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 Rachel Belle
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same-sexcouple_rb.jpg
Ben (left) & Jeff are planning a March wedding.

Same Love: Two Local Gay Couples Prepare to Walk Down the Aisle

BY Rachel Belle  on December 6, 2012 @ 4:31 pm (Updated: 5:29 am - 12/7/12 )

I met Seattle's Ben Smith and Jeff DiFranco at Greenlake's Cake Envy where they were tasting wedding cakes. The Seattle couple met five years ago.

"We went on our first date to teriyaki," Jeff starts.

"Actually, we didn't realize it was a date at first," Ben continues. "I just remember saying, 'Whoever gets this guy is the luckiest guy in Seattle' and it ended up being me."

They were already planning on getting married at the end of March.

"I keep thinking it's a very traditional wedding except for the fact that it's two dudes getting married," Ben said.

But now it will be more than just a ceremony, they will be legally married.

"It means a lot to our families," Jeff said. "My parents live in New York and they were like, 'Why don't you come get married here because it's legal here?' But we really wanted to do it in Washington and we're really excited that all of them are going to come out here and be part of it."

Tiffany and Lorey Neaves own a home together in Auburn and had a commitment ceremony five years ago. They share the same name and they wear wedding rings. I asked them if they already feel like they're married.

"It's pretty much the same except it's really weird because people are like, 'Well, you're not really married, right? It's not real.' Or we get the, 'Well, where did you get married because it's not legal here.' Thanks for reminding us that we're technically, like, second class citizens because we don't have the same rights," Tiffany said.

But on Saturday, December 15th, Tiffany and Lorey will walk down the aisle at Shotgun Ceremonies Wedding Chapel in Pioneer Square, to Ed Sheeran's "Kiss Me." Shotgun's owners decided to wave their usual fees and do all same-sex marriages for free from December 9th through the 15th. Co-owner Bronwen Stevenson will officiate her first gay wedding at 2 a.m. early Sunday morning.

"When that law passed I think I cried every day for a week just thinking about what they have gone through to get to this point. I've been married for twenty years and I can't imagine somebody saying I'm not allowed to commit to this person and sign like everyone else. To me it's very emotional."

One of the details Tiffany and Bronwen are most excited about, is getting rid of one particular word.

"You're the partners, quote end quote. No, she's not my business partner, this is my wife!" Tiffany said.

"I'm going to be saying 'wife and wife' and 'husband and husband' and 'fiance' and all these things that they couldn't say before. It's really magical, in my opinion."

A lot of these couples have been together forever and just need that piece of paper.

"Most of them have had elaborate weddings, they've all done that! So now, it's like, let's go to Vegas, let's get this done, let's make this official."

"It's just so beautiful to known that our state cares," said Tiffany. "That they really care and see that we should be married to. It's just a really beautiful thing."

In downtown Seattle Thursday, couples lined up to get their marriage licenses. The office opened at midnight and by 4 o'clock in the afternoon 459 marriage licenses had been issued.

Here are some venues performing free same-sex weddings:

Shotgun Ceremonies Wedding Chapel

Skansonia & Lake Union Cafe

Center For Spiritual Living's Big Gay Wedding

Vain Salon

Rachel Belle, Ron and Don Show Reporter
Rachel Belle is a feature contributor and personality on The Ron & Don Show on KIRO Radio (weekdays 3-7pm), and host of Ring My Belle Weekends (Saturdays at 5pm and Sundays at 3pm).
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Comments (21)


  • Add A Comment

  • shark75 wrote...
    Gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, etc, etc!!!!
    December 6, 2012 9:26 pm
    Shouldn't your segment on the radio and this blog just be renamed to "The Daily Gay Report"? After all it's all you talk about.....
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • FormerMarineSgt wrote...
    @shark75
    December 8, 2012 11:49 am
    If you 'hate it so much', why are you wasting your time reading it and responding to it? Continuing to do it just shows that you're the one not her...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • don over taxed wrote...
    Requirement
    December 7, 2012 8:27 am
    I believe that a couple should have to identify which one is the husband.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • FormerMarineSgt wrote...
    @don over taxed
    December 8, 2012 11:50 am
    You're one of many that I've seen ask or demand that this information be known. My question is what's with this clearly non-gay person's obession with knowing who's on top and who's on the bottom? As if the title of 'husband' would really give you any valid indication of that anyway?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • sometimesrock wrote...
    well now
    December 7, 2012 9:40 am
    Thank you for the story Rachel.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Dan1 wrote...
    Seattle is the new SAN FRANCISCO
    December 7, 2012 9:55 am
    I guess I should be happy for these fruitloops.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • The Dude Abides wrote...
    Pull my posts all you'd like...
    December 7, 2012 12:42 pm
    You know I'm right. I hope for the day when the situation centered around homosexuality in Washington becomes so normal & blase that people don't feel the need to write about it anymore. That's the day that I know we will all truly be equal, regardless of our orientation.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Paul T. wrote...
    I have a Mom AND a Dad....
    December 7, 2012 2:56 pm
    ...and I thank God everyday. Good luck kiddies!!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Paul T. wrote...
    Or...
    December 7, 2012 2:59 pm
    ...did we change the meaning of those words too? Yup! I was right. Washington is stupid.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Robert_C wrote...
    When...
    December 7, 2012 5:14 pm
    Are you walking down the Aisle Don?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • dexterjibs wrote...
    yowzer yowzer yowzer
    December 7, 2012 5:18 pm
    The weekly Rachel Belle puff piece about sodomite lust. Still trying to convince us this lifestyle choice is normal and healthy, Rachel? Once you are done writing puff pieces about this group, Rachel, which group is next? Polygamists? How about trying to convince us that creepy old men in NAMBLA are nornal people that are born with a desire to lust after little boys. I think I am done with the Ron and Don Show and their left wing social agenda.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • FormerMarineSgt wrote...
    @dexterjibs...
    December 8, 2012 11:54 am
    I don't know about you, so this comment isn't directed at your mindset, but gay marriage is a historic civil rights change happening right before our eyes, It's completely normal for the news folks to cover a historic civil rights event often, with detail, and from many, many different angles. The only people who are having problems with that are the overtly biased, the bigoted and the folks who can't stand that society has moved on, leaving them behind in thier stew of hate, bias, bigotry and / or inability to allow others to have thier Constitutionally protected rights, and in this case even 'will of the people' rights.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Stevebo wrote...
    Rachel, thanks for the story. I'm so happy things are changing slowly...
    December 10, 2012 8:07 am
    ... and looking at some of the responses here, homophobia and hate is still alive and well in Washington.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • FormerMarineSgt wrote...
    @stevebo
    December 11, 2012 10:53 am
    Until people stop treating gays as if they were something less human than straights, we will continue to have problems. Hopefully the day when 'gay' is no big deal and no one really cares which a person or couple is will be coming soon.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • irony wrote...
    sodom and gahmora
    December 10, 2012 10:43 am
    god will have mercy until the dying day, then judgement. no amount of denying religion will get rid of god.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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