Proud fathers Sir Elton John and David Furnish, who both have tattoos of their sons names, wed on Sunday in an official ceremony after same-sex marriage was legalised in the UK on March 29. Although the pair, described as a "power couple" by OUT magazine, initially publicised their intention to marry on the same auspicious date, the ceremony eventually occurred at the end of 2014.
By the time that March came to an end, Mr John and Mr Furnish, who are 67 and 51 respectively, were considering tying the knot at an English registry office in May. They explained that their enthusiasm for the symbolic occasion—they previously believed that a legal marriage was not needed in their relationship—was majorly influenced by their experiences after committing to a civil partnership in 2005:
"After we did it, we felt this amazing sense of commitment and happiness we didn't anticipate happening. It's a really nice thing ... Initially, the political side of you is like, 'No, no, we must have equality.' When you finally get it, it's like, 'Oh my god, this feels really nice.' It's a lifting thing."
Approximately 50 guests received invitations to an event that was also opened up to Mr John's Instagram followers, who were asked for the pleasure of their company. Among the list of celebrities who witnessed the legal binding of Mr John's relationship were David and Victoria Beckham and Elizabeth Hurley, who enjoyed a menu that included truffle cream and warm chocolate pudding.
One of Mr John's Instagram images revealed one of the red-rose-filled tables from the ceremony, accompanied by a post and hashtag that read:
"The tables look stunning! We had red roses at our Civil Partnership 8 years ago and they brought us so much luck. #ShareTheLove"