A colleague of mine recommended that two women call me to arrange for a same sex wedding in NYC. They had such an interesting story. They had both been previously married and were living in the mountain area of North Carolina. Their common work field was speech pathology. I spoke to each of them and we started working on the service. They were raising two boys, 9 and 7, who were going to be the ring bearers. The 20-something daughter of one of the women was an actress in the city who they decided would read the English version of the Sheva Brachot. Her boyfriend, an actor, was the videographer.
As luck would have it the brother of the bride owned a restaurant in Inwood where a small group of about 20 friends and family assembled. With the strains of Frank Sinatra in the background as part of the restaurant vibe, I conducted a ceremony and declared them Wife and Wife. They spoke the vows they had written, then broke two glasses, and many tears and laughter were a part of this special service!
Before the meal began we celebrated Shabbat together with candle lighting, prayer over the bread and wine and I blessed all present. I stayed for a wonderful dinner and they presented me with a beautiful gift of handicrafted slate and wood that a craftsman from the town had done. As i rode back downtown on the A-train their warmth and love pervaded me.
Mazel Tov and Best Wishes to them!