Colton Dixon Talks Premarital Sex With Annie Coggeshall: ‘It Was Not Easy’

When Colton Dixon and his new wife, Annie Coggeshall checked into their paradise hotel for their honeymoon they came to the realization that they would be sleeping in the same bed for the first time.

“It was kind of strange: we checked into the room and realized, ‘We actually get to go to sleep side by side! This is so cool!'” Colton, who married his bride on Jan. 8 in Nashville, tells People. “Anywhere we’ve traveled before, we’ve always gotten two hotel rooms. We wanted to remain pure in that area.”

Dixon uploaded a photo of him and his new wife on Instagram with the caption, “Excited to share new exclusive wedding photos via @peoplemag!! Stay tuned for even more this week! Link in bio. ?: @davidmolnar.”

The fact that the two can sleep next to each other hasn’t sunk in yet. “There were a lot of moments of – ‘Oh, you’re not going back to your room. That means we’re married!'” says the singer, 24. “It made it really special for us.”

The singer, who got his break on the 11th season of American Idol, released two studio albums that debuted on the Christian charts. The newly married couple said it was difficult to wait but knew it was the right choice.

“It was not easy!” he says with a laugh. “But I believe sex was designed for marriage and I knew it would be more meaningful to wait. That was something I grew up thinking and feeling, and I believe the Bible backs it up as well.”

His bride adds, “It wasn’t because someone was telling me this is what you should do. Deep down in my heart it felt like it was the right thing. And we’re really glad we did. We know God’s hand is on our marriage.”