New Haven Courthouse Legal Marriage

I’m lucky enough to live in a state that has legalized gay marriage. And when Natalie and I first moved here, we had a small civil ceremony in the New Haven courthouse to get legally married. So I’m a big fan of the New Haven Courthouse because you show up with your papers, fill out a form, and 20 minutes later, a Justice of the Peace marries you! No waiting till the next day for the certificate. It’s done. You are legally married. Woah.

So Brian was having his wedding in Mexico but wanted to get legally married right before their wedding. I suggested he come up to New Haven on the MTA and get hitched here (every CT city has a different rule about waiting- like Greenwich makes you wait a day). So they did! We all met on the steps of the courthouse and got excited. Friends pinned boutonnieres on Tom and Brian while I noticed increasingly how nervous Brian was. This was a big deal. And it was hitting him on those steps. And my heart skipped a beat and I bit my tongue a little to keep from getting mushy and starting to cry. That had to wait.

So we went into the courthouse, they filled out the forms, had to hold up their hand and swear they were telling the truth. And sign their marriage license. This was real. We waited for the Justice of the Peace and headed up the stairs for the ceremony. So Brian and Tom got legally married in front of 4 friends, tied together by the state of Connecticut, and said “I do”. There was a lot of hugging and tears. We spent maybe 5 minutes taking couple shots and it was time for them to go off and celebrate with their friends.

To read about Brian’s experience, go over and read his blog posts.