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Larry, my fiance of 31 years, and I tied the knot on Thursday in the Rotunda at San Francisco's City Hall.
And in case anyone wonders, for the event I did NOT get a haircut!
Bill
That is just so beautiful, congratulations you two! I wish you the best of happiness and many more years to come! All I have to say is that it's about time!
Yeah, 31 years was a long wait, but he was worth it! Thanks, Kett.
Bill
Bill, Big congratulations to both you and Larry. Couldn't happen to a nicer couple. Very cool!
peace, jonalbear
The setting was cool, too. There is probably no place more elegant to get a civil ceremony than San Francisco's City Hall. We were married in the Rotunda at the landing on that wide marble staircase where all the politicians give their speeches. Most people have seen that location on TV.
Bill
Congrats to the both of you! Tying the knot seems like a big step, and I'm sure you're excited to face the new joys and challenges it will bring. Take care!
Peace,
Ryan
After 31 years together, the joys and challenges will not be very new, [grin] but excited? You bet!
Bill
Hi Bill.Thats a fantastic shot of you and Larry.Also the Rotunda sure looks impressive as it makes a great place for such a ceremony.Its certainly fantastic the two of you can finally make it official after all the years you spent together.Be sure to say hello to Larry for me as I enjoyed meeting him back in April with the rest of you guys:)Hope to do it again sometime in the near future.Congratulations!
Mark
Thanks, Mark! Hope we see you again out here soon.
Indeed, lots of people want to get married there. Unlike most other civil marriage locations like city halls and courthouses where you can just walk in, they take reservations in San Francisco and they are booked up for weeks in advance. There were two other weddings going on while we had ours on the staircase, and weddings go on there all day. It is a very festive place!
Bill
Awesome, Bill!
I'm so very happy for you. I sincerely hope you and Larry enjoy the rest of your lives together as one. May you find nothing but happiness in your future!
Congratulations!
Brett
We plan on it! Thanks, Brett!
Bill
Hi Bill,
Congratulations and all the best!
--Tom
Thanks, Tom!
Bill
Hey Bill
If Larry had said that he wanted you to get a haircut, I would have hit him over the head with a boot! LOL
Congratulations to the both of you and may you find much happiness in your lives for many many years to come.
Great Picture!
With all good wishes-
Justin~
Larry wore his boots to the ceremony, and of course I had my long hair. My long hair was a lot more obvious though!
While we were waiting for the judge to arrive, a tourist from Red China came up with his camera. He spoke no English, and at first we thought he wanted to photograph the two of us. Wrong! He wanted a photo of himself with ME! I guess they don't have longhairs with big white beards in China?
Bill
Congratulations to you and Larry! Here's to many years of wedded bliss!!!
Bruce
Thanks, Bruce! We'd like to think we have lots of years, but hey, we've used up a lot of them already. [wink]
Bill
Glad to hear you've finally got what you've wanted! I'm happy for you both. I wish you guys a happy life!
Hegg
Thanks, Hegg! Yeah, waiting 31 years was getting a bit ridiculous.
Bill
Greegings Bill, many congrats to you and Larry! Woohoo! May you both have many years of happy officially wedded bliss.
Cheers to you both,
max
Thanks, Max. Look us up if you're ever down this way! We aren't that far apart.
Bill
Bill,
Wishing you and Larry the happiest of times together, --- and a big CONGRATS!!!!!!! (But, then again, you guys have *always* been happy together!!)
WOW, hard to believe, isn't it? It's about time marriage became legal for us. Some day I predict that we as a society will wake up and say unto ourselves, "What was all the big hullabaloo about??"
Thanks for sharing a small slice of an important historic event w/ us! And many many MANY more pics!!!
My best to both of you!!
- Ken
What i MEANT to say was: "And many many MANY more *years* of happiness together!", --- although I won't complain about seeing more pics, either (lol)!!
This is what happens whenever I look at MLHH when I'm tired after having worked a long day, and get sleepy in front of the computer!
Anyway, Bill, my best to you & Larry!!!!
With Much Affection & Admiration,
Ken
Thanks, Ken. And when are you going to grab Even by his mane and drag him down there to City Hall?
The judge who married us was awesome. We told him to just "do his thing" and the spiel he had was the greatest. It got me crying even.
Bill
Hi Bill,
Congratulations to both you and Larry, and may you have many happy and healthy years together in the future.
Cheers,
David
Thanks, David! We look forward to meeting you next year when you make your transcontinental journey!
Bill
Congratulations, Bill!
Bob
Thanks, Bob!
Bill
Many happy returns, Bill & Larry! Hope you guys have lots more years together.
