Marriage Equality

Susan & Julie got married last weekend! I’m so glad that my friend Susan agreed to write this post, and tell a bit of their story. Here it is:

As children, neither of us would have believed that in our 50s, we would find our hearts in a person from another country. As little as five years ago, neither of us would have believed that Marriage Equality would have evolved to a place where we could legally marry each other.  And yet, here we are, two women from the United States and Australia, standing in one of the prettiest places in God’s vast sanctuary, pledging to respect, love, comfort and honor each other as wedded partners-in-life.

We are not home-free (so to speak) yet.  Until DOMA is repealed, or until immigration laws change, Susan is still not able to sponsor Julie for a permanent residency visa (Green Card).  Same-sex bi-national spouses still wait for this right, among others, that are granted to heterosexual couples, but that are denied to us. We trudge back and forth between the US and Australia every 90 days, so that we do not breach any immigration laws.

We had decided to cast our luck to the heavens and plan an outdoor wedding in the middle of March. Kind of crazy, given that we live in New York State, and that our March weather is totally unpredictable, don’t you think? But Lady Luck was with us on our special day, and the sun broke through the canopy during the ceremony.

We chose B. Docktor to memorialize our ceremony for a number of reasons. First, and foremost, she is our friend. She is located in the Hudson Valley, where we live, and where we chose to marry. Because of the time of year (cold!), and because of the distance from many of our biological family members (Australia!), we wanted someone to capture our joy, our tears, and our happiness. Having seen, firsthand, B’s work, we knew that we could trust her to be the eyes for those who could not attend.

marriage equality photo

marriage equality photo

marriage equality photo

marriage equality photo

B was “along for the ride” when we came to the New Forge State Forest to locate a small, intimate, flat place in which to have our ceremony.  She captured our excitement on that cold, icy day in February with candid photos that really show us having fun.  On our wedding day, even our pets were involved in the pictures (no, we didn’t make them ring bearers!).

NY gay wedding photo-8

marriage equality photo

Getting married takes quite a bit of planning, even if there are only five people at the ceremony. Working with B Docktor wiped a potential stressor OFF the list. We loved her energy, her absolute unobtrusiveness during the ceremony, and her respect for us, both as clients and as friends.

NY cat photo

We are thrilled with our pictures, as are our friends and family.

We wait, with bated breath, and with fingers crossed, to be considered “normal” people and “normal” spouses – hoping that all three of the United States branches of government will soon agree that same-sex couples are deserving of liberty and justice for all.

Hudson Valley wedding photojournalist B. Docktor specializes in capturing the spirit, emotion, and love of your wedding. Gay wedding, straight wedding–I’d love to photograph your wedding day and make images that will be cherished for generations–please call me at 518-329-6239.

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