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Spring 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weddings Forecasts for 2006
JPs who can make sense of statistics and forecasts will be interested
in a website called
www.theweddingreport.com. Shane McMurray, who calls himself a
"Wedding industry entrepreneur," analyzes demographic and economic
trends to make predictions that can be useful for the wedding industry
professional. The above figures only hint at the detail he provides.
Wedding statistics and costs are available by locality, month of year,
wedding type and more. The full report for your state is available
on-line FREE as long as it's for your own use. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Civil Union Statistics Apples and oranges they may be, but here are some more statistics to ponder:
"If you read the press reports," writes Steve Swayne, a Vermont resident and Dartmouth professor, "you might conclude that civil unions in Connecticut are a bust." Citing headlines like "Oct. 1: Connecticut's civil unions law goes into effect, but few couples take advantage of it" (the Advocate) and "Civil unions law doesn't lead to a rush on courthouses" (Hartford Courant ), he asks: "Have gay couples in Connecticut chosen to forgo civil unions altogether? Far from it. Let's do a little math. 635 civil unions in 91 days is an average of just under 7 a day. Compare that to an average of 0.7 CU licenses per day in VT during the first 4 1/2 years civil unions were legal in that state. And in MA, there have been roughly 13.5 marriages a day. Now factor in population: VT: 621,394; CT: 3,503,604; MA: 6,416,505 (these are 2004 estimates). In round numbers, CT is six times larger than VT and MA is 10 times larger. Using VT's rate of licenses as a benchmark, we might expect CT to average 4.2 civil union licenses a day and MA to average 7 marriage licenses a day. But both MA and CT are nearly doubling those expectations. It's hard to know precisely what these numbers mean. Are there twice as many gay couples per capita in MA and CT as there are in VT? We simply don't know; there are no reliable census figures for gay Americans. Intuitively, one senses that the pace of licensing slackens over time, once pent-up demand is met, so VT's rate is probably lowest because they've been at it longer. Even if the rate of civil unions in CT decreases, the state could possibly issue 4,000 licenses by spring 2007, matching per capita the rate of same-sex marriages in neighboring MA. In other words, gay couples in CT are taking advantage of the legal benefits offered by the civil union law even if they would prefer that marriage were an option. Yes, civil unions still don't receive federal recognition (nor do MA same-sex marriages), and portability is uncertain (CT recognizes VT civil unions but not MA same-sex marriages). But let CT serve as an object lesson: Thousands of gay couples care less about what the government calls their relationships and care more about the protections the government extends. That's a story that journalists seem to miss. The author invites your feedback. Write to Steve.Swayne@Dartmouth.edu
New Hampshire Rejects Marriage Amendment to the Constitution
After an all-day public hearing before the state
House Judiciary Committee, a proposed amendment banning same-sex
marriage in New Hampshire was rejected last month. Not that same-sex
marriage is legal in NH; there is already a law on the books forbidding
it. The rejected amendment would have declared that a marriage must be
between one man and one woman. Supporters said that a
constitutional amendment would guard against judges overturning the
state's current law as happened in Massachusetts and Vermont. Eighty of the 100
speakers at the hearing were against the amendment. Thanks to
JP correspondent Dave Berman for keeping us posted.
Did you know? jpUS.org has many links to resources for same sex ceremonies should you be called upon to perform one. Of course there are vows and ideas for traditional (heterosexual) marriage ceremonies on the page as well! Couples with Disabilities
I just did a wedding of two young men who are
both hearing impaired. It was quite difficult from the beginning: each phone
call was through an interpreter, but I was determined to help them out. I
had already married two hearing impaired women, but had no problem because
they used a friend as an interpreter the whole time. But these two young men
came to my home with another hearing impaired friend! There I was - I had
to think quick - they said they could read lips, but not very well. So I had
them read the ceremony with me, following every word I was saying. It
worked. They were happy. For me the same-sex marriages have enriched my life
more than I had ever anticipated. I have met the most wonderful people,
totally committed to each other. My ceremonies bring tears of joy every
time.
Claire
Watts, Wellfleet, MA
Some years ago I did a wedding in a lovely chapel with a young lady who was blind from birth. Her seeing eye dog wore a collar had a big white bow. He walked her down the aisle & she stood by her groom. During the ceremony the dog sat attentively until she told him "down." He never uttered a sound. The 3 of them walked out together. Most of you will say he was better behaved than some members of the bridal party! Rita Katona, Wallingford CT Speaking of dogs... More Tales of Canines and Other Four-Footed Friends
A while ago, I was interviewed to do a wedding. In the course of the
conversation the prospective bride discovered that I had been a dog
breeder and now a judge. It seems her mother & I had many mutual dog
friends. I was asked if I could do a wedding with a major Christian theme.
