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The secret is out!
On Tuesday (January 11), Michael Clifford revealed he and his longtime love Crystal Leigh secretly tied the knot last year. To mark their first wedding anniversary, Clifford and Leigh unveiled their stunning wedding photos in People.
The pair first got engaged back in 2019 before the pandemic began. They set their wedding date for January 11, 2021, which would be their fifth dating anniversary. Unfortunately, the ongoing pandemic derailed their plans to have a destination wedding in Bali. Instead of completely postponing their nuptials, Clifford and Leigh decided to "preserve their original wedding date" by hosting an intimate ceremony, attended by just their closest friends, to sign the legal documents officially making them husband and wife.
Though their families, unfortunately, were not at the small ceremony held at their new home, they were surrounded by their wedding party on their special day. The couple's celebrant was The Summer Set lead vocalist Brian Dales. Clifford's 5 Seconds of Summer bandmates, Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood, and Ashton Irwin, were also in attendance. During the reception, Hood gave an impromptu speech, while Hemmings and his fiancée, Sierra Deaton, performed a duet of 'Can't Help Falling in Love.'
"We had built a small stage in our backyard with no idea if anyone was even going to use it, and Crystal's maid of honor Abbey decided to get on stage and deliver a speech that was totally unplanned after Calum had given one," Clifford recalled. "She had a few wines by that point, so it was pretty hilarious!"
Clifford and Leigh still plan to host their wedding in Bali, as well, with all their loved ones in attendance. "I really wanted to save all of the traditional special wedding moments for our actual ceremony so I'm able to enjoy them with my mom," Leigh told People. "We're actually both only children, so we want to make sure all of our parents get to experience every aspect of our wedding since they only get to do it once! No pressure."
"We were most excited to be near our friends all together for the first time in a while due to COVID," they added. "To be officially married, even in secret, was so special for us too — officially Mr. and Mrs."