Avril Lavigne Marries Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley

Punk-pop princess Avril Lavigne married fellow Canadian singer Deryck Whibley yesterday, at a private estate in Montecito, California. The wedding between the two Canadian punk rockers was described as being mostly traditional.

People broke the story on Saturday. “At the outdoor, non-denominational ceremony, Lavigne was walked down the aisle by her father, John, to Mendelssohn's ‘Wedding March.’ She wore a Vera Wang gown and carried a bouquet of white roses. The couple said their vows under an awning decorated with white flowers in front of 110 guests, including family and friends from their native Ontario.”

The People report went on to say that “After the wedding, guests were to be treated to an outdoor cocktail hour before the reception, including a sit-down dinner, under a tent on the estate. In contrast to the all-white ceremony, the reception will have a red theme, with centerpieces of red roses and other flowers.”

The CBC reports that the Canadian Press wire service was told the service was a “short, classy ceremony with the sound of helicopters droning overhead carrying photographers trying to get a shot.” The CBC went on to report that “The nuptials were one of world's worst-kept secret as many news outlets had predicted the pair would be married very soon. Reports circulated almost two weeks earlier that the duo had told family in Canada to buy their airline tickets.”

Forbes reports, “The pair have been dating since early 2004 and bought a house in Los Angeles later that year. They became engaged in Venice, Italy, in 2005 while Lavigne was on a European tour”

Avril Lavigne has been a force in the music scene since she appeared with the 2002 album, Let Go. The strength of the singles “Complicated”, “Sk8er Boi”, “I’m With You” and “Losing Grip” led to Avril Lavigne selling 15 million copies of the album. Her follow-up album, Under My Skin went on to sell 10 million albums with singles such as “Don’t Tell Me”, “My Happy Ending” and “Nobody’s Home”. Avril recently voiced the possum Heather in the film Over the Hedge. Lavigne is also set to appear in the Richard Gere film, The Flock, as well as Fast Food Nation, featuring Patricia Arquette, Bobby Cannavale, Ethan Hawke and Greg Kinnear.

Avril Lavigne’s success places her as the fourth highest-selling Canadian act since 1995. However, her husband, Deryck Whibley, is in the top ten with his band, Sum 41. Sum 41 started up in 1996 in Ontario, Canada. In 1999, they put out their first EP, Half Hour of Power. Based on its success, Sum 41 put out their first full-length album, All Killer No Filler, the next year. “Fat Lip”, “In Too Deep” and “Motivation” were very well received, bringing Sum 41 into the mainstream. Does This Look Infected? and Chuck took their commercial success further, with hits like “Still Waiting”, “The Hell Song”, “Pieces” and “We’re All To Blame”. Deryck Whibley is the front man, singer, songwriter and guitarist for Sum 41. Before marrying Avril Lavigne, Deryck Whibley was romantically linked to socialite Paris Hilton.

[Additional Sources: People, CBC, Forbes]