‘Best moment, best day, best feeling ever’
“When we were trying to find a judge who would preside at our wedding, we got declined a couple times. It was frustrating, but we kept looking. Finally, when we asked Judge Coffey in Baytown, he said, ‘Of course, I’ll be there. What day?’ I told him it was a same-sex marriage, and he was like, ‘That’s fine. I’ve done a few.’ He did not even question it. On our wedding day, he showed up at the park with his gown on. And his spirit was super classy. He said, ‘So nice to meet you both. Let’s get this show on the road.’
“When we got to the point in the ceremony for the traditional wedding vows, she didn’t know we had to repeat all the phrases.”
“I just thought you had to say, ‘I do, I do, I do.’ That’s what I’d been practicing. I didn’t know you had to say the whole thing. When I realized it, I literally stopped breathing. Everybody thought I was just all emotional and crying, but I was really gasping for air. I was in shock that I had to say all those words.”
“I was like, ‘Are you OK?’ Because she leaned over, and I was wondering if she was going to faint. Then the judge asked, ‘Should we proceed?’ And I said, ‘We’ve got this. Go ahead.’ And it turned out great. After the ceremony we got in the car together, and I said, ‘Can you believe we’re legally married?’ It was just the best moment, the best day, the best feeling ever.”
— Samantha Villegas Espinoza and Eufemia Espinoza
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• Marriage dream comes true for same-sex couple
