. Addressing the lack of an invitation for Bernon, 45, the former Miss Universe bluntly shut down any speculation on why he didn’t get to come.
“He’s not invited to the wedding, if that’s what you’re asking,” Olivia told Aurora on the July 3 episode of the Barely Filtered podcast. The episode was filmed prior to the June 29 nuptials between Olivia and McCaffrey, 28, in New England.
The comment came as the women were addressing a question about Aurora’s new man. The elder sister, 35, was previously married to Mikey Bortone from 2019 to 2022, and they share two children, son Remi, 5, and daughter Solei, 3.
After Olivia addressed Bernon without mentioning his name, Aurora quickly interjected that the comment was “rude,” to which Olivia retorted, “No, [it’s] rude to invite somebody I’ve never met.”
During the filming of the new podcast, Aurora rephrased the question to ask if a “friend” could come, Olivia doubled down on her refusal. “Yeah, okay… flavor of the month? Not interested,” Olivia said. “Sorry, it’s not a reflection of you [Bernon], it’s a reflection of my sister.”
While Us Weekly reported that Bernon—who split from Frankel, 53, in May after six years together—would attend as Aurora’s plus-one, it appears he may have just been around for the weekend festivities. Bernon was photographed nearby in the days leading up to the ceremony.
In June, the outlet claimed that Aurora and Bernon had been seeing each other for about two months and that he had moved on quickly from his ex. It was also reported that he had met Aurora’s family and they were happy with the new couple.
“Her family has met him and thinks he’s a really nice, ‘normal’ guy,” Us Weekly shared. “They have a lot in common with him being from Boston and Aurora from an area nearby.”
Olivia and McCaffrey—who first sparked dating rumors in 2019 and got engaged in 2023—wed in an intimate, black-tie ceremony over the weekend at a chapel in her home state of Rhode Island. The bride, who exclusively shared photos with Vogue, stunned in an elegant Dolce & Gabbana wedding dress.
Source: E! Online, Us Weekly
