Grammy Award-winning singer and gay rights activist Melissa Etheridge has tied the knot to her partner Linda Wallem, according to PEOPLE.
Etheridge and the Nurse Jackie creator had been friends for more than a decade before they started dating in 2010. In June 2013, the couple announced their engagement following the Supreme Court’s decision regarding gay rights. “I look forward to exercising my American civil liberties,” Etheridge said. She later added that those liberties included “”getting fully, completely and legally married.”
Now, nearly a year later, they have officially become a married couple. The wedding took place on Saturday, May 31 at the San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, California. The outdoor ceremony was very intimate and included Etheridge’s four children Bailey Jean Cypher, 17, Beckett Cypher, 15, and her twin sons Miller Steven Etheridge and Johnnie Rose Etheridge, 7.
“They were so happy,” a guest said. “It was really beautiful.” The guest also revealed that Etheridge was dressed in a grey suit while Wallem wore the traditional white dress.
Etheridge had prepared a song, that Wallem had not even heard, to sing to her partner during the ceremony. “It was such a magical moment,” the guest added.”The ceremony was such a beautiful start to the night. The setting was perfect. It was something Melissa and Linda wanted early on. It was as perfect as they envisioned.”
Among those who attended their wedding was Jane Lynch, Chelsea Handler, Rosie O’Donnell, Whitney Cummings, Peter Facinelli and Sia.
Etheridge, whose new album is scheduled to debut on September 30, 2014, shared a photo of their special day on her personal Twitter account.
True love…so blessed. "By the power invested in me by the state of California…" Thanks pic.twitter.com/rWftMxdxQv
— Melissa Etheridge (@metheridge) June 1, 2014
Image via Wikimedia Commons
