Add Elton John to those who were not expecting him to get an invite to Rush Limbaugh's wedding.

"To put it in Elton's exact words, when he got the invitation, he was 'a little surprised,' " David Furnish told PEOPLE on June 13, 2010 at the Tony Awards in New York. "And then, when it turned out to be a genuinely sincere invitation … Elton said, 'Life is about building bridges, not walls.' "

Elton also saw it as another opportunity, in his words, "to go where people wouldn't expect me to go. And maybe if I can make a great impression," David quoted him as saying, "people might change their perspectives on life."

David was in Europe and couldn't attend the wedding. But Elton told him it was a beautiful event and Limbaugh and his bride "were incredibly gracious and very welcoming and very sweet and very appreciative. Elton, during the performance made a lot of cracks: 'I suppose you all wonder why I'm here tonight?' " says David. "But ultimately, it's a bit like an olive branch, I guess."

By all accounts, Elton and the couple got along well. "I wasn't there, but from everything Elton told me, he said Rush and his bride were incredibly charming and welcoming. And they have said they want to come and have dinner with us in England, if they pass through in their travels."

The tentative offer was welcomed. "We have to bring the world together, not apart," said David.

Here is the list of songs that Elton performed at the wedding on June 5, 2010:

• Your Song
  
• Tiny Dancer
  
• Daniel
  
• Philadelphia Freedom
  
• Someone Saved My Life Tonight
  
• Rocket Man
  
• I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
  
• Candle in the Wind
  
• Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me
  
• Bennie and the Jets
  
• I’m Still Standing
  
• Crocodile Rock
  
  
• Can You Feel the Love