Elizabeth HagedornIn what may have been the best birthday present ever, Melissa Etheridge and Linda Wallem have tied the knot.
The singer-songwriter married the Nurse Jackie creator two days after they both turned 53. The pair had been friends for years before they began dating in June 2010. (Via Maximo TV)
Such good friends, Wallem actually served as Etheridge's so-called “best man” in Etheridge's first marriage to Tammy Lynn Michaels in 2003. (Via ABC)
Michaels and Etheridge had two children together and split in 2010. (Via The Daily Beast)
A few years later, the Grammy winner revealed her engagement to Wallem. This, the same day the Supreme Court ruled the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. (Via The Island Def Jam Music Group / Melissa Etheridge)
"I'm looking forward to marrying my partner of three years. I'm going to get married in the state of California.” (Via CNN)
US Weekly has the details of the Montecito, California nuptials. The happy couple reportedly said “I, do” in a “ lily garden under an arbor, which was surrounded by red and purple flower.”
While the wedding was kept under wraps for the most part, Etheridge recently hinted on Twitter she’d be performing a brand new song at an “intimate gathering Saturday.”
People reports: “Etheridge sang Wallem a new song she wrote especially for her and which Etheridge had never performed before – not even to Wallem.”
According to E!, all four of Etheridge's children were in attendance. Other guests at the wedding included Chelsea Handler, Rosie O'Donnell, and Jane Lynch.
Sunday morning, Etheridge simply tweeted “True love...so blessed.”
