NEW YORK (AP) - Singer Andrea Bocelli has wed longtime companion Veronica Berti.

A Monday news release says the couple married Friday at the Sanctuary of Montenero in central Italy. The couple chose the day because it is the start of spring and the second birthday of their daughter, Virginia.

Bocelli and Berti had been in a relationship for 12 years before their marriage.

The wedding was attended by a small group of friends and family, including Bocelli's sons Amos and Matteo from his previous marriage.

Berti wore a silk dress by Ermanno Scervino and Bocelli, an Italian tenor who sings both operatic and pop material, wore a blue suit by Corneliani.