California [US], July 10 : American singer Scott Richard Hoying and Mark Manio married on Friday in an intimate, star-studded black tie ceremony at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Santa Barbara, after six years of dating, PEOPLE reported.
"I feel like all of our life experiences and choices, and ups and downs, have led us to each other and this is the moment where the people we love most get to see us truly make the leap," Hoying tells PEOPLE. "I knew pretty early on that Mark was my dream man and I genuinely feel like the luckiest man on earth to get to marry him."
Hoying and Manio told that they wanted a timeless, unique experience when planning their wedding and were drawn to Santa Barbara after celebrating Manio's birthday there previously.
"Mark and I both have a deep love for the beach and the ocean and some of our favourite, romantic, lifelong memories together are by the beach," said Hoying, who popped the question in the Bahamas in April 2022.
The couple chose all-white florals for their ceremony and exchanged handwritten vows beneath a baby's breath archway, with singer and friend Christina Perri officiating.
Kina Grannis, a musician, was on hand as the grooms walked down a mirrored floor aisle, singing "Can't Help Falling in Love," just as she did in a pivotal scene in the 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians.
"That's our favourite love song of all time from our favourite scene of our favourite movie," Hoying said. "We've had countless nights over the years of dancing in each other's arms to this beautiful song. Sometimes we turn the movie on just to watch that specific scene, so it's truly our dream scenario for the wedding processional and we are so grateful to have Kina lend her gorgeous talents to our big day."
When it came to the reception, the couple was all about music, curating their own playlist to ensure that guests could "dance the night away."
Hoying even surprised Manio with a performance of "Four," a song he wrote for the model after their engagement last year. The song will appear on Hoying's new EP Parallel, which will be released on July 28.
Though the ceremony was all-white, the reception was anything but twinkling lights and chandeliers illuminated all-black floors and draping, while white and cream florals throughout the ballroom added a warm touch.
"We wanted a big, epic wedding because our families are very close-knit, passionate and supportive of our love, which we think is so special," he explained. "We wanted this to be an event that celebrates not only us but our entire families on both sidesa moment we could cherish forever. "We really wanted it to be grandiose and like nothing else we've ever experienced, just like our love for each other."
On the wedding day, there was an audio guestbook where friends and family could leave messages on an old rotary phone, as well as a tattoo artist and a photo booth that put guests on the cover of a magazine.
"My family absolutely adores Mark, and his family are the most wonderful, fun, warm people in the whole world," said Hoying. "We are so fortunate and lucky to have these incredible support systems in our lives!"
The couple had been dating since they met in 2017 at a friend's birthday party in Los Angeles. Hoying, who appeared on The Masked Singer with Pentatonix earlier this year, arrived late to the party due to a music video shoot and immediately set his sights on Manio, as per PEOPLE.
"We talked the whole night and really it off," he recalled. "We started hanging out every single day, and I remember being blown away at how warm, wholesome and sweet Mark was. It was such a refreshing energy that I couldn't get enough of. People always say that six years later, we still haven't lost our 'honeymoon phase,' and we couldn't agree more."
Manio, too, is full of praise for his husband, calling Hoying "passionate, brave, inspiring, hard-working... and caring, tender and deeply honest and sincere."
"He is truly one-of-a-kind," said Manio. "He leads through life with such a unique, electrifying presence. And of course, he is the most handsome man I have ever laid eyes on. He lights up my life in every single way."
With their wedding behind them, Hoying said the couple will spend their honeymoon in Punta Mita, Mexico, and that they "talk every day about starting a big ol' family."
"Getting married to each other means everything. I think we, like so many queer people growing up, wonder if they'll ever even come out if they'll ever find love, and for some of us, if gay marriage would ever be legal. The fact that all of those obstacles ended up working out, in the end, is a really beautiful thing and only makes us cherish each other more," he said.
He continued, "What I love about Mark is that he is the most loving, gentle, genuinely kind ray of sunshine that you'll ever meetalways! It's like a superpower. He loves life, people, and every part of me. I just know he is going to be the most amazing father in the world to our children."
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor