Jake Owens Marries Lacey Buchanan in Sunrise Ceremony

Concert photo by Ray Tharaldson
all rights reserved 2012
 
By Kay West and Liz Raftery

Country star Jake Owen and his model girlfriend Lacey Buchanan are officially Mr. and Mrs. Owen.

The couple, who met when Buchanan appeared in Owen's music video for "8 Second Ride" and began dating after she starred in the video for his hit "Barefoot Blue Jean Night," tied the knot in a sunrise ceremony Monday morning in Owen's hometown of Vero Beach, Fla.

But there were no blue jeans on the beach.

The bride, 22, wore an Amsale gown and veil and the groom was casual in a white linen Armani shirt and Tommy Bahama drawstring pants – though both were barefoot on the beach as the sun rose over the ocean.

"That was my idea, because it's symbolic of the dawn of a new day and starting our new life together," Owen told PEOPLE.

The sexy Owen, 30, popped the question to Buchanan on stage at his alma mater, Vero Beach High, this past April after he sang "Don't Think I Can't Love You" – a proposal so spontaneous he didn't yet have the ring he designed himself. Back at their home in Nashville, he took a knee again and proposed properly.

Family-Only Ceremony
The intimate ceremony was a family-only affair. Lacey's sister Leah was her maid of honor, and Jake's twin brother Jarrod served as best man. His uncle, Ron Owen, officiated.

After the couple exchanged vows and their first kiss, the party walked to the patio of the Vero Beach Hotel and Spa for champagne, cake cutting and a sit-down brunch.

"I'm looking forward to being a husband, someone his wife relies and leans on," said Owen, who will hit the road with Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney on June 2 – though not before taking a honeymoon.

Added the bride: "He gives me so much love, that it's the best place of my life, and having the commitment of marriage means everything."