Boston Celtics Point Guard Payton Pritchard Marries Emma MacDonald — and Blake Griffin Officiates! See the Photos

Mar. 15, 2025

Payton Pritchard and Emma MacDonald.Photo:Evan Paterakis

Evan Paterakis

NBA player Payton Pritchard is married!The Boston Celtics point guard, 26, tied the knot with YouTuberEmma MacDonaldon Saturday, Aug. 10, at theWychmere Beach Clubin Harwich Port, Mass. The couple — who invited 257 loved ones to witness their big day — had a special assist from Pritchard’s former teammate, retired NBA starBlake Griffin, who officiated the ceremony.

Emma MacDonald and Payton Pritchard pose at sunset on their wedding day on Aug. 10, 2024.Evan Paterakis

The couple worked with wedding planners, who helped make pulling together all of the event details “so seamless.”

“We didn’t find ourselves stressed at all,” MacDonald recalls.

“We ended up having a three-day weekend to celebrate since we had so many out-of-town guests and we cannot complain — it was the best weekend ever!” MacDonald tells PEOPLE.

Payton Pritchard and Emma MacDonald pose together at their wedding on Aug. 10, 2024.Evan Paterakis

Attendees included NBA players Xavier Tillman, Jaden Springer, Sam Hauser, Jaylen Brown, Svi Mykhailiuk and Lamar Stevens, as well as Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla and Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck and his wife Emilia Fazzalari.

While MacDonald and Pritchard had a sizable guest list, they were keen to keep a sense of intimacy to their wedding celebration.

“We also made sure on our wedding day that we had many moments where Payton and I could take a step back and just enjoy it all, or have moments alone to connect,” the bride explains.

Emma MacDonald gets ready ahead of her wedding on Aug. 10, 2024.Evan Paterakis

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Emma MacDonald wears a Vera Wang wedding gown to marry Payton Pritchard on Aug. 10, 2024.Evan Paterakis

She later donned two additional looks — a “more simple and classy” Anne Barge gown for the reception, which she swapped for a Monique Lhuillier minidress for the afterparty.

After the ceremony, guests gathered at a cocktail hour, where they enjoyed passed hors d’oeuvres. A plated dinner followed, complete with slices of the newlyweds' three-tier red velvet cake.

Pritchard and MacDonald shared their first dance as husband and wife to the Jordan Davis song “Next Thing You Know.”

All in all, MacDonald says their wedding day was “an absolute dream come true,” adding, “Everything we envisioned came to life — it was truly so special.”

Emma MacDonald and Payton Pritchard on the dance floor at their wedding on Aug. 10, 2024.Evan Paterakis

The pair first connected on Instagram after Pritchard commented on one of MacDonald’s posts. In a June 2023 YouTubevideo, MacDonald recalled to her followers that their relationship didn’t progress after that, but they reconnected two years later on the dating app Raya in 2021. The pair met up in person soon after and then had their first date at Yvonne’s supper club in Boston.

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Pritchard popped the question on July 2, 2023, on MacDonald’s favorite beach in Cape Cod. They shared a series ofphotosof their engagement on Instagram at the time, captioning the joint post, “A love for a lifetime.”

Emma MacDonald and Payton Pritchard celebrate on their wedding day.Evan Paterakis

Now that they are officially married, they are looking forward to starting a new chapter together.

Pritchard tells PEOPLE that he admires MacDonald’s confidence and hardworking spirit and the fact that “she is always there for me and has my back.” For her part, MacDonald appreciates the athlete’s “selfless, caring” nature.

“I’m lucky to get to see this side of him,” she says. “He is truly the most loving person I know and would do absolutely anything for me and us as a couple.”

source: people.com