Sir Elton John and David Furnish tied the knot today
and sealed their wedding with a kiss. The showbiz
couple "married" in an emotional civil partnership
ceremony at the Windsor Guildhall after 12 years
together. Only a handful of guests witnessed the
private ceremony - held in the same venue where the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles
married in April. Among them were close friends
artist Sam Taylor-Wood and her husband, art
dealer Jay Jopling. Mr Jopling said afterwards:
"They kissed at the end. It was very, very happy. It
was just like any other couple getting married." Ms Taylor-Wood added: "It was beautiful. It was very
emotional." Sir Elton's mother Sheila and stepfather
Fred, and Mr Furnish's parents Gladys and Jack,
who flew in from their native Canada, were also
there. Jack Furnish described it as "one of the
happiest days of my life" and a beaming Gladys said: "I'm very proud."Dog witnessed ceremony Sir Elton and Mr Furnish's black and white spaniel
Arthur was also a privileged guest. The happy
couple emerged from the Guildhall arm-in-arm after
the 20-minute ceremony. Instead of their usual
colourful attire, they wore sober black morning suits
- Sir Elton's one flamboyant touch was a diamond brooch on his lapel. The pop star greeted the
crowds of wellwishers with a regal wave. He
thanked them for their support and blew kisses,
telling them: "I love you." Sir Elton, 58, and
Canadian film-maker Mr Furnish, 43, posed happily
for photographers but there was no public kiss. The ceremony was conducted by registrar Clair
Williams, who also presided over the union between
Charles and Camilla. It cost the couple £560 - they
received a £100 discount on the room hire because
they are residents of the Royal Borough. Two
employees of ice-cream firm Ben & Jerry's were thrust into the limelight when Mr Furnish spotted the
"wedding cake" they had specially prepared for the
occasion. The "vanilla and appley ever after cake"
was topped by two tin soldier figures supporting
guardsman-style helmets.Elton 'touched' Lisa Dale, 37, and her 29-year-old colleague, Philippa
Marshall, caught the couple's eye as they emerged
from the Guildhall. Ms Dale said: "We were just
crouching down and David just happened to look
over and see it and nudged Elton. We just went for
it and ran over." Ms Marshall added: "Elton just touched his heart and said 'I'm really touched', it
was incredible." After the ceremony, the couple left
in a chauffeur-driven black Rolls-Royce.