Lifetime audiences may have watched them fall in love onscreen last year as stars in the network's first holiday film to center an LGBTQ+ couple, but Blake Lee and Ben Lewis have a relationship of over a decade strong. After meeting in the men's room for the premiere of Aubrey Plaza's 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World -- it was a shared glance and a 'hi,' no foot tapping involved -- they exchanged numbers and let things go where they might. That journey saw them wed five years ago on January 17, 2016 in a ceremony surrounded by family and a ton of friends.
"[Our officiant] told the story of how we met and fell in love in this way that tied everyone in the room into it," Lewis says of the ceremony that had 175 guests. The pair, who were walked down the aisle by their mothers Cathy Lewis and Nancy Lee, had written their own vows, exchanged rings designed by their friend Lizzie Mandler, decked out the place with flowers by Lee's cousin Julia Rohde, and called on Broadway's Kevin Cahoon to play officiant. They look back on the moment as both special and intimate.
The honeymoon saw them leave behind their wedding party of eight girlfriends, and drive up the coast from Los Angeles to Big Sur. Along the way they stopped and began a collection of vintage Christmas ornaments, tchotchkes that the pair have kept throughout being together for half a decade. Only recently, after years of traveling for the holidays, were they were able to finally deck out their own Christmas tree with the ornaments.
"I think the biggest thing I've learned over the years about Ben is that he needs his alone time," Lee says. The pair both point to a feeling of calmness and thoughtfulness since getting married, figuring out ways to work through issues instead of looking for an exit strategy. "I always want to have people around and can never sit still, but Ben needs to think and be quiet and I have learned to love that about him." Being together during the pandemic has certainly put that to the test.
As the pair are both actors -- they occasionally find themselves up for the same role, but not too often -- the last few months have seen a slow down in work, and a ton of time together. Before filming The Christmas Setup the pair couple never worked together professionally, though they had helped one another with self-tape auditions. But now, the experience of that recent project could lead to more in the future.
"I never expected we'd be a married couple who wanted to work together," Lewis admits. The Christmas Setup, which also starred Fran Drescher changed that. "Now we're actively wanting to develop projects together." Sounds like the perfect Hollywood power couple to us.
All photos by Annie McElwain.
Groomsmaids: L-R Katie Katz, Cassia Skurecki, Aubrey Plaza, Chase Cohl, Emma Lewis, Tatiana Maslany, Lauren Collins. Mercedes Grundy
All photos by Annie McElwain.
