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To his groom's words, Canadian-born David Furnish added in the Sunday Times, “We thought about it long and hard. But once you make that decision to commercialize your life, whether it's for charity or not, you cross a line.”

“And you can never go back from that,” Elton concludes. “ Madonna got it right when she was married. Nobody has seen one photograph of that day.”

The Sunday Times is among the few media outlets to ask the about what the new Civil Partnership Act says about gay rights.

“We're very lucky to live in Britain,” Elton stated. “I cannot think of a more tolerant place to live.”

Not surprisingly, the media have used the upcoming same gender nuptials to regurgitate the story of Elton John 's Valentine's Day 1984 heterosexual marriage to Renate Blauel. Doomed even before vows were exchanged, the union lasted four years. Renate is the German music engineer who worked on Elton's 1983 album Too Low for Zero. They engineered a divorce in 1988, and Renate walked away with a cool 10 million-pound settlement.

The ink was still wet on the latest John-Furnish stories when, on November 29, another gay celebrity couple announced that UK wedding bells will be ringing for them. Following last Tuesday's London screening of George Michael: A Different Story, a documentary about the pop icon's roller-coaster life and career, George, 42, announced he will tie the knot with his partner of ten years, Texas-born Kenny Goss.

“We won't be doing the whole veil and gown thing,” Michael explained at the screening. The wedding date has not been finalized, but Wham's once upon a time bleached blond calf-cake boy added, “It'll be relatively soon, probably early next year.” Echoing Elton and David, George and Kenny insist they want a small, quiet ceremony.

Barring a pre-wedding scandal such as Michael's infamous 1998 Beverly Hills public toilet arrest, it's unlikely that the Michael-Goss nuptials will generate the amount of media coverage attendant Sir Elton's. For one thing, Michael and Goss are second in line, following John and Furnish down the aisle. For another thing, on both sides of the Pond, in recent years, George Michael 's star has lost much of its wattage.

And then there's George Michael's practical, no-frills take on his marriage. Whereas Elton and David have oft described their upcoming wedding as “brilliant” and “romantic,” George Michael has already told the world, “To be honest, I'm not very romantic about getting married. I think Kenny probably would be if I let him, but it's just not me.”

How unromantic is the singer of Careless Whisper and I Want Your Sex? How about totally? George says his main reason for marrying is to protect his financial assets and make certain that his spouse inherits his estate.

“We want to do it just in case,” he explains. “I could get hit by a bus and the poor man would have nothing.”

Clearly, neither gay celebrity couple seeks a media circus wedding. But the last word on press coverage remains to be heard, read, and seen. What will happen when John and Furnish marry later this month, and when Michael and Goss exchange vows in 2006? Will the media respect their wishes for privacy, or in their zeal for ratings and readership, will the press attempt to turn these landmark gay weddings into the greatest shows on earth?

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