New Yorkers Say, "I Do"

Sunday, July 24, was the first day same-sex couples could legally marry in the state of New York: 823 couples in New York City asked to get their wedding licenses on that day, so Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office held a lottery to smooth the process along. (Couples with licenses could either get married on the spot or use them for a future ceremony.) Starting Sunday morning, the Manhattan wedding registry office began holding special hours to accommodate the nearly 500 expected couples. The line outside the courthouse was filled with beaming brides and grooms along with supportive friends and family members. There were nearly as many members of the press as there were couples, along with savvy entrepreneurs offering everything from photography services to officiants for the big day.

None of the couples we spoke to, some of whom had been together for 42 years, and some for only six months, seemed too bothered by the heat wave or having to wait in line.

The following 13 couples were waiting in line for their marriage licenses. The couple pictured here had been married in California previously and came to New York to celebrate. All styles of clothing were on display—everything from casual streetwear to meticulously hand-crafted, regal couture. Some people chose to give only their first names for privacy reasons; the interviews have been edited and condensed.

Correction, July 24, 2011: This caption originally identified all the featured couples as waiting for marriage licenses. The couple pictured here had been married previously in California and came to New York to celebrate.
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy / Slate.
Lino Caminha-Standquist, 44, and Luke Standquist-Caminha, 28

Luke: “We were planning on wearing all white like two blushing brides, but we found these jackets at the last minute and decided to wear them. We’ve been together for six years."

Lino: “We have proposed to each other numerous times. And said no a few times.” [Laughs]

Luke: "When we won the [marriage registry] lottery we knew we had to do it."

Lino: “We are as happy as we could possibly be.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy / Slate.
Stephanie Spahr, 28, and Theresa Lafrosoia, 33

Stephanie: “We’ve been together three years. I bought this hat at the last minute and showed it to Theresa after she came home from softball. We are planning a ceremony with our families in April.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy / Slate.
Barry Ernst and Kevin Phillips

Kevin: “We’ve been together 21 years, and it never dawned on us that this day would come, that we could actually be legally married. “

Barry: “We picked these outfits because these are our favorite colors, and this was as formal as we thought we could bear. We were planning for the heat. We both work on the Addams Family [on Broadway] and we are planning a big party soon with Brooke Shields and the whole cast.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy / Slate.
Andrea Reese, 49, and Alice Ro, 44

Andrea: “We both chose two dresses that we had that we really liked. Luckily, these went together. We love to steal each other’s clothes, but are wearing our own today. We’ve been together two and a half years. We are going on our honeymoon to Barcelona.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy / Slate.
Ken Latsch, 68, and Gary Trout, 65,

Gary: “We’ve been together 42 years. We’ve been on so many honeymoons that we aren’t planning another.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy / Slate.
Mary Ann Bellomo, 63, and Laura Moore, 54,

Laura: “We have been together for 15 years. We had a big wedding in 1998, and have always dreamed of getting legally married. We decided to wear the same clothes we wore to our first wedding, and luckily they still fit. We’ve brought them and we’re going to change into them inside because it’s so hot. Mary Ann proposed to me in the parking lot of a supermarket 14 years ago after I outed her to a deli clerk.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy / Slate.
Adam McKew, 30, and David Lewis, 38

David: “We wanted something that would represent our Irish and Scottish heritage. We’ve been together seven years today; today is our actual anniversary."

Adam: “David proposed two years ago in Central Park with a violinist and an

accordion player.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy / Slate.
Robyn Selman, 51, and Karin Cook, 43

Robyn and Karin were accompanied by friends and family including their two children, Junie, 7, first row, second from left, and Asher, 3, who is not pictured.

Robyn: “I think Karin tried on 20 dresses before she picked that one.”

Junie: “I tried on four!”

Robyn: “The bridesmaids are all wearing red dresses that they got from Karin’s closet.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy / Slate.
Paul Masck, 33, and Court Watson, 30,

Paul: Court proposed five years ago. We agreed that when we could get [legally] married in New York, we’d do it.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy / Slate.
Ann Macklin, 42, and Michele Trester, 44, with their daughter

Michele: “We’ve been together 10 years.”

Ann: “We had a big Jewish wedding in 2005 with 180 people. We’ve been waiting for this to be legal [in New York]."

Where are you going for your honeymoon?

Ann: “Brunch.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy / Slate.
Damian Ross, 38 [“He’s 39!” shouts Gary] and Gary Cosgrove, 52

Gary: “We’ve been together for 14 and a half years. We are members of the Imperial Court of New York, which raises money for HIV-related charities.”

Damian: “So we decided to dress as emperors and do it grand. I made my entire outfit.”

Gary: “We’re having a bigger wedding than William and Kate!”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy / Slate.
Ernest Rodriguez, 42, and Paul de Benedittis, 44

Paul: “We’ve been together 17 years. We wanted our outfits to be a cool country club/NYC comfortable look, with a little bit of tradition.”

Ernest: “When we heard it was legal in New York, it was a unanimous decision [to fly out and be married here].”

Paul: “We’re from L.A.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy / Slate.
Chantelle and Lisa

Chantelle: “We’ve been together eight months. Well, six. Lisa proposed, but I picked out the outfits because she’s totally colorblind. They had to match. We came up from Georgia for the wedding.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy / Slate.