Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert Tie the Knot
It was the royal wedding of country music. On Saturday night (May 14), Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton finally said "I do" at the Don Strange Ranch, just north of San Antonio, Texas.
The couple was joined by 550 of their closest family and friends, including Reba McEntire, Cee Lo Green, Martina McBride, Dierks Bentley, Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley, Josh Kelley, Katherine Heigl, Neal McCoy, Kelly Clarkson, Laura Bell Bundy and the Bellamy Brothers.
"I'm married to my best friend!" Lambert told Us Weekly following the ceremony, for which she donned her mother's wedding dress. "Looking forward to a lifetime of laughter."
"I wanted to be married to Miranda the day I proposed," Shelton adds. "Finally, it's official!"
Their nuptials have been five years in the making. Shelton and Lambert began dating in 2006, shortly after Shelton's painful divorce from his first wife Kaynette, to whom he'd been married for nearly three years.
"I went through days where I knew I wanted to get a divorce, and then the next day I'd wake up and wouldn't want to get a divorce," he tells the Monitor. "I'd wonder, 'What the hell am I doing? Why am I doing this?'"
Shelton first got to know Lambert at CMT's '100 Greatest Duets' taping, where they performed the David Frizell/Shelly West classic, 'You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma.' They soon became an item but found their careers got in the way of their relationship.
"Miranda and I have a very interesting relationship. She can get so mad at me that she just wants to punch me in the face, and we'll say that's it. Then, 30 minutes later, we're calling each other and acting like it never happened," Shelton said when the Monitor asked in 2007 whether they were still a couple. "I think it's that we're both artists, and if I want to see her or she wants to see me, sometimes it just doesn't work out, and it's frustrating. But I think she's somebody that I'm going to have in my life a long time. She's one of those few people you meet and have a connection with, and you don't really fully understand it, but you know it's a pretty big deal."
After four years of dating and ample success in both their careers, the pair has found a way to overcome their scheduling conflicts.
"If she has time off and I'm not home, she'll come out and find me on the road," Shelton tells Lancaster, Pa., radio station WIOV, "and just stay with me out there ... that probably saves our relationship as much as anything."
Not an easy feat for a woman whose career has exploded in the last few years. This year alone, she's already been awarded four ACM Awards, including Female Vocalist of the Year, in addition to winning the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for 'The House That Built Me.' Not to mention, her 'Revolution,' 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' and 'Kerosene' albums have all been certified platinum by the RIAA for sales exceeding one million units.
Granted, her new husband is no slouch either. Shelton co-hosted this year's ACM Awards with his friend McEntire, was named the CMA's 2010 Male Vocalist of the Year and managed to top the charts with three consecutive singles: 'Who Are You When I'm Not Looking,' 'All About Tonight' and his duet with Trace Adkins, 'Hillbilly Bone.' The singer-songwriter is currently guiding the careers of eight hopefuls as a coach on NBC's hit reality show 'The Voice.'
While their successes have come separately, they have been able to share them. In November, Shelton and Lambert became the first couple since Tim McGraw and Faith Hill to win multiple CMAs in the same night. They took home matching awards, with Lambert being named Female Vocalist of the Year and the male honor going to Shelton. Additionally, the songstress' 'Revolution' won Album of the Year, while the project's track 'The House That Built Me' took both Song and Music Video of the Year. In addition to his Vocalist trophy, Shelton also received the statue for Vocal Event of the Year with Adkins for 'Hillbilly Bone.' What better way to solidify their status as country music's reigning golden couple?
The new Mr. and Mrs. Shelton are expected to spend the next week or so on their honeymoon at an undisclosed location. Congrats to the newlyweds!