ASBURY PARK, NJ — This Sunday, Garden State Equality brought together five couples, their friends and families, as well as dozens of community members and volunteers, to celebrate love ahead of the next administration. Queerly Beloved, a community wedding ceremony, served as a defiant act of joy at a time of deep uncertainty.
The event was Garden State Equality’s response to the national trend of LGBTQ+ couples rushing to get married in the wake of the election. In the days after November 5, the staff realized several of them were ordained, should anyone just so happen to be in need of an officiant. The idea for a community wedding ceremony grew from that fact and their memories of the aftermath of the 2016 election, when queer couples also expedited their legal marriage timelines.
Although legal experts have said that Obergefell is safe for the time being and same sex marriage was codified into law in New Jersey in 2022, the fear and and anxiety felt by queer couples is nevertheless real. Garden State Equality saw this in the response to the initial call for participants, which in the span of a few days was answered by nearly a dozen couples. Of them, five were able to participate, with four getting lawfully married and one renewing their vows.
“There are many reasons you all have decided to enter into this ceremony today, but I am certain that a common cause is love, and specifically queer love,” Reginald Webber Jr (he/him), Garden State Equality’s Executive Assistant and the head officiant of Queerly Beloved, said during the ceremony. “The excellence of queer and trans history, resilience, innovation, joy, expression, resistance, intelligence, care, and compassion have always been driven by the fact that we are capable of loving deeply in a unique and phenomenal way. A way that tears down the tallest walls, brick by brick.”
The call for vendors was met with even more of an outpouring of interest. Emails and social media comments flooded in with offers of all kinds. From traditional wedding staples like flowers, balloons, and photographers, as well as modern ones like a live painter, to queerer contributions like tarot reading, belly dancing, and stand-in moms for hugs, this event was made possible by the extensive number of vendors who so generously donated time, services, and supplies. (The full list of vendors can be found at the bottom of this release.)
Queerly Beloved was equally made possible by a small army of volunteers. Eager community members helped put up decorations, rearrange furniture, and do the countless other little things necessary to turn a former bank into a bona fide wedding venue.
“Seeing how the community showed up, by getting actually married, donating and volunteering, and just by being at the reception, gave me so much hope. It was hard to not feel defeated after the election, but this has pulled me and our staff immediately out of that funk,” said Larissa Garcia (they/she), Garden State Equality’s Community Organizer and lead planner of Queerly Beloved. “Looking ahead, this is exactly what I want for all of our statewide events: overwhelming community buy-in and an abundance of queer joy. That’s how we’re going to get through this.”
“Knowing that our rights — not just a gay couple but as a couple where one of us is a trans person — are going to be challenged, it’s become so important to show that we are not afraid to be out and be proud and to show that love will always triumph over hate,” said Alexander Jordan Spillane (he/him) and Jason Wilkerson (they/he), one of the couples in the ceremony. “Don’t be afraid to be you. Keep fighting and keep showing that love will always win.”
“As someone who worked hard to secure marriage equality in New Jersey, I’m moved that on the eve of an administration that has threatened to roll back progress, Garden State Equality stood proudly in the face of adversity, proving that love — queer love — is an act of defiance and resilience,” said Jeannine Frisby LaRue (she/her), Board Chair of the Garden State Equality Action Fund and lifelong advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. “We gathered not just to celebrate marriage, but to send a powerful message: love will always outlast hate, and our community will continue to stand fiercely united.”
“The love encompassed in this room today, by every single one of you gathered here to love and support these couples is a testament to a courageous future. To our couples here today, I thank you for sharing your love with us and we congratulate you,” said Assemblywoman Luanne Peterpaul (she/her) during the ceremony.
“Our community will protect us. We have been ignored, had the door closed by our government before, but we stood together and survived. Our community, the love we have for each other, and the love you’ve shown for each other today, that’s going to get us through,” Cathy Marino-Thomas (she/her), former Executive Director of Marriage Equality New York and longtime LGBTQ+ advocate, said during the ceremony.
“Every New Jerseyan is entitled to equal protection under the law and to have their rights recognized by the government that serves them,” said former State Senator Steve Sweeney (he/him), who sponsored the bill to codify marriage equality. “As Senate President I was proud to fight alongside LGBTQ+ New Jerseyans to enshrine marriage equality into our state constitution. I will never back down from the fight for equality.”
VENDORS:
Bogath Weddings & Events (@bogathevents), wedding planning services
Cherished on Canvas (@cherishedoncanvas), painted portraits
Rylan Earle-Lott (@rylott_photos), photography
Wildhearts NJ (@wildheartsnj), photo booth
Krista Fischer (@daytripdaydreamer), social media videos
Jordan Van Horn (@therusticbarnphotography), photography
Diana “DK” Klein (@jolenepictures), photography
Asbury Park Philly Pretzel Factory (@phillypretzelasburypark), pretzels
NJ Belly Dancing, belly dancing
Mattie Cameron Rosen (@openheartsmedia), photography
The Trade Photography (@thetradephotography), photography
Amanda Deltuvia (@amandadeltuvia), tarot card reading
Narcissus Florals (@NarcissusFlorals), flowers
Nick Cavaleri, wedding DJ/emcee
Wolfe & Kron Books (@wolfeandkronbooks), open book “bar”
Dana Sweetman, wood burned ornaments
Asbury Park Brewery (@asburyparkbrewery), drinks