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Ceremony in Atlanta, Georgia

significantotters1120significantotters1120 member
First Anniversary First Comment
in Gay Weddings
We want to have our ceremony in Atlanta, but with the gay marriage ban in Georgia, we aren't really sure how to go about that. We obviously can't apply for a marriage license. We live in Georgia and so do both our families, and we fear that it would be near impossible for them to travel to any of the gay marriage-friendly states. I've come across a few gay-friendly vendors, but I'm curious as to how we would handle an officiant. Most officiant prices include the marriage license. Our state has a full on ban on gay marriage. How would we go about getting an officiant? Would we explain to them that we don't need the license? It seems unfair to pay the same rates as a heterosexual couple would. 

This is all new territory to me, so any help at all would be great!  Smile
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Re: Ceremony in Atlanta, Georgia

  • 2dBride2dBride member
    5 Love Its First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    You really have a couple of options.  One is simply to have a commitment ceremony that is not legally binding.  In that case, you could use anyone you want as an officiant.  You could, for example, just have a friend act as the officiant.  No ordination would be required, because the state isn't going to recognize the marriage anyway.  Or you could ask a regular officiant, but see whether there was any discount for not requiring a license.

    A second alternative would be to have a legal marriage in a state that recognizes it, either before or after your celebration in Georgia.  Couples do this in various ways.  We had a legal wedding with immediate family and a few close friends in Massachusetts.  We then had a reception back home in DC (which didn't have same-sex marriage at the time) for a much larger group of friends.  Other couples have had a ceremony of some sort at home, then had a courthouse wedding for paperwork purposes while on their honeymoon.

    There really aren't a lot of rules on this.  People who are supportive will recognize that your options are more limited than those of straight couples, so even some things that are frowned upon for straight couples (e.g., having a wedding that is not legally binding) are accepted for same-sex ones.

    Happy planning!
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  • significantotters1120significantotters1120 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Those ideas sound great! Thanks for your help! We had planned to have a honeymoon up north so that we could go snowboarding, so that may work for us really well!
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  • AmiDeniseAmiDenise member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We live in Albany, GA and are getting married in DC in 2 weeks. Only a few friends & family members are going to be able to be there, but it'll be nice. Our marriage won't be legal when we come back home to Georgia, but it'll be nice knowing that it is somewhere!
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  • euphoriaaffairseuphoriaaffairs member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Congrats on your engagement!!

    If you are looking for an actual legal document I would suggest you and your partner travel to one of the states that recognize same sex marriages and then come back to Georgia to celebrate with a ceremony/reception with all your family and friends.

    However, if you are not really looking for the legal document, then just celebrate here and create a DIY certificate as a momento.  My wife and I married here in Georgia and we paid an officiant from our church. However, there are many options available since we are  same sex in Georgia :)  The average prices in this area are anywhere from $150 - $400. 

    Cheers,
    Carol McKnight
    www.euphoriaaffairs.com
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