Elton John to wed civil partner David Furnish in May

Elton John and his longtime partner David Furnish have decided to marry in May following an amendment in the same-sex marriage laws in Britain, reports BBC.

Although they have been in a civil partnership for almost eight years now and have two sons - 4-year-old Zachary and 1-year-old Elijah, they were unable to wed owing to the laws in England and Wales that did not legalize same-sex marriage - until now.

In an interview with Matt Lauer of TODAY on Monday, John said, "We'll do it very quietly," adding, "But we will do it and it will be a joyous occasion and we will have our children."

Sixty-seven-year-old John notes that much has changed over the years for those with same-sex attraction.

"Having our civil partnership was an incredible breakthrough for people that have campaigned for a long time - through the '60s and the '50s in England when it was so hard to be gay and hard to be open about it," he said. "And it was a criminal act."

He added: "We shouldn't just say, 'Oh, well we have a civil partnership. We're not going to bother to get married.' We will get married."

Meanwhile, BBC reports that not all couples in presently civil partnerships will be able convert their relationship into a marriage. Although the government has said that it will be able to correct the anomaly by the end of 2014, many couples remain in limbo regarding their future.

However, John feels that his civil partnership with Furnish had a "huge impact" on their commitment.

"We didn't think it would make much difference to our relationship, but it solidified our relationship," he said. According to John, he is as committed to their relationship as he is to his music.

While the couple's civil partnership ceremony was a glittering event attended by 650 guests, Furnish, a Canadian and British filmmaker, told BBC that their wedding would be low-key.

"With the kids, everything is different," he said. "I think what we'll do is go to a registry office in England in May, and take the boys with us, and a couple of witnesses."