With the recent legal developments in California allowing same-sex marriage and with New York now recognizing those marriages as valid, my partner and I made a very important decision; now was the time to marry. On August 14th 2008 my life partner, Bill, and I legally married each other in San Francisco. Our wedding coincided with our ten year anniversary.My sister and her husband, residents of San Francisco, helped to organize our plans; and, they drove us to City Hall on the morning of our ceremony. As we pulled up in front of the building and piled out of the car, two nice ladies approached on their way into City Hall, "are you getting married today?" they both asked. When we answered in the affirmative they replied with "we are too, mazel tov!". This unexpected greeting from strangers was just the omen to set us on the right foot, on the most important day of our lives.
The City of San Francisco couldn't have made the process any easier. Only three couples were allotted appointments per half hour, making everything organized and stressless. We filled out an application, took an oath with a clerk, met privately with the magistrate and then headed to the location of our choice within the halls of City Hall.
Our magistrate, Mary, personalized our service and spoke from the heart unaided by written text. At the same time, an opera singer was performing for another couple just steps away and his voice echoed through the chambers. Mary led us through the process of exchanging vows and rings, all the while reminding us that this was the most important contract we would ever enter into in our entire lives; however, she was clear and said that "above all, this is about love". I began to cry, then my sister and Bill. Before it was all over Mary was crying too. I don't particularly think of myself as a religious person but that day it was as if the angels were smiling down upon us. It was more special and emotional than either of us thought it would ever be.
A professional photographer, arranged by my sister and her husband, snapped away during the ceremony and afterward at a park across from the famous Painted Ladies of San Francisco. We have great photos to remind us of the most important day of our lives.
The following weekend, we were back in New York and had a reception dinner with 60 of our friends and relatives at one of our favorite Mediterranean restaurants located in SOHO. The weekend was filled with fun activities including dinners, pub crawling (my poor mom experienced one), brunch, and a museum. We were surrounded by supportive loved ones and positive energy the entire time.
