As promised two weeks ago, weddings on the first full day of same sex marriages. As I mentioned few people could get to us to be married because of the BART strike and the gridlock traffic. We had many volunteers and few customers. I married two couples and those two made the trouble of getting there all worthwhile for me.
Couple 1: Two grooms who had missed the window to marry in 2008. They had a wedding planned. family and friends invited, and then Prop 8 shut down same sex marriages. They were not going to miss the opportunity to be equal again. These lovely men had been together for 20 years and had a 4 year old son. One groom's parents were the witnesses. It was a really emotional lovely ceremony. Not a dry eye in the Wedding Room, not even me.
Couple 2: Two women who wanted me to use the word spouse. When I picked them up one of them asked if she had to use her legal name in the ceremony, and I said, " No. You can be called Pumpkin if you want . . . and you can call me Adorable." OK, I was just silly, but they loved it. I didn't call her Pumpkin, although her witness did. Let's say her name was Elizabeth and she wanted to be called Beth. They first wanted to just have the three legal sentences. Being me, I gave reasons why they might regret that. I suggested the Long Term Relationship ceremony that says "you have already created marriage in your hearts . . ." They loved that and that is what I used. Again this was an emotional ceremony. I took them into the Marriage Desk office to get their certified copy of the license, congratulated them and started back downstairs. As I went out the door they both yelled, "Thank you, Adorable, and you are!" I love being a Marriage Commissioner.
Wednesday I plan to be back to doing marriage ceremonies. I am hoping the discomfort and tiredness I am having after surgery will be gone by then. I miss the weddings.
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