On This Date in Country Music History: Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani Said I Do on an Oklahoma Ranch

Five years ago today, on July 3, 2021, a country music superstar from Ada, Oklahoma married a pop icon from Anaheim, California in a small chapel on his ranch in Tishomingo, and one of the most unlikely and genuinely beloved love stories in music history became official.

Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani had filed for their marriage license just four days earlier, on June 29, in Johnston County, Oklahoma. The ceremony was intimate by any standard, a small gathering of family and close friends, celebrity-free by design. Shelton had built the chapel on his property specifically for Stefani, a practicing Catholic, and it was also the spot where he had proposed to her the previous October.

The Voice host Carson Daly officiated the ceremony, a choice that made perfect sense given that it was on The Voice set that the two had first met as coaches in 2015. Daly described what he witnessed that day with barely contained emotion. "The ceremony was a perfect blend of country and glamour," he said. "It was as elegant and refined and cool as Gwen is, and it was country and down-home and fun as Blake is."

Daly had asked the couple to write their own vows, telling them, "You guys are two of the best songwriters in the world, we want to hear your words." Both were reluctant at first but eventually agreed. What happened next became the most talked-about moment of the ceremony. Gwen went first and was extraordinary, leaving not a dry eye in the chapel. Then Blake stepped up, acknowledged that Gwen had always given him a hard time about not writing enough songs, and pulled out a guitar. He had written her an original song and performed it live, crying the whole way through.

Stefani wore two custom Vera Wang Haute Couture gowns on the day, the first featuring a dramatic train and a long veil hand-embroidered with Shelton's name, her own name, and the names of her three sons Kingston, Zuma, and Apollo. The boys were all present and honored throughout the day. The wedding cake was a five-tiered replica of Stefani's parents' wedding cake, made by Dallas baker Fancy Cakes by Lauren as a tribute to family and new beginnings.

The night before the wedding, the couple celebrated with family at Shelton's Ole Red restaurant in Tishomingo, just down the road from the ranch. It was exactly the kind of detail that summed up who Blake Shelton is: no pretense, no Hollywood excess, just good food, family, and the town he has never left behind no matter how big the career got.

The road to that chapel had not been simple. Both had emerged from painful, high-profile divorces in 2015 and found each other while filming The Voice, bonding over shared heartbreak before anything romantic began. A source close to the couple noted that their shared faith was central to the day. "Having the wedding at home was a way for their families and Gwen to be as comfortable as possible. Blake wanted the day to be perfect for Gwen. His love for her is so deep."

Five years on, by all accounts, it still is. Read Blake Shelton's full bio on our website.