Picture this: it’s June, five years ago, and journalist Jed Ryan is flipping through the pages of Joan Rivers' latest book, Diary of a Mad Diva, when he learns that the legendary comedian is hosting a book signing at the Union Square Barnes & Noble in New York City. Jed, along with his then-boyfriend Joseph Aiello, were huge fans of Rivers, so they decided to attend the event. What they didn’t expect was that their ordinary Monday night would become an extraordinary memory they’d cherish forever.

A Night to Remember: The Book Signing Turned Wedding Ceremony

Now, here’s the thing: the event was running a little late, and when Joan finally took the stage, she was her usual hilarious, unfiltered self. But before we get to the wedding, let me set the scene for you. As Rivers was about to start signing books, she did something she was known for—she called out random audience members. She pointed out the guy who invented the disco ball (yes, really!) and some folks from PETA who disrupted the event by pulling out signs and demanding to know why she wore furs. “They were escorted out,” Jed recalls, “but Joan handled it in a way that only she could. She fired back, ‘Don’t you know where these minks have been? They’ve been to award shows, to the Oscars. Just grow up!’ Classic Joan.

The Unexpected Proposal

But the best was yet to come. As the event wrapped up, there was one last question. Joe raised his hand and said, “Joan, I read in your book that you’re an ordained minister. Would you marry my boyfriend and me?” Now, this is where the story gets wild. Joan didn’t bat an eye. She said, ‘Sure, come on up. Let’s do it right here.’ And just like that, she turned the book signing into a wedding ceremony. She even pointed to a random teenager in the audience and said, ‘You can be our flower girl.’

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So, there they were, Jed and Joe, getting married in front of 300 strangers. And guess what? TV cameras were rolling because Entertainment Tonight was profiling Joan that day. The wedding made the news the next day, and the story went viral worldwide, even reaching England and India. It was a moment that changed their lives forever.

joan-jed-joe — Michael Sherer, Jason Russo, Jed Ryan

The Aftermath: A Second Ceremony and a Lasting Legacy

But wait, there’s more. Here’s the kicker: the ceremony was so spontaneous that Jed and Joe didn’t have a marriage certificate. So, they reached out to Joan’s team and asked if she could sign it to make the marriage legal. Not only did she agree, but she decided to do the ceremony again, this time with proper planning. On August 15, 2014, at the Hotel Plaza Athenee, they had a high-end, intimate ceremony. “We had the room for about two hours,” Jed says. “Joan brought in a red velvet cake and said we could invite 10 people—five family members and five friends. She even invited the media, and this time, we dressed to impress. Suits and ties all around!”

Unfortunately, Joan passed away less than a month later due to complications from a routine surgery. Her generosity and humor lived on in Jed and Joe’s hearts, but their story wasn’t over yet.

joan-jed-joe-4-2 — Michael Sherer, Jason Russo, Jed Ryan

The Final Chapter: A Tribute to Joan

Here’s the part that ties it all together. A friend of Jed’s sent him a link to a Christie’s auction. The item? The very jacket Joan wore when she married them. “I was confused at first,” Jed says. “But then I realized it was the jacket Joan married us in. Joe and I knew we had to bid on it. No one else should have it.” They won the auction, and now the jacket is part of their personal tribute to Joan in their apartment.

Through all of this, Jed and Joe became a part of Joan’s legacy. “There’s an issue of People magazine that has a memorial to her,” Jed explains, “and Joe and I are on the last couple of pages. This was the last big thing she did before she passed. It’s an honor to be a part of her story.”