Just over a week ago, Stacy and I went to that small town in western Illinois where my mom lives because she was throwing us a shower there. It was mostly my family, but we brought along some Chicago friends too. Stacy’s brother and sister-in-law and our friend Joanna were our Chicago crew.

As we mentioned last month, we decided to get married in Iowa so that weekend was the perfect time to do it, since we’d be in the area anyway! Our friend Jen is going to be officiating our ceremony later this month (yikes!), but we wanted her to do our Iowa ceremony as well. We got her legal credentials online from the Universal Life Church. Yep, all she had to do was provide an email address! Another great place to get ordained is Open Ministry.

So, on April 24th we made the trek to Iowa and had a beautiful and short ceremony at the Muscatine Arts Center in Muscatine, Iowa. Their grounds are absolutely gorgeous. We wanted to keep it short because this was just to make our marriage legal and we wanted the focus to be on our larger ceremony in Chicago at the end of May. Nonetheless, we both had our teary eyed moments—I could barely get through my vows—and we agreed that our relationship does feel different now that we are married. Weird, huh?

After the ceremony, we headed back to my mom’s place for the shower (I know, reverse order). We were both touched at the support we had from our families that day. I really thought my family was more conservative and that they wouldn’t all come to the shower—but they did! I think in my family that we love each other because we are family and that’s it. They may not like or prefer that I marry a woman, but I am family and that’s the bottom line. I am so lucky!!!

Our countdown clock tells me that we have 29 days till the big ceremony, as of May 1st! We are kind of going crazy around here. It’s “All Wedding—All The Time!” Now we are trying to get everything done. Things are coming together nicely, but it’s still nerve-wracking! Stay tuned as the day draws nearer!!

About the Authors/Queerlywed.com

Melissa Johns

Melissa is the co-founder of Queerly Wed, a new website dedicated to helping LGBTQ couples plan their big day. She is an activist within the LGBTQ Community and has volunteered her services at many grassroots organizations over the years. Melissa is also an avid cyclist and won two silver medals at Gay Games VII, which was held in Chicago in 2006. She is also a lifelong student and enjoys studying Latin-American culture, photography and languages.

Stacy Jill Jacobs

Stacy is the co-founder of Queerly Wed, a new website dedicated to helping LGBTQ couples plan their big day.  Stacy is a writer, marketing nerd, and web geek grrl all wrapped up into one package.  Stacy has worked in the interactive field for many years including roles at eToys (US & UK) and Ticketmaster. Stacy became a professional queer when in 2005, she served as the Ticketing Manager for Gay Games VII. You can catch Stacy on her website at www.stacyjilljacobs.com or on Twitter at @StacyJill

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