Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds get married: The clues to their secret wedding

It may be the best gossip of the year, but Ryan Reynolds' sudden marriage to Blake Lively on Sunday is less of a shock when you consider the clues that they have been dropping like bread crumbs.

The Canadian actor and the 25-year-old "Gossip Girl" star got hitched at the Boone Hall Plantation in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., according to People magazine, almost a year after they started dating.

See more: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds get married

The first clue dropped back in July when TMZ reported that a police report had let slip that the duo had wed. Reynolds filed the report on July 8 complaining that a photographer had been following the couple. The cop wrote, "upon arrival I spoke with Ryan Reynolds and his wife." But E! later confirmed the policeman had simply got it wrong about the 35-year-old "Green Lantern" star and his then-girlfriend.

But this weekend was the right time. It turns out they may have gotten engaged at least three weeks ago. According to the New York Daily News, Lively asked for time off from the "Gossip Girl" set around that time.

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And South Carolina residents knew about the nuptials before anyone else. Locals reportedly shared the news when Lively's mom and sister had dinner in Charleston with icon Bette Midler -- who sang at the reception -- and then on Sunday they virtually confirmed it.

According to local radio station 95.1 FM, which broke the news, "lots of signs went up at Boone Hall Plantation stating that it was holding a private event, so no one could get into the area."

If those clues weren't enough, Reynolds' timing mirrors his previous relationship with first wife Scarlett Johansson. After first being seen getting cozy with the "Avengers" star in April 2007, they announced their engagement a year later in May 2008 and wed in B.C. in September of that year.