Not many love stories survive four decades. Chaz Bono’s did.
On March 8, 2026, the 57-year-old son of Cher and the late Sonny Bono married Shara Blue Mathes in a glamorous ceremony at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles — completing a love story that began when both were just teenagers.
Cher sat in the front row and watched every moment of it.
Forty Years in the Making
Bono and Mathes first crossed paths at age 17 at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. They went their separate ways, lived separate lives, and didn’t reconnect romantically until January 2017. From that point, they have been inseparable. LGBTQ NationHOLA!
“I first met Shara more than 40 years ago when we were just teenagers,” Bono told People magazine after the wedding. “I think it’s safe to say that not many grooms ultimately end up marrying the very first girl they ever kissed so many years later.” National Today
That line alone tells you everything about why this wedding resonated far beyond celebrity gossip.
Hollywood Glamour, Front Row Legends
Bono confirmed the news on Instagram, writing: “After knowing each other for 40 years and being in a relationship for 9, Shara and I got married at the Hollywood Roosevelt on Sunday March 8th.” Extra
The venue matched the occasion. A black aisle lined with glowing red candles and delicate floral arrangements set the scene, while the dress code called for Hollywood Glam Formal. Chaz went classic — a tuxedo and black bow tie. Shara wore a dramatic lace gown with long sleeves and a flowing train, her dark hair styled in soft waves, carrying a bouquet of purple orchids. HOLA! + 2
When the vows were done, Bono reportedly “dipped” Mathes in a celebratory move right there at the altar. LGBTQ Nation
Their first dance was to Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight.” PinkNews
A Family Reunion of Its Own
The wedding also marked a blending of families. Cher’s other son, Elijah Allman — whose father was Cher’s late ex-husband Gregg Allman — attended alongside Shara’s son Cooper, 25, from a previous relationship. HOLA!
Shara previously worked at Housing Works, an HIV nonprofit organization. She described the day on Instagram as stepping into a “real live Fairytale.” LGBTQ Nation
“It was the happiest, most magical wedding a bride could dream of,” she wrote. PinkNews
What We Know
Chaz Bono, 57, and Shara Blue Mathes wed on March 8, 2026, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles National Today
The couple met as teenagers at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and have known each other for 40 years; they began their romantic relationship in 2017 LGBTQ Nation
Cher attended from the front row and was photographed cheering as Chaz dipped his new wife TMZ
Their first dance was to Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight” PinkNews
The couple plans to honeymoon in Hawaii Extra
Why This Story Hits Different
In an era when celebrity relationships are measured in months and divorce announcements come faster than engagement photos, Chaz and Shara’s story offers something rare: proof that some connections don’t expire.
They met young. Life interrupted. Decades passed. And then, in their fifties, they found their way back — and chose each other anyway.
Bono put it plainly: “She makes me feel complete knowing she will always be there beside me as my partner, my best friend, and the love of my life. No matter what life brings us, we will always be safer and stronger together… and we are home.” National Today
Home. After forty years, that’s the word he landed on.
