Pixabay A "Real Housewives" star went to Vegas to get married.
Former “Real Housewives of Orange County” star Braunwyn Windham-Burke and her girlfriend Jennifer Spinner got married in Las Vegas on Valentine’s Day 2023.
Windham-Burke shared a photo of her and Spinner kissing outside of a wedding chapel in Vegas on February 14, 2023. “Crazy….in love. I adore you @hashtag_blehssed. You’re my love, my best friend, the reason I laugh. I’m the luckiest girl in the world. Here’s to a lifetime of adventures,” she captioned the snap.
The next day, Windham-Burke posted a few more pictures from the ceremony. One showed the couple inside the chapel complete with an Elvis Presley impersonator. “It was the best day. I love you @hashtag_blehssed. I love how you love me, I love how you love the kids. Here’s to a lifetime of living life to the fullest and seizing every moment,” the caption read.
Just after news of the wedding was revealed, there was some chatter about the validity and legality of the wedding since Windham-Burke is still legally married to her ex-husband Sean Burke, but she clarified things in an interview with People magazine.
Here’s what you need to know:
Braunwyn Windham-Burke’s Marriage Isn’t Legally Binding
Windham-Burke and Spinner wanted to show their commitment to one another by having a wedding ceremony and vowing their lives to one another, even though their marriage isn’t legally binding.
“I know I can’t legally marry her right now, as I’m still going through divorce proceedings, but in my eyes and my heart, she’s my wife and I’m hers. We’re married. It’s like what queer people have been doing forever anyway. We’re committing to one another and starting our life together. We got to get married by Valentine’s Day by Elvis. How iconic is that? What a bucket list item,” Windham-Burke told People magazine after the wedding.
She went on to explain that the couple had been planning to get married at the end of their “road trip” but ended up getting into a car accident.
“This was really for me and Jen. She’s the love of my life. She’s my soul mate. And as she’s told me, I’m hers. Neither of us thought we’d have love like this and we’d find our person. So we just wanted our life to begin. When you come out later in life, you just want to seize all the moments,” she explained.
Braunwyn Windham-Burke & Jennifer Spinner Got Engaged on New Year’s Eve
Windham-Burke and her ex-husband were together for 26 years before their split, which was announced in July 2021, seven months after Windham-Burke came out as gay.
“I’m a member of the LGBTQ+ community. It has taken me 42 years to say that but I am so proud of where I am right now. I’m so happy where I am. To be able to be comfortable in my own skin after so long is just so nice,” she said during an interview with GLAAD.
On New Year’s Eve, Windham-Burke and Spinner gave one another rings
“We did begin 2023 with a promise to one another to spend the rest of our lives together. We were in North Carolina on New Year’s Eve. And at 11:59, we did a little commitment ceremony to each other where we exchanged rings and told the other, ‘I love you, I want to be with you, this is my promise to you, this is where we’re headed, I want to spend the rest of my life with you,’” Windham-Burke told People.
Windham-Burke and Sean Burke have seven children together, five of whom are minors and are co-parented by the former couple. In December 2022, Page Six reported that Windham-Burke filed court documents requesting $10,000 per month in spousal support.
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