【Danny Gokey】【新闻】Danny Gokey weds Leyicet Peralta

The couple tied the knot before about 100 family members and friends in Florida on Sunday, January 30, People magazine reported, quoting the pair as saying in a statement: "We are so thankful to have found each other and now be able to spend the rest of our lives together. We pray our gratitude grows more every day because there is so much for us to do now." Gokey, a 31-year-old Wisconsin native, and Peralta, a 25-year-old model and reality star from Florida, announced their engagement in December, according to a message posted on the website of Sophia's Heart Foundation.

The charity helps raise funds for impoverished children and adults and was launched to honor the memory of the singer's first wife Sophia, who died after undergoing heart surgery in 2008, a month before what would have been her 28th birthday. They had married in 2004. "Danny's passion and focus for the last three years has been his country music career and launching Sophia's Heart Foundation," the message on the group's website said. "He is thrilled to have found Leyicet who also shares his passion and desire to help children and families in need. Accordingly, Danny & Leyicet have requested to their wedding guests that all gifts be in the form of a donation to Sophia's Heart."

Gokey told Fox News in a television interview that it was his fiance's idea to request donations instead of gifts, adding: "It was the most beautiful thing - she came up to me after we got engaged and she took me aside and said, 'Listen, I don't want any gifts for our wedding.' I said, 'Really?'" Peralta starred in the NuvoTV reality competition series "Model Latina" in 2008. She and Gokey were photographed together in June at the Country Weekly Fashion Show and Concert in Nashville. "No one can go back and start a new beginning," Gokey Tweeted on Tuesday, December 27. "But anyone can start today and make a new ending."

Gokey had auditioned for "American Idol" weeks before his wife's death. He placed third during season 8, which aired in 2009. Glam rocker Adam Lambert came in second and Kris Allen won the singing competition series. Gokey released his debut album, "My Best Days" in 2010. Gokey kept busy in 2011 as well. He toured with Taylor Swift and released the single "Second Hand Heart." Also last year, Match Eyewear announced it had signed a deal with Gokey to launch a prescription eyewear collection, which it says highlights his "personal flair," in March 2012.