Supporters of gay marriage were set to celebrate their impending midnight unions Sunday afternoon with bouncy castles, food trucks and musical performers, but Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s Marriage Equality Family Day and Celebration at Thomas Square had to be canceled because of inclement weather.
"We really did have a nice event planned," said Misty Kela‘i, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Culture and Arts. "We were going to have the Royal Hawaiian Band open; I was going to sing the ‘Hawaiian Wedding Song.’ … I was bummed, of course, because we had all these plans."
The event relocated indoors to MOCA’s headquarters in the Mission Memorial Building on King Street so couples could still meet with marriage license agents to finish the pre-registration process ahead of their midnight ceremonies.
Kela‘i said the MOCA room where couples gathered to complete paperwork for their marriage licenses was hot and humid, but that didn’t change the tone of the event.
"Everybody’s just so happy," she said. "Never mind the heat. You know what I mean. They’re just so happy that they had a space to go to."
Saralyn and Isajah Morales of Pahoa beamed as they talked with friends and posed for pictures in front of a white cake decorated with a trail of rainbow-colored flowers.
The couple, together for almost five years, received civil union certificate No. 1 on Jan. 1, 2012, and is excited to be in Honolulu for round two.
"She got another dress and she got another ring," Isajah Morales said with a laugh.
Saralyn Morales piped in with a smile: "And she got a tux this time."
Michael Golojuch Jr., who helped organize the festivities, said 33 couples pre-registered for the ceremony online but that everybody had to come down Sunday for a final check-in.
"The sense of ohana I think is the best take-away from this," he said of the event.
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Kokua Line: June Watanabe is on vacation.
