Country singer Sarah Darling has been keeping a big secret from her fans - she's a married woman.

While news of her engagement to British graphic designer James Muriel leaked in April (13), few people knew the happy couple had married almost immediately in Florida.

She reveals the big news to People Country magazine exclusively, stating, "We had dated long-distance for more than a year, so when he moved to Nashville, we knew right away we wanted to be together as husband and wife.

"We just decided very spontaneously to get married. Saying our vows beside the Atlantic in (Key West) had special meaning because it was what separated us, and now we came together beside it."

Only immediate family members were invited to the ceremony and everyone was sworn to secrecy about the nuptials, but Darling admits, "It's hard to keep something like this secret when you are as happy when we are."

The newlyweds will host a formal ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee in May (14), and the 31-year-old singer tells the publication she is working with designer Jim Hjelm on her wedding dress.