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Paris Jackson Excited for ‘Bittersweet’ Wedding Without Dad Michael: ‘No Way Around’ Not Having Him
Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris can’t wait to marry Justin Long later this year and a source exclusively tells Life & Style the nuptials will include a touching tribute to her late father.
“Her dad is always front and center on her mind, she still feels incredibly connected to him, so it’s important to her that he be a big presence for her at the wedding,” a source close to the 27-year-old singer says.
The King of Pop’s only daughter first got together with songwriter, producer, engineer and mixer Justin in June 2023. Before they became an item, the two shared a successful professional relationship, with Justin “doing sound” for Paris’ 2022 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The couple confirmed their engagement in December 2024 via pictures of the proposal, but she was spotted wearing what looked like an engagement ring months earlier in September at Paris Fashion Week.
“It’s terrifying,” Paris told Entertainment Tonight outside of an Elton John fundraiser event when asked if she was on “Cloud Nine” about her engagement. “It’s a leap. It’s exciting and it’s thrilling and it’s a big step.”
“I know that I made the right choice,” she added.
Discussing her specific plans, the Habit actress said, “I just started working with a wedding planner … He’s absolutely wonderful. We’re working on venues and dresses.”
“She’s still in the planning stages,” the source confirms, adding there will definitely be some element of her late dad’s presence at the ceremony. “A lot of ideas are being thrown around, like having a chair reserved for him with a photo of him on it, or having his music be a part of the night.”
While it’s still early in the process, the source notes Paris isn’t the type to give wedding planners too much rope and will be adding her own touches throughout. Most importantly, she wants to keep Michael as close to her as possible.
“Paris will write her own vows, so it’s likely she will mention her dad at some point because she always talks about how much Michael would love Justin. Paris has a lot of her dad’s jewelry so she may want to incorporate that into her wedding look to feel closer to him when she walks down the aisle.”
“No matter how much she honors him it’s still going to be a bittersweet moment without her dad by her side, there’s no way around that,” the insider says.
The model had dated a fellow musician and collaborator before, bandmate Gabriel Glenn, from whom she split after a two-year relationship in August 2020. She discussed the “heartbreak” with “Red Table Talk” podcast host Willow Smith on a June 2021 episode, making a point to say she’s going to be more scrupulous when looking for her next beau.
“I’m very careful with who I spend time with now and very guarded and trying to protect myself.”
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