Ellen DeGeneres marries lesbian partner Portia de Rossi in sunset LA ceremony

Chat show host Ellen DeGeneres and actress Portia de Rossi were married following an intimate ceremony in the grounds of their LA home.

Fewer than 20 of the couple's family and friends gathered at sunset for the civil service ceremony but the event attracted a swarm of press anxious to get a glimpse of the lesbian couple.

As they posed for official photographers, the loved-up pair were clearly enjoying their big day.

Former comic and sitcom star DeGeneres wore a loose-fitting white chiffon shirt, white waistcoat and trousers while de Rossi wore a cream and pale pink halterneck dress by  designer Zac Posen.

The couple have been dating since December 2004 and DeGeneres announced her plans to wed her lover on her chat show in May.

It came after the California Supreme Court ruled that same sex couples have the right to wed.

When announcing the upcoming nuptials, DeGeneres said: 'It's something that we've wanted to do and we want it to be legal and we are very, very excited.'

She joked: 'Planning a wedding is very stressful. It's crazy. My gardener is now invited.'

But added: 'I think someday people will look back on this like women not having the right to vote and segregation and anything else that seems ridiculous that we don't all have the same rights.'

Striking: Ellen looked elegant in a waistcoat while Portia looked stunning in pink

DeGeneres said at the time that she planned to fly de Rossi's family in from Australia and that 'incredible people' would sing at the ceremony.

She said she would show 'a tiny bit' of the nuptials on her talk show - and joked that she would use her latest Daytime Emmy as a wedding-cake topper.

Romantic: The couple married at a sunset ceremony at their home

After suffering heart-break following her relationship with actress Ann Heche, a legal commitment ceremony is sure to be a huge relief for DeGeneres.

The popular TV personality lived with Heche from 1997 to 2000 and at one point the couple even announced that they too would have a civil union if it was possible.

Domestic bliss: Ellen and Portia share their Beverly Hills home with their four cats

However, the actress split up with DeGeneres and went on to marry cameraman Coley Laffoon.

The 50-year-old, meanwhile, found a new girlfriend in L-Word actress Alexandra Hedison but it was all over as soon as she met de Rossi.

With this ring: The happy couple after announcing their engagement in May

The pair met in 2004 but 35-year-old de Rossi has only been openly gay since 2005.

The Australian-born actress, who starred in Ally McBeal, previously dated Ringo Starr's stepdaughter, Francesca Gregorini.

Prior to that she was married to documentary filmmaker Mel Metcalfe, before admitting that she was a lesbian.

DeGeneres and de Rossi now live together in Beverly Hills with their four cats.