Tracy and Leslie, Same Sex Marriage Giveaway Winners!, SF City Hall, San Francisco, California

(As always, check out the slideshow by clicking on the image above)

If you've been following my blog this year, you know that I'm overjoyed that gay and lesbian couples now share the same marriage rights in California as anyone else! In order to honor this joyous decision, I ran a contest, giving away wedding photography for one lucky couple getting married at San Francisco City Hall, the site of many groundbreaking moments for the LGBT community (as well as my own lovely wedding in 2005!).

Well, I'm pleased to be able to share the sweet wedding of my fabulous winners, Tracy and Leslie. These ladies won my heart over with their love story, and though choosing the winners of this contest was really challenging, I knew they would be so much fun to photograph. Not only do I have a lot in common in general with them, but their reasons for getting married at City Hall really resonated with mine and Devon's, and they had family and friends to support them and shower them with love... including one of their puppies!

Okay, I'm trying to make these less wordy (um, yeah, how's that going for you Jessamyn?!), so, on with the photos!

City Hall being used for one of its many purposes - democracy in action! (though we don't know exactly what was going on... it had nothing to do with weddings)





I believe this beautiful string of pearls had been worn for the weddings of the women in Tracy's family for many years.



Much more romantic than waiting at the DMV:





Tracy's grandparents were able to join the wedding party, and celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary this September!





As an aside, while we were waiting for it to be Tracy and Leslie's turn in the rotunda, a random tour guide told us to go look in the (I think) city supervisors' chambers. We were a little confused until we looked in - it looks like a palace in there!



Then it was time:



Tracy knew she couldn't look back at her mom during the ceremony or she would be even more overcome with emotion. I always tear up with people start crying with joy!





The newly married women - legally!



And Tracy and her mom in the sweetest moment:





Afterwards, we dashed outside for some fun portraits with Tracy and Leslie's dog Franny - one of several rescue and permanent pups in their household. She was VERY excited, very adorable, and very well behaved.



Tracy had specifically requested these kinds of images, which were FUN to play around with:





Tracy sent me this kind note: "These are beyond our wildest dreams! You are truly amazing!". She had told me before the wedding that they decided that if they weren't the winners of the contest, then they'd rather go without any photography... they liked my work that much. So I'm thrilled they love the photos!



I started the year without having photographed a SINGLE gay or lesbian wedding... and now I have had the honor of photographing a total of 9 (!) wonderful same sex couples on their wedding day. I hope that these images show the care, love, and family feelings between these couples, and illustrate how love is real when it is between two people of any background, faith, race, gender, or age.



I have another FABULOUS lesbian wedding to share later this week. Thank you ladies for being so fun, hilarious, and gorgeous!