We hear more and more about secret weddings. Secret weddings take place quite frequently, especially in the celebrity world.

The most recent  example is celebrity Jessica Alba's secret wedding to fiance Cash Warren. The wedding was so secret that even close friends weren't told. Alba, 27 and Warren, 31 met on the set of The Fantastic Four where he was the director's assistant. The couple are expecting a daughter in late May/early June.

According to the Australian Wedding Company , "there are two broad categories of secret weddings. The first are weddings where only a few select individuals are invited to a private ceremony that most people are aware of."

"Secondly, a larger scale wedding may occur but without the guests' prior knowledge. The guests may be invited to an engagement or other party and be surprised to witness a wedding ceremony."

It seems that secret weddings are popular enough that there are "elopement consultants" that are prepared to work with a couple to help them tie the knot secretly.

A couple might choose to elope for many reasons. Some couples just want to enjoy their first sacred moments as husband and wife by themselves, and then decide to have a more traditional celebration afterwards. Others choose to have a secret wedding to avoid conflicts between family and friends if there are disagreements about the spouse-to-be or wedding plans. In a celebrity marriage, a popular reason is to keep it private without the intrusion of members of the press and paparazzi.

Whatever the reason, it's likely that the secret wedding trend will be around for years to come.