[Photo courtesy of the Civil Beat]

Monday, December 2, 2013, marked Hawaii’s first day of legalized same sex marriage. Hurrah! Did you know that it’s only the 15^th state to do so? After decades of activism petitioning for the right to same sex marriage, Hawaii has wed its first same sex couples. As soon as the clock struck midnight on Monday, six same-sex couples began to exchange their vows at a historic celebration on the 30th floor of the Sheraton Waikiki.

[Image courtesy of Cedar Tree Wedding]

The first couples to be married in Hawaii were Donna Gedge and Monica Montgomery (together for 35 years); Paul Perry and Gary Bradley (together for 11 years); Saralyn and Isajah Morales (together for 4 years); Shaun Campbell and Tony Singh (together for 5 years); Richard J. Rosehill and Shawna P. Okami (together for 32 years); and Keola Akana and Ethan Wung (together for 6 years).

The first couple, Gedge and Montgomery, released a statement saying, “We have lived our lives as first-class citizens who are law-abiding, taxpaying, and contributing members of the community…Yet we are legally recognized as second-class citizens as we do not have Federal rights. Getting married means that we will have the first-class legal status as well as the rights and benefits that only marriage will afford us.”

The legalization of same sex marriage in Hawaii will likely open the market for same sex destination wedding in the popular vacation spot.  Wedding planner Keane Akao has launched Perfectly Planned Hawaii, a destination wedding planning company for same sex marriages. So far, he’s received more than two dozen confirmations since the bill passed last month. He says. “People now can look at Hawaii as a destination to have their marriage done legally and for it to be recognized by the federal government, no matter what state they may live in.”

 

Lauren Chan is the Editor of the Bridal Guide.