A few weeks ago I had the great pleasure of photographing my first same-sex union.  Kevin and Jasen approached me last year to ask if I would make photographs of their day, and without a hesitation I jumped at the chance.  As a gay man who married my husband in 2010, the opportunity to do this was something I certainly wasn’t going to pass up.  Having known Kevin and Jasen for a while through our associations with the Cincinnati Men’s Chorus, it was exciting to get to photograph my first same-sex union with people who share a similar vision on so many issues.  As someone who is passionate about love, relationships, and equality, I was excited at the prospect of working together with Kevin and Jasen on an occasion that I knew would be very special for them. Our first meeting in November of last year talked about the documentary driven style of my work and we quickly agreed to work together for their date of October 11th, 2014.

Their day was a magical day for so many reasons.  Starting with the “getting ready” phase at the Hilton Netherland in downtown Cincinnati, the air of friendship, excitement, and love was very evident.  I had also worked with Kevin and Jasen the night before at their rehearsal dinner, so watching the day unfold and gather speed proved to be a great build up to the main event at 5pm.  A slight mishap with the first bus leaving for the church without the two grooms sent us to Fountain Square for an impromptu photo session (together with some anti-fracking protestors), then a ride to the church on the second bus with additional guests all helped lend a merry and convivial air to the occasion.  The ceremony was beautiful, with the celebrant, Alice, delivering some stirring words while people laughed, cried, and kissed their way through the hour, culminating with Kevin and Jasen declaring their love and getting “hitched”, as their twitter hashtag put it.

The evening portion kicked off with a cocktail party back at the Hilton, a reception hosted by local celebrity Penny Tration (of RuPaul’s Drag Race fame), a surprise rendition of “Everything’s Possible” by a scratch Men’s Chorus comprised of singers from the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus and the Cincinnati Men’s Chorus, sumptuous food, the “Rubber Chicken” photo booth, and an evening of dancing and delights.  It’s clear that everyone had an outstandingly good time.  The sense of equality, joy, and compassion that existed throughout the day was fantastic and I was so thrilled to be a part of it.  I certainly can’t think of a better wedding to blog about for my first post on this new blog than this one.  My first same-sex union, and hopefully the first of many more to come.  You can view a slide show of image highlights from their day below.

Congrats chaps!  #bleylecoolearehitched

David

Kevin & Jasen – Married. October 11, 2014 from David Martin on Vimeo.