Congratulations, and glad to hear you guys are legal now and not just shacking up together ;-)
Matt B.
P.S. - This begs the question of "common law" gay marriage!
Thanks, Matt. Yeah, I jokingly presented him with a list of rules now that he is hitched, and he said, "No way!"
Only a few states have common law marriage for male-female couples, and the number is dwindling. Nowadays, governments want official records. I'd look for such marriages, which are implied just because you live together, to disappear.
Congratulations! I'm so happy for both of you! It's so nice to know two people can stay together so long and still love each other. =)
I wish you many more years of happiness.
<3
<3Tristram<3
<3
Oh and...love the hair ^.^
An Anglo guy who was marrying an Asian gal at the same time we were applying asked us the secret to staying together for 31 years. We listed four things for him:
Thanks! I was probably the bushiest guy there that day up around the head, although Steve Nova, who was in our wedding party, certainly has more hair!
Bill
Hey Bill thats a great list of criteria as I can't argue with any of those points.Hopefully someday I'll find someone and I hope all those apply in my case.Thanks for bringing them up as we all should live by those rules.
Mark
Congratulations Bill !
Thanks, Argale!
Bill
Congratulations to you both! Best of luck and I hope you have many years together.
Eric H.
Thanks, Eric!
Bill
Congrats!
Isn't it reassuring that California didn't fall into the ocean or attacked by locusts just because two men who care for each other decided for make their partnership legal?
High!
Just wait... somewhen in the next 1000 years either the Big Quake will hit SF or even Yellowstone supervolcano will erupt, and surely then the bible-thumpers will blame it on gay marriage in California!
The problem with apocalyptic prophecies is that they are vague enough to be proved always true in the long run... "one day God's revenge will strike" - and that can be in the coming 10 seconds or not before 10^2000 years... so, fundies (of whatever flavour) can't be falsifield, they're always right!
See you in Khyberspace!
Yadgar
Thanks, Brad!
Yeah, it's still foggy here, just like always!
Bill
'bout time you made an honest man of Larry !
A Hearty Congratulations, may you have another happy 31 years together.
Walter
He's a good man, the best!
Thanks, Walter! We plan on 31 more years at least, but of course the course of nature may have other plans. Hell, you're also an old coot, you know that!
Bill
Wow!! Grats to you both.
Thanks, man. It was the last thing on the "must do before we die" list. It was an awesome day.
Bill
Bravo! I am extremely happy for both of you!
Thanks, Loren! We are very happy, too, of course! We haven't stopped smiling yet!
Bill
Congratulations Bill. Hope you be happy together. Nevertheless, as for me, I would rather marry a girl.
Regardless
Hey, we are more alike than you may think. You have no interest in marrying any of the three billion men on the planet, and I have no interest in marrying any of them either, except for one!
Bill
Congratulations :D
I'm so happy for you!!!
I hope that everything goes well (which i'm sure it will).
Cheers
Shawn
Thanks, Shawn. As for things going well, the prognosis is excellent since we have had 31 years of practice. The judge who married us told us, "You guys win the prize today for the longest courtship!"
Bill
Bill and Larry,
I'm very excited for you both. After 31 years together it is great to have the opportunity to be legally married. I wish you both the best in all life has to offer.
Congrats!
Don
Thanks, Don. Indeed, we now feel like we are full citizens like everyone else. Walking into the courthouse and doing what everyone else has done and taken for granted was awesome.
Bill
Congrats to both of you! I wish you both the best!
-Phil
Thanks, Phil!
Bill
this put the biggest smile on my face today! i am so happy for the two of you! many congratulations and many hugs to go with! :)
much love,
nic
Thanks so much, Nic! We are still very happy for sure. I think this happiness is going to be a lifelong thing!
Bill
Congrats once again!
Thanks, Alun!
Bill
Congratulations to you and Larry!!
I am very happy you both finally got to do what you should have been able to all along. The more couples who get married without bringing on the Apocalypse the more people might just learn to accept it (in public anyway)
I hope you have a great honeymoon whether you travel far or not!
Best wishes to you and Larry!
I was gloomy from reading too much negative news but this news made me smile big-time :)
The 1989 earthquake here did most of its destruction in a straight yuppie neighborhood while the gay Castro district was hardly touched. Katrina left the gay neighborhoods of New Orleans unflooded. And Butte County, which declared on the Monday that gay marriage became legal that they would not give civil marriages to anyone, was struck by lightning the following Friday and a gigantic forest fire that almost burned down an entire town ensued. Even naming that town "Paradise" did not help one bit. The truth be known, God created both gay and straight people, and He doesn't play favorites.
