The experience was such a great one. First Brian, Patrick (our witness) and I went to the City Clerk's office and got the marriage license. The building was beautiful and the waiting time was short. Easy breezy. The next part got a little more complicated though. State law requires a 24-hour waiting period between obtaining the license and having the ceremony. We had planned to do it Thursday/Friday but our most recent flight cancellation caused us to arrive in New York too late. And we would have been fine with waiting until Monday, except for the fact that they are closed on Monday for Veteran's Day. So basically we needed to bypass the 24-hour rule. And how do we do that? Obtain a judicial waiver!
So we went across the street to a different building, got lost and then found out that the judge only approves waivers at 11am... and it was already 11:30! We were devastated, but then someone told us that the judge was running late from a hearing and we still had a chance! A few minutes later our request was granted and we ran back to the city clerk's office and awaited our turn to be married!
While we were waiting we saw so many other gay couples. It was awesome. There was an elderly pair of women helping each other along as they went to tie the knot, a younger lesbian adjusting her partner's hair, and two gay men from Ireland who had been together 18 years. They were our favorites. Their names were Barry and Hugh and they didn't know they needed a witness and had unfortunately come alone. Luckily a young guy in line ahead of them volunteered to be their witness while his future wife went to do her hair and makeup in the bathroom. Of all the things I love about this city, the sense of community is one of my favorites.
Last night Brian, Patrick and I went to a comedy club and everybody was talkative and friendly before the show started. When we announced that we were here from Utah to be married, we received a raucous round of applause and hugs from random strangers. It was fantastic. A husband and wife from Knoxville, Tennessee, celebrating their 18-year anniversary, gave us their blessing. It was touching to say the least.
So while Patrick was our sole witness to our brief court ceremony, I felt as if all of New York City had my back. I felt like I was part of a larger, global family. Today was truly special.
And to those of you who are reading this and would have loved to be there with us, just know that we carried your support and good wishes with us in our hearts. Oh, and if you wanted to watch a video of us getting married, I'm afraid that's not possible. Patrick thought he was recording us, but it turned out he wasn't!
But it's okay, because WE ARE MARRIED!
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