Studer Community Institute

Free wedding services offered to gay Pensacola couples

December 31, 2014
/ Louis Cooper
/ community-dashboard

Two Pensacola organizations stand ready to offer free wedding services to gay couples as early as next week. In August, U.S. Judge Robert L. Hinkle ruled that Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, but put that ruling on hold until Jan. 5, pending appeal. The U.S. Supreme Court has since declined to extend that stay, allowing it to expire Monday. There is still some debate about whether that ruling impacts just Washington County, where a couple named in the case resides, or the entire state. Hinkle is expected to clarify his ruling in time to potentially allow same-sex marriage to begin on Jan. 6. [sidebar] For more information: — Contact First Day Entertainment at (850) 465-3800 or [email protected] — Holy Cross MCC at www.HolyCrossMCC.com or [email protected] [/sidebar] On Tuesday, Pensacola marriage service First Day Entertainment announced it will offer free officiant services for six weeks – one week for each couple who brought the federal suit. That means the business will offer the service, which normally runs $325 to $600, for free from Jan. 6 - Feb. 17, 2015. Holy Cross Metropolitan Community Church will perform marriages for free for the first 24 hours such unions are legal. The church hosted a free four-hour counseling session on Tuesday night for 20 couples that will allow those couples to get a marriage license without the state-mandated three-day waiting period. Sue and Ed Spencer are the owners of First Day Entertainment, which is based in Pensacola but has produced weddings from New Orleans to Jacksonville. Ed is the officiant, and Sue is a planner who has been certified by the New York-based 14 Stories Gay Marriage Institute. “We have worked with some amazing same-sex couples who are in love,” Sue Spencer said. “To us, it just seems like a given that gay marriage should have been acceptable all along.” The Rev. Dr. Jim Merritt is the senior pastor at Holy Cross MCC. As a denomination, MCC has performed same-sex ceremonies since 1968. Merritt is the denomination’s lead on same-sex marriage. “There will be three clergy folks here who are licensed to do weddings,” he said. “We’ll do as many weddings for those first 24 hours as we can, even into the evening or however long it takes. We want to have a big celebration.” The two organizations are offering different kinds of services. First Day is offering the officiant services for free. The Spencers will come to a venue of the couple’s choice – be it a church, the beach or their living room – but the couple will be responsible for any other arrangements and expenses. “We’ll look at our schedules and set a date. Our goal is to create a very personalized ceremony that represents them as a couple and honors their love and commitment,” Sue Spencer said. “We hope our calendar fills up and we’re doing it seven days a week – whenever we’ve got times, we’re marrying somebody.” At Holy Cross MCC, free weddings will be scheduled every half hour beginning at 10 a.m. on Jan. 6 in the sanctuary, which will be set up with flowers. After a brief ceremony, cake and punch will be offered in the church fellowship hall. For that first 24 hours, the church is waiving the usual $300 officiant fee, not to mention fees to rent the church and other expenses. In fact, Merritt said he is foregoing the six-months of preparation he usually recommends for couples he marries. “We’ve been working on this for so long,” he said. “Particularly with my experience of working for marriage equality for my entire adult life, we need a moment of celebration and to be thankful and excited about the possibilities ahead.”

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Free wedding services offered to gay Pensacola couples

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