We ran down to L.A. for the weekend. It was actually a trip we had planned already. When we saw a week ago today that there was a rare vacancy in the marriage schedule at City Hall on their web site, we pounced. It was for Thursday. So after a 31 year courtship, we had what was like a shotgun wedding. Married in two days!
Thanks, and glad we could cheer up your day!
Bill
Wow, what a surprise
I just showed your pic to a friend of mine which you remind me of.
Congratulations man, I wish you the best! ^^
Your friend must be very handsome! [grin]
Thanks!
Bill
Bill; Larry congratulations, this is wonderful; what a happy day and a great photo too. Have been entertaining out of town company so did not know until just now. Many Happy Returns & Mazel Tov
Thanks, Rob! We'll get up a web page with more photos in a few days. Larry is working on it. I'll post when it is up so the MLHH crowd can see it.
Bill
The heartiest of congratulations
Bill!
It's been a long journey, and you're one who has taken one and knows how sweet it is to have finally made it to where you ought to be. Thanks so much, Jason.
Bill
Fantastic! Congratulations to you both and may you have a long, healthy and wonderful life together. Great picture too.
Regards, Dave
Thanks, Dave!
.
Here are photos of our wedding:
Great photos of you and Larry Bill! Rick did a great job! You and Larry and Steve and Rick look fantastic.
I am so happy for both of you, glad you put these pics online :)
Hi Bill and of course Larry too if you are lookin':)
Thanks for posting the link to your comprehensive photo gallery as it was simply outstanding!I have to say looking at all the photos from start to finish gave me the feeling of actually being there even though I was thousands of miles away.The whole time line of the pictures truly did that for me.All you guys there looked great and to top it off the weather outside looked perfect.I know this will be a memorable day for all who attended as I'm so happy for you and Larry.It couldn't happen to nicer people:)Be well and see you on the board.
Mark
Nice!
Thanks for sharing this important event in your lives with all of us.
Bruce
Congratulations! I just with it hadn't taken so long...
I hope the actions of you guys and other couples inspire the rest of the country to realize how fear-based and discriminatory marriage laws are.
Mouse
Thanks, Mouse!
Hey, this is just one more instance of the hippie credo of "Make love, not war," but love is scarier than warfare for some misguided souls.
Marriages actually benefit the state. They make it easier, or even possible, for spouses to take care of each other and their children, costs which otherwise often fall upon the state. Some people can't see past their bigotry to realize that, but for those confronting fear instead of bigotry, as they become more familiar with the situation, fear will normally subside. That has happened in Massachusetts, and polls indicate it is also underway in California.
Bill
Congratulations!
Valentines Day in San Francisco is February 12th!
It is go awesome to go down to City Hall...any time and just watch!
The City's large Chinese population is going to pounce on City Hall tomorrow, with the date being 8/8/08. This was on TV just recently. 8 is a lucky number for them. So that may be a good day to go down to take in the view, too.
And yes, Valentine's Day is a zoo down there. We were there in 1991 when Valentine's Day was the first day for city domestic partnerships, and we were among the hundreds of couples who walked down the staircase one by one as their names were called. The 2004 weddings started on or about Valentine's Day. And although the City limits the number of civil weddings they perform on any given day, there is no rule that stops people from bringing their own officiant, although they limit the size of wedding parties. We were told to limit ours to six. Oh, and not to throw anything like confetti or rice. Can you imagine the mess that would be there at the end of the day!
Most city halls and courthouses are sterile and sometimes even dingy places to get married, but our City Hall is so opulent that it draws crowds to marry. I guess we can thank Mayor Willie Brown for building a palace when the supervisors were saying they wanted "a working City Hall". He thumbed his nose at them and did what he wanted, which was always Willie's style. And his style was always also "opulence". We got a palace.
There are often demonstrations of one kind or another also going on there, and we were glad to see there were none when we were married. They had had one just the day before that was shown on TV.
Bill
Congratulations Bill :)
Best of luck to the both of you, and great hair by the way
Thanks, Patrick!
Bill,
That is awesome - Congrats you two!!!
Beard 'n mane are looking superb!
- Oren
Thanks, Oren!
My beard is now at 12 inches with a few strands longer that that; one reaches 15.
Hope your beard regrowth is going well!
Bill
Congratulations Bill :)
I wish you both the best in the future!
Forgot to add: Your hair and beard is awesome!
It's been cool following your progress!
Thanks! I've now gotten what is a relatively unique look. At least that Chinese guy at City Hall thought so!
I probably get one or two reactions a week to my look if I am out and about, and they are almost always positive if they make comments, or they give me long looks like someone taking in a painting they like at a museum. I'm used to it by now and I just savor the moments. [grin]
Bill