Former Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon and his boyfriend Jussi-Pekka Kajaala had a “what the heck” moment when they heard there was an appointment open on New Year’s Eve for a California marriage officiant in the Los Angeles suburb of Encino. They decided to go for it and now the two are legally married.
“We’ve been waiting to do it for a while and we always were like, ‘Let’s just go and do it and just have it be finished and we can finally be married,’” Rippon told People.
Rippon also announced the news in a post on Instagram:
SURPRISE 🥂 WE ARE MARRIED🥲❤️ One afternoon JP and I looked at each other and said the very classic *romantic* phrase of “let’s just go do it now”. So we did. It was just the three of us and it was perfect 12/31/21
Calling Encino “the happiest place on Earth,” Rippon, 32, and Kajaala, 34, donned what the skater called their “Easter Sunday Mass” best and were married in a 1 p.m. ceremony by Maria. Their 4-month-old pitbull mix, Tony, was a witness. The couple were in bed by 10:30 p.m.
“It was like what you would get from the dollar store if you knew you had a wedding in five minutes,” Rippon said, “but it was perfect.”
Rippon says he surprised himself at the onset of emotion during their vows: “That was a moment where I wasn’t expecting it to be so sweet. It was very sweet.” Afterward, he admits, “I cried when I left.”
They will wait until the pandemic simmers down before throwing a larger party with Rippon’s family back East and Kajaala’s in Finland. For now, they are settled in Pasadena, with Rippon set to head to Beijng, where he is coaching American Olympic skater Mariah Bell. Rippon, who is gay, was one of the breakout stars of the 2018 Winter Olympics, for his personality as well as his skating.
“I think that’s a tell-tale sign of being in a good marriage is I’m glad I did it,” Rippon said. “That’s my official quote: How do you feel? I’m glad I did it.”
