American Idol alum Clark Beckham marries Chanlie Baker after five years together in Tennessee

After nearly five years together, American Idol’s Clark Beckham and Chanlie Baker wed in an intimate ceremony, which was initially postponed due to the pandemic. 

The lovebirds exchanged handwritten vows on Thursday, as they tied the knot in front of ‘a combination of friends from high school, college and music’ in Brentwood, Tennessee.  

Their May nuptials were initially delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the groom told People, before remarking that ‘planning a wedding is tough, but add a pandemic, and it’s even crazier.’  

‘The original date was May 7, and we were told we’d have to have 20 people max, which wasn’t enough for the bridal parties alone, much less staff, family and guests,’ Beckham told the outlet. 

He added: ‘We made the decision to postpone the wedding to a date we believed for sure would be free and clear of COVID. As we’ve all learned, it’s still not over so we had to cut down the vast majority of the guests that we already invited.’

Then, a ‘week or so before the wedding’ they discovered they could invite ‘most’ of their guests again.  

As they prepared to walk down the aisle, the bride slipped into a stunning Pronovias Bridal sequin gown, which she described as being the dress she ‘always pictured’ herself in. 

‘The luckiest man to have been alive,’ the singer captioned a video from their big day on Instagram of the black-tie affair, which showed his partner in a plunging gown.  

The pair also revealed, to People, their first dance as newlyweds was to D’Angelo’s Untitled (How Does It Feel) at the reception. 

Many of Beckham’s groomsmen stepped up to play instruments and the runner-up on the fourteenth season of American Idol played his lady his new single about her. 

Ahead of their wedding, he also told the magazine he looked most forward to finally being able to call Chanlie ‘Mrs. Beckham.’

The pair first met at Champy’s Fried Chicken in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she was working as a server. 

‘I went there a lot,’ Beckham told People. ‘One day I saw her, didn’t know her, wanted to know her, and walked up to introduce myself. I had never done that in my life. We talked … I was awkward, but I got her name and she got mine. Next time, we talked a little more and the rest is history.’ 

As the sparks continue to fly years later, he gushed ‘there’s no one in the world I’d rather have on my team when the going gets tough.’

‘It also goes without saying she’s one of the most virtuous, beautiful, brilliant people I’ve ever met and will ever meet in my life,’ he said.  

‘We were ready to move on to the next stage of our life together,’ he said a year after becoming engaged in August 2019. 

Baker recently graduated college and is working as a dental assistant, while the musician is releasing his debut album, Light Year, in the fall.  

The performer also noted he is committed to his marriage and that Baker is ‘the most important thing in the world to me.’