C.J.: MPD Chief takes her favorite sergeant in holy matrimony

Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau and her partner on and off the force Sgt. Holly Keegel got married Friday.

They waited a few days to take advantage of the Aug 1 law that gave same-sex couples the right to marry in Minnesota. Chief called me first Saturday because when I interviewed her in June, I asked if they might marry. She told me they would, opening with a joke: "We've been together for 25 years but we're still not sure. I couldn't be any more married. Now we'll just make it legal. Of course, we will."

Keegel, who signed off on Harteau calling to giving me the scoop, had told the media-friendly chief this marriage news better not leak out ahead of time.

Harteau was actually fine with that. "This is the one thing we wanted to keep private since we are very much in the public eye," she said.

They began planning the nuptials "about a month [ago]," Harteau told me. "Everybody was told to keep it secret. Mayor R.T. Rybak was the officiator. We had a private ceremony at 4:30 at Prohibition [atop] W.; just our immediate families, about 20 people — our parents, sisters and brothers." And their teenage daughter, Lauren.

"Then we went downstairs, between 5 and 7, had a private dinner at Manny's. It was fabulous," she said. "We had a reception from 7 to 10 back up in Prohibition; about 70 of our closest friends. We wanted it to be very intimate. Prohibition has a private space."

At the ceremony, chief said "People were saying 'I'm surprised not to see C J here.'" Harteau said she tried but "It didn't go over real well" with Keegel.

While the chief and I get along famously, I've never met Keegel so she has no idea what a lamb I am.

Congratulations!

C.J. can be reached at cj@startribune.com and seen on Fox 9's "Buzz." E-mailers, please state a subject; "Hello" does not count. Attachments are not opened.