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In addition to couples, gay and straight, who came to City Hall to get married, and their small entourages of friends and family, the rotunda seemed to be full of random well-wishers, standing around the base of the grand staircase and applauding and cheering pretty much any same-sex pair walking down from the upper floor, where hastily deputized deputies performed the civil ceremonies in letter-designated areas set aside for the purpose.
More photos (happy couples!) after the jump!
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Some couples were dressed fairly informally: We saw two women perhaps in their early forties come down the stairs with matching bouquets. One had a white sweater, the other a white top, but without the flowers, you wouldn’t have looked at them twice at your morning staff meeting. At the same time, a pair of men on the far side of fifty stood hand-in-hand in very dapper suits (and a great sense of color) and matching black, small-brimmed fedoras.
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Paul Stevens and Ron Weaver got hitched in traditional formalwear, and Amber Weiss and Sharon Papo made a splash in a pair of elegant wedding dresses.
Photographers from news outlets worldwide swarmed the couples, but there was none of the hectic push and shove you’d associate with paparazzi. Even focused professional photogs seemed to share the happy mood of the occasion, and trust us, that’s saying something.
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At the same time, random individuals snapped shots with tiny point-and-clicks. A tall, white-clad bride stood just behind one of the rotunda’s thick plaster columns, and a young woman moved around to click a digital snapshot. She saw the bride accompanied by a tuxedoed groom, hesitated, and snapped the shot anyway. “They’re a nice-looking couple, too,” she said, returning to a friend.
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Newlyweds stepped out of City Hall into another clutch of photographers and spectators, rainbow flags and well-wishing demonstrators with upbeat signs. The Loyal Opposition did not make an appearance amid the celebrators, but there were a few people trying, at least half-heartedly, to get ahead.
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A local radio station passed out something sparkly in logo’d flutes, someone had an enormous marble cake sitting on the concrete steps, and one sign-toting fellow was apparently trying to get in on the action — though as late as 2:30 he said no one had come out of the well-run City Hall in need of an extra minister. His wife, Susan Hancock, was with him, though, passing out flowers to newlyweds.
— Brian McDonough
Photos by Shelley Eades
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