“Naturally, when two people feel like we do, they want to make it a permanent arrangement.”

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli married his longtime partner, Veronica Berti, on Friday March 21 at the Sanctuary of Madonna di Montenero in Tuscany, Italy.

The couple have been together for twelve years and have a daughter together named Virginia. In fact, Friday was Virginia’s second birthday, thus, the reason Bocelli and Berti chose that date for their nuptial. It was also the first day of spring.

Veronica Berti met Bocelli in 2002. While the two have been in a relationship since then, Berti has also served at Bocelli’s manager and half of of ALMUD, the Andrea Bocelli Business and Management Office. Bocelli’s younger brother, Alberto, serves as the other half.

Bocelli was previously married to Enrica Cenzatti for ten years before separating, though not officially divorcing right away. The two have two sons together, Amos (19) and Matteo (16). In the past Bocelli has said that he and Berti were not planning on getting married any time soon due to the fact that he is a Catholic divorcee. However, after living together in a villa in Forte dei Marmi on the Mediterranean for over a decade, the couple decided it was finally time.

The wedding was attended by a small group of friends and family, including Bocelli’s sons, Amos and Matteo. The reception was held at their villa in Forte dei Marmi.

At the wedding, the 30-year old bride wore an ivory silk satin Ermanno Scervino gown embellished with Valenciennes lace and featuring a silk georgette layer. Over the top of the dress she wore a quilted crepe de chine padded jacket. Her dark hair was pulled back and donned with a sprig of flowers.

55-year old Bocelli wore a blue three-piece silk suit by Corneliani and a white rose on his lapel which matched his bride’s bouquet.

Bocelli is known for both his pop and classical albums, including nine complete operas and fourteen solo studio albums. Born with congenital glaucoma, Bocelli became completely blind when he was twelves years old after an accident during a football game when he was hit on the head and suffered a brain hemorrhage.

Even though his parents were advised to abort him due to complications, they refused. He was born in 1958. As a child, his mother said that they only thing that would comfort him was music. Bocelli won his first song competition at the age of 14 singing “O sole mio.”

Image via Wikimedia Commons