26 Years Ago, This Beloved Couple Tied the Knot in the Iconic Series Finale of 'Beverly Hills 90210'
Donna Martin and David Silver are two of the most popular characters from the classic late-1990s/early-2000s drama Beverly Hills 90210. While the evening soap opera's initial premise centered around a group of ultra-rich friends (and their two brand-new BFFs, Midwest twins Brenda and Brandon Walsh) who attended fictional West Beverly High, as the seasons progressed, the characters transitioned from entitled teens to young adults.
All good things must come to an end. But some ends, like this one, are actually beginnings. On May 17, 2000, Season 10, Episode 27 of 90210, "Ode to Joy" aired. In the series finale, fan-favorites Donna (played by Tori Spelling) and David (played by Brian Austin Green) make their on-and-off-again romance official, tying the knot in front of family and friends.
Donna and David's ‘Beverly Hills 90210' Relationship Timeline
The couple's love story started way back in the West Beverly days. As the kind-of-kooky sidekick, Donna Martin didn't have much of a storyline to speak of in the early 90210 days. Reportedly, Spelling, the daughter of show producer Aaron Spelling, used a fake last name to avoid nepo baby accusations when she initially auditioned (for the part of Kelly Taylor). Obviously, Tori lost out to actress Jennie Garth, but did get the Donna Martin conciliation prize.
Even though Donna was originally a minor background character, she grew into a regular and eventually started dating David Silver. The couple stays together after graduation, but things get rocky when David cheats on Donna with music rep Ariel Hunter in Season 4. She goes on to date musician Ray Pruitt, but breaks things off after he becomes emotionally and physically abusive. And then there were more, including football player Joe Bradley and Noah Hunter. But again (this time with Noah), she becomes the victim of infidelity. After Noah sleeps with Donna's cousin, Gina Kincaid, the pair splits, and she finds her way back to David before the series wraps.
The ‘90210' Wedding and Series Finale
"Ode to Joy" may have ended the series, but it also marks the start of David and Donna's relationship as husband and wife. The emotional episode features the wedding of the couple's dreams in front of their nearest and dearest.
Along with the remaining core group of friends (Kelly Taylor, Stever Sanders, Janet Sosna, Dylan McKay, and Noah Hunter), returning 90210 alums Andrea Zuckerman and Valerie Malone attended the tear-filled wedding with Donna's mother (Felice), David's dad (Mel), Kelly and David's little sister (Erin), and Nat (who walked Donna down the aisle). Principal Yvonne Teasley (played by actress Denise Dowse) also made a special guest appearance.
In the final scene, the group gets down at the reception, dancing to Kool & The Gang's classic, "Celebration."
What Did Fans Think of the ‘90210' Series Finale?
The reviews were mixed. In a lookback, users on the Beverly Hills 90210 subredditpanned the series finale, writing comments such as "Donna marrying David in the end was lazy and contrived" and "They should have let Brandon and Kelly marry at the end of the show that season."
Of course, some fans saw a happy ending for the pair and applauded the couple's nuptials, writing, "I loved them together. Get ready for some major nostalgia…because if Donna and David hadn't separated (the pair parted ways in the spinoff series), they would have celebrated their 26th anniversary this May!
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This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 3:35 PM.