Sorry but being Jewish I did not have a lot of experience with Christian
themes. I recommended a few of my Christian JP friends. A few days went by
and I was booked for the wedding. It seems my "Canine Connection" was the
more important qualification. C'est La Vie! Bob Tendler,
Southbury CT
I performed one wedding in Branford at the
couple's residence. Their ring bearer was their Great Dane,
Howard. Howard stood right next to me and "helped" me with the
ceremony. The rings were tied to his collar. When I said "Howard, I
need the rings," he took off running around the house. The bride's
daughter finally was able to grab onto the collar and another child grabbed the
rings. The rest of
the ceremony was uneventful, but we were all still smiling at the
antics. Howard had a great (Dane) time.
Eileen
Cavanaugh, Branford CT The very first wedding I did was an outdoor affair, with the family dog as the ring bearer. Two children led him down the aisle with the rings tied to a cushion on his collar. He behaved very well, and added a homey touch to the wedding. The only problem was that the bride left her veil at her parents' home in Albany and we had to wait until they could get a wedding boutique to open on Sunday and get her a replacement. Marty Cobern, Cheshire CT About eight years ago I officiated at a backyard wedding. After waiting for quite a while, I went back in the house to check on things. Everyone was lined up except the "flower girl" who was running all around the house. It turned out that the "flower Girl" was a Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pig, their pet! She wore a pink ballet tutu with a wreath of pink flowers on top of her head. She was eventually caught and they walked her down the aisle on a leash to the surprised and giggling guests. More recently I did a lovely wedding at the Boston Harbor Hotel. The bride entered from a balcony and slowly came down a flight of stairs. She was absolutely gorgeous. As she approached the groom and me, I noticed she was carrying an unusual bridal bouquet. Cuddled up in her hands was her tiny white Maltese dog. This adorable dog never took its eyes off the bride throughout the whole ceremony. I wonder if the groom gets as much attention! Barbara Kahn Malden MA A few years ago "Rot-Ricky-Riler," a retired greyhound, not only was the tuxedoed best man at the wedding, he was also the host! Rot was a perfect gentleman, sitting beside me as I performed the ceremony. I was a bit hesitant to reach for the rings, which were velcroed to his collar. ... he was smiling! It seems "Rot" had recently retired from the racing circuit after making his owner enough money to spring for a very grand celebration. I wondered how the health inspector felt about Rot staying for the reception, but apparently Rot was very rich. Donna Cunio  I
recently performed a wedding on the beach for a couple who
insisted that their dog be part of the ceremony. While the
dog could not hold the rings, he positioned himself between
the bride and the groom throughout the wedding, making sure
that there was no problems. Pets are part of the family and
I encourage the couples to include whomever they wish so
that their wedding day is special. This is me with Whitty,
one of my 3 dogs. Dan Fowler, Stamford CT
I had a canine that was the best man at this wedding. The rings were tied around his bow tie and he was dressed in a tuxedo. The cutest little pug dog I've ever seen and very well-behaved. He did not move throughout the whole ceremony until I pronounced them husband and wife and then he let out a few barks. Marie Watson, Beverly, MA Are You a JP Couple?
My husband and I are both JP's and sometimes we have the
wonderful opportunity to perform wedding or commitment ceremonies
together. I wonder how many other couples do this?
Sylvia Abbate,
Cheshire CT.
We know of two other JP couples: Robert and Constance Cormier
of Broad Brook CT, and Melvin and Mildred Baran of Malden MA.
If you're half
of a JP couple,
please share your story.
Now There's a Justice of the Peace Lapel Pin for All JPs!   You
asked for it! Until now, only Connecticut JPs
received a pin with their membership in
www.jpUS.org... because our only lapel pin read "Connecticut." We
are delighted to tell you that we now have a second lapel pin to offer
JPs in other states. To our members in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont: we'll send you one when you renew or extend your membership or join for the first time. Connecticut JPs: If you're not yet a member of www.jpUS.org, there's a pin waiting for you too. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Q and A
Q: Is there a way to find out if there are any German speaking justices of the peace in CT? Thank you, Laura S. Gelbin
A: All you need do is type German in the search box on the home page of www.findaJP.com. Several names come up.
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Saul Haffner
saulhaffner@jpus.org