Alan Cumming Groomed for Marriage

Tony winner got hitched to artist boyfriend Grant Shaffer over the weekend in a civil ceremony in London; the couple, who share an apartment in New York, have been together two years

By Natalie Finn Jan 09, 2007 3:02 AMTags

The host of The Anniversary Party now has his own milestone to celebrate. 

Alan Cumming and graphic artist Grant Shaffer tied the knot Saturday in a civil ceremony at the Old Royal Naval College near London, E! Online's own Marc Malkin reports.  

About 140 guests watched the couple swap vows in custom-made suits, Cumming in an oatmeal-colored linen knit with a black shirt and tie and Shaffer in a black striped number with a white shirt and tie.  

According to Cumming's rep, the celeb-studded guest list included Sir Ian McKellen, Geri Halliwell, Rufus Wainwright and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. 

The couple walked down the aisle to the theme song from 1994's Circle of Friends, Cumming's first big film, and then took guests to a nearby rented ice rink for a newlywed skate to the tune of Queen's "You're My Best Friend." 

"Not only are we so happy to be able to celebrate our love for each other, but also to be able to do it in a country that properly recognizes the rights of same-sex couples," Cumming, who shares a New York apartment with the American-born Shaffer, said in a statement.

"As residents of America we would have loved to marry there, but we hope that soon the civil rights that we have been afforded in the U.K. will be available to all gay Americans, and we look forward to celebrating not only our marriage, but the end of prejudice." 

Cumming, 41, and Shaffer dated for two years before making things official this weekend. This is the second marriage for the stage and screen star, who shared an eight-year union with actor Hilary Lyon until 1993. 

Cumming, whose roles have ranged from his Tony-winning turn as the flamboyant emcee in Cabaret to Nightcrawler in X-Men 2, most recently scored a recurring role on Showtime's The L Word and starred in a modern adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's The Threepenny Opera on Broadway. 

In 2001, the Scottish actor cowrote, codirected and coproduced The Anniversary Party with Jennifer Jason Leigh, in which the two play a Hollywood couple whose marriage is on the verge of collapse.