In a little over a month, my partner, Rose and I went from engaged to legally married! I proposed to her the weekend of Valentine’s Day by surprising her during a game of Catchphrase. We knew Washington DC was most likely going to legalize gay marriage, so this was perfect timing. But, we held our breath until we were sure. So when same-sex couples were allowed to apply for marriage licenses as of March 3, 2010, we immediately decided to tie the knot in the courthouse as soon as possible, just in case the law was overturned. Neither of us is pregnant, but it sure felt like a shotgun wedding!
The steps to get our marriage license were pretty easy. We took the metro to the Moultrie Courthouse the day after the law took effect to avoid crowds. The outside of room 4485 had ropes set up in anticipation of lines but we were only one of two lesbian couples waiting. We had to provide our driver’s licenses and the handy-dandy form we printed at home from the website. I almost lost it when I noticed signs all over saying we also needed our social security cards, but this actually wasn’t required… thank goodness! We were directed to another office where we paid the $35 fee, plus an additional $10 for a copy of our marriage certificate. They required exact change in cash. They gave us a number and told us to call Ms. Johnson any time the following day to verify the requested date for the ceremony.
This is where we fell into some trouble. We took turns calling this alleged Ms. Johnson the next day and never reached anyone. It was a Friday so we shrugged it off and tried all day Monday, only to be told by random rushed people to call back later and later in the day. Come to find out, the number they provide on the receipt is not her direct line. This caused some serious confusion at first because it would often go to a voicemail for a “Dana Whittington.” But I was persistent and finally reached her first thing in the morning, 3 days after putting our application in. Her phone etiquette was less than friendly but I was able to book a date near what we wanted.
Wedding planning was stressful, but not too complicated. I had about 2 weeks to find both our outfits, invite and organize guests and choose a place to celebrate afterwards. The courthouse website states that 10-15 guests can fit in the ceremony room. This became more of a challenge than it probably needed to be because we couldn’t decide between inviting a very small select few or packing everyone in the room that we could. But our shotgun wedding turned out beautifully… and I have plenty of pictures to prove it!
Thanks so much to Rose and Nicole. Check in tomorrow for some ceremony images!
Congrats! You both look so happy!
We had two ceremonies. The first was definitely “shotgun style” in CA pre-prop 8. I will always love the weekend of our shotgun ceremony — there’s a feeling at those small ceremonies that just can’t be recreated at larger affairs.
Congratulations on getting married, with or without the shotgun! I’m just so thrilled that couples in this area finally have a local place to get married–something we did not have back when we got married (in Massachusetts) last fall.