Sophia Bush is a wife again, and she has been for more than a year. The One Tree Hill star revealed in an exclusive Vogue interview and memoir excerpt that she married former US soccer star Ashlyn Harris in summer 2025, in a ceremony so small that the couple's guest list fitted around a fire pit.
There was no white gown, no seating chart and no announcement for over a year. Here is everything we know about how they pulled it off, and what their day can teach anyone dreaming of a tiny wedding or elopement of their own.
According to Vogue, the pair married in a private ceremony in upstate New York in the summer of 2025. In the memoir excerpt, Bush writes that they first called city hall and visited a few days later, then planned to take the kids upstate the following weekend.
The ceremony itself took place at a farm property, with the excerpt describing "the backyard and the sunset" in their wedding photos. No exact date has been shared.
Bush, 44, and Harris, 40, have been together for about three years. They were first linked in October 2023, shortly after both of their previous marriages ended, as E! News recounts, and Bush went public with the relationship in a 2024 Glamour cover story.
Harris's children, daughter Sloane, 5, and son Ocean, 4, were the guests of honour, as reported by HuffPost. Bush is now their stepmother. Harris shares both children with her ex-wife, Ali Krieger.
The officiant was Bush's best friend, Nia. In the excerpt, Bush describes sending Nia a link to get ordained online, and Nia texting back that it took her just over two and a half minutes. The excerpt also mentions Bush's godson and "all our kids" running around, so the gathering appears to have been children plus one very close friend.
Harris told Vogue that Sloane carried flowers picked from the property, and that the day suited the kids because it was not "pressure-filled". The family roasted marshmallows together that night.
Because she forgot to pack an outfit. Bush writes that she had organised clothes for all the children but not herself, while Harris had packed a tuxedo.
Digging through unpacked boxes in the basement, she found a black velvet dress flecked with gold that she had once worn to a party with Nia. She loved that its pattern reminded her of space, which felt fitting, since Harris grew up near Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The couple tucked handwritten vows into a Mary Oliver poetry book, which Nia handed back to them during the ceremony. Then they exchanged rings.
Both women have lived very public lives since their teens and early twenties. Bush told Vogue that at this stage of life you start to "unpack what's yours" and what has always been for everyone else, and in the excerpt she writes that there was "something sacred" about letting the day belong to them first.
Instead of a big guest list, the couple travelled to see friends and family across the US to share the news in person. Only then did they think about telling the public.
As for why they are speaking now, Bush told Vogue she was tired of calling Harris "my partner" on panels and in interviews, adding: "You're my wife." Harris said the visibility matters because "there are still kids hiding who don't feel seen", a point picked up by PinkNews. Both sit on the board of the Human Rights Campaign.
Yes, if you were looking closely. In October 2025, HOLA! USA noticed the pair wearing matching gold rings on their ring fingers in Harris's birthday photos, which prompted months of marriage rumours.
At the time, those rumours were unconfirmed, and neither woman addressed them directly. The Vogue reveal finally answered the question, about a year after the wedding took place.
The book is called And I Will Tell You Mine: Notes from a Life in Progress, and it is published by Flatiron Books on 27 October 2026, according to Vogue. It is Bush's debut as an author.
The wedding chapter is only one of its revelations. Bush has previously been married to Chad Michael Murray and to Grant Hughes, as Bustle notes, and the excerpt touches on her belief in marriage despite how it can end.
If you love a celebrity who kept their vows quiet, you are in good company. Cardi B famously secretly married Offset with only one guest.
The Bush and Harris wedding is a reminder that the most memorable days are not always the biggest. If a small ceremony appeals, start here:
Decide what "small" means to you: A micro wedding usually has a short guest list, while an elopement can be just the two of you plus legal witnesses.
Write a guest list you love: Our guide on how to make a wedding guest list helps you decide who truly needs to be there.
Check the legal side early: A friend cannot simply get ordained online in Australia. You need an authorised celebrant, two witnesses aged 18 or over, and a Notice of Intended Marriage lodged at least one month ahead, as our guide to what it costs to elope in Australia explains.
Choose a celebrant who feels like family: If you want the warmth of a friend leading the ceremony, see our tips on how to choose a wedding celebrant. Some couples ask a friend to give a reading while the celebrant handles the legal words.
Make your vows personal: Bush and Harris wrote theirs by hand. Our guide on how to write wedding vows will get you started.
Planning to share the news later, like Bush and Harris did? Consider visiting close family in person first, so nobody hears it from social media.
Harris's point about the day not being "too much for young kids" is one of the most useful takeaways for blended families. A few ideas:
Give them a real job: Carrying flowers, handing over the rings or reading a short line makes children feel part of it.
Keep the timeline short: A brief ceremony and an early, relaxed dinner suit little ones far better than a late reception.
Plan a kid-friendly ritual: Toasting marshmallows, a picnic or a family photo walk can become a memory everyone shares.
Talk to them first: For stepchildren in particular, an honest chat about what the day means can ease nerves. Our questions to ask when including the step-family are a good place to begin.
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Joseph Joshua is the SEO & Content Manager at Wedded Wonderland, bringing an editorial and search strategy perspective to the publication’s coverage of luxury weddings, destination celebrations and bridal lifestyle. His approach to content centres on helping readers move from inspiration to informed decisions, with attention to the design, craftsmanship and personal details that give a celebration its character.
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