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Country Singer Chely Wright Engaged to Girlfriend: "We Want a Family"

Wedding scoop! Less than a year after announcing she's gay, "Shut Up and Drive" hitmaker announces she and gay rights activist Lauren Blitzer will marry

By Marc Malkin Apr 06, 2011 10:00 PMTags
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When Chely Wright made history last May as the first hitmaking country singer to come out of the closet, she was single.

She told me at the time, "I am open to love in my life."

Well, she's not only found love since then, she's now planning a wedding...

Wright and gay rights activist Lauren Blitzer announced today that they're engaged to be married. They'll wed in August in front of about 200 people on an estate owned by Blitzer's aunt.

"It's been a really exciting time," Wright just told me. "We fit so well. And the best part is that our families go so beautifully together."

The two met through their gay rights advocacy work. Blitzer is currently development director at non-profit Faith in America.

Yes, they plan on having kids. "We want a family," Wright said. "The benefit of being out is I get to have everything that everyone else has. I do want a family and I do want traditional things. I just had no idea it would happen so quickly. I feel like it was a blessing from God."

They designed their diamond engagement rings together and are working on their gowns for the big day with fashion designer Jose Dias. "We'll both be wearing white!" Wright gushed. "There will be no bridezillas at our wedding."

Wright made national headlines when she came out in May at the time of the release of her memoir, Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Singer. She's most famous for her late 1990s hits, "Shut Up and Drive" and "Single White Female." The Academy of Country Music awarded her Top New Female Vocalist in 1995.

Congrats, Chely and Lauren! Can't wait to see the wedding pics.