In case you don’t live in Indiana and/or don’t follow the news, yesterday Indiana became the latest state to have its same-sex marriage ban overturned by a federal judge. The judge didn’t put a stay on the ruling, meaning many county clerks started issuing marriage licenses right away! This ruling is likely to be put on hold soon while the decision gets appealed, so a crap ton of excited couples swarmed the clerk’s office here in Indianapolis to get hitched while they still could.
Well…we were one of those couples!!!
My wife Kristin and I had a wedding ceremony (you know…pretty dresses, vows, cake, dancing, etc.) almost 3 years ago but we never made it legal until now so we’re pretty excited. Our original wedding is still our “real” anniversary in our eyes, but I’m glad we took advantage of this awesome opportunity to be a part of history! There were so many happy people there with their friends and family, and every time a couple walked down the hall with their marriage certificate, the crowd clapped. (I felt like a celebrity. It was pretty awesome.)
left to right: waiting in line; finally getting to the doors of the clerk’s office, filling out our application (YAY!)
Just to be clear, being a part of history is not quite as romantic as it sounds. We stood in line in a hot hallway for nearly 3 hours. No flowers, no music, no wedding party. We exchanged generic vows in a tiny office with someone we didn’t know. But hey, the important part of marriage isn’t the wedding day; it’s the rest of your lives. I already knew that, but yesterday was a good reminder.
The best part of the whole experience was the fact that everyone at the Clerk’s Office was amazing. We were in there at 8:30 PM, and they didn’t seem at all upset that they were supposed to have clocked out 4 hours earlier. The County Clerk Elizabeth White was walking around, personally congratulating couples, including us. People were upbeat and seemed legitimately happy to be there. Judging by the line that was still there when we left at 9:00, they still had a couple hours ahead of them!
Even the police officer who was controlling the crowds was awesome. He said things like, “I know it’s hot in here, but love is worth the heat, right?” So adorable.
Now to the part you really want to see…what I wore! This is really something I would have worn on any random day, but the fact that I got married in it makes it special, right?
