Country singer/songwriter Ty Herndon tied the knot with his beau Alex Schwartz after Herndon announced their engagement back in February.
The Grammy-nominated singer gained media attention back in 2014 when he became the first mainstream country singer to publicly come out as gay, which around that time was unprecedented given the genre's widely conservative and religious values.
On August 27, 2023, Herndon and Schwartz got married with a “country chic” ceremony on Owen Farm, which Herndon described as a “beautiful property outside of Nashville that sits on the banks of the Cumberland River,” located in Chapmansboro, Tennessee.
They exchanged their vows in front of 300 wedding guests, including Broadway veteran Kristin Chenoweth and her fiancé Josh Bryant; and Herndon's longtime friend, actress Sally Struthers, according to People magazine.
Herndon posted a carousel of loving photos on Instagram of him as a newly married man with his now husband, Alex.
He wrote in the caption:
"Alex and I made it official here in Tennessee last night!"
"Thanks to family and friends for making it unbelievably special!"
The media outlet noted that Owen Farm is located next to the property of the late Don Williams, who was Herndon's father's favorite country music artist.
“The Owen family was kind enough to offer us [Don's] tour bus to bring the wedding party to the location of the ceremony on the grounds, which created an extra special moment for me personally but also for our guests,” said Herndon.
“We just wanted a space and a place that could accommodate our eclectic group of friends and family to celebrate love, life, and our future together."
"That was the main thing that was important to us — and that everyone have a lot of fun."
Herndon, 61, described the matrimonial décor as "the formality of black and white juxtaposed against the casual backdrop of the farm."
"We like to call it country chic and everyone loved having a little bit of both experiences.”
He said of the wedding aesthetics:
“We knew we wanted something that captured our personalities and we fell in love with this place as soon as we saw it."
"We used the wedding scene in the movie of The Proposal as a bit of a reference."
Friends who were both there or regrettably absent filled the comments with a lotta love.
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Herndon and Schwartz had been dating six months prior to their engagement announcement on February 9.
The singer shared the happy news on Instagram, writing:
Well y’all, I have a little news to share — actually some big news. The last six months God has showed up and showed out."
"Never in a million years would I have imagined meeting someone who would bring so much love and light into my heart."
He added:
"Alex and I met six months ago and had our first date."
"Since then, we have been building our relationship and getting to know one another without a big public announcement."
"It was important to each of us that we be able to do this privately, and it has been an amazing journey."
"After all this time, I have met the person I know I’m gonna spend the rest of my life with."
"Alex is a brilliant artist and craftsman who restores mid-century furniture and makes stained glass art. He will also be starting work on his MBA soon."
"He’s a smartie, y’all — and I can’t wait for all of you to get to know him. Today, we are excited to let you know that we are planning a wedding!"
"That’s right — we’re getting hitched later this year!"
He concluded the post with:
"Here’s to life, love, and wellness! We’ll see y’all soon."
Herndon credited his confidence in coming out to his conversations with country singer Chely Wright, who came out as a lesbian in 2010.
He was also inspired to embrace his sexuality and live authentically after listening to Carrie Underwood's "So Small" on the radio.
His publicly coming out as gay in 2014 inspired other artists in the music genre to do the same, including singer Billy Gilman, who came out as gay the same year as Herndon.
Herndon said that his fanbase was largely supportive of him after his announcement.
His 2016 album House on Fire was his first album recorded and written as a gay man, with songs reflecting his struggles and the stigmas he faced in the industry as a closeted homosexual.
The same year, he told the Huffington Post:
“The more successful anyone that’s in the LGBTQ community is in anything they want to do in life sets a great example for the kids that are coming up."
“I just don’t want to see a kid feel like they can’t do what they love. I felt that way for a long time, and it was not a good place to be in.”
In June 2019, Herndone re-issued his 1995 debut single "What Mattered Most" and changed the lyrics by altering the pronouns to represent a gay relationship.
Since then, he has been performing benefit concerts for GLAAD on multiple occasions, and in 2016 co-founded the Concert for Love and Acceptance, an annual event that supports LGBTQ+ youth in Nashville.
Congratulations on getting married, Ty and Alex. Cheers to the happy couple!
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