And there were plenty of LGBTQ+ athletes who decided to tie the knot!
Best of all, many of these out athletes shared the joy with their community of fans. Break out your hankies and virtual rice, because we’ve curated our favorite pics from the weddings of four out athletes who tied the knot in 2021.
Photos by @gabrieles_photos and @joannalohman15; @aguyart; and @cindian and @sarkasnow
Out French fencer, author, and rocket engineer Astrid Guyart (right) married her girlfriend, Julie Lavet (left), in a beautiful ceremony recently, and the brilliant athlete shared some pics of the joyous event on her Instagram!
When she’s not competing on Team France's fencing team, Guyart is also a successful children’s book author and a part-time aerospace engineer who works on designing rockets.
Photo by @aguyart
Guyart had been training hard all year to compete for Team France in the Olympics in Tokyo this past summer, and her efforts paid off with a silver medal performance!
Photo by @aguyart
But Olympic glory was in the background as Guyart and Lavet only had eyes for each other on the day of their wedding.
Photo by @aguyart
Retired Washington Spirit soccer star Joanna Lohman married her fiancée Melodie George in September. Outsports reported Lohman looked stunning in a white suit with black lapels and black slacks from The Tailory NYC. Photos by Gabriele Stonyte Photography (@gabrieles_photos) captured the special occasion.
Photos by @gabrieles_photos and @joannalohman15
While Lohman wore the suit and mohawk, George, who works with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, opted to wear her hair long and looked equally stunning as well in a delicate, full-length wedding gown from Rude de Seine.
Photos by @gabrieles_photos and @joannalohman15
After their nuptials, the happily married couple joined family and friends for a championship-level celebration.
Photos by @gabrieles_photos and @joannalohman15
WNBA and Chicago Sky star Candace Parker was all smiles earlier this month when she revealed her two-year marriage to Anya Petrokov.
Photo by @candaceparker
Parker had just helped Team USA win the gold medal for women’s basketball at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo and led the Chicago Sky to a WNBA championship.
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
The biggest and happiest surprise of all, though, was that Parker and Petrokov are expecting a baby together!
Photo by @candaceparker
Czech snowboarder Sarka Pancochova married her girlfriend Kaileen Barley in a romantic outdoor ceremony in the Cascade Mountains in Washington State recently. The photos were taken by Cindy Santini (@cindian), which Pancochova posted to her own Instagram (@sarkasnow).
Photo by @cindian and @sarkasnow
Attendees at the intimate ceremony included family, friends, and one uninvited yet delightfully photogenic guest.
Photo by @cindian and @sarkasnow
Lucky for the wedding party, the uninvited bear didn’t stick around for the dinner and reception.
Photo by @cindian and @sarkasnow
Pancochova and Barley sealed their nuptials with a loving kiss in what just might be the most beautiful and romantic wedding venue ever.
Photo by @cindian and @sarkasnow
