Couples wed in front of City Hall

FERNDALE –
Following a night of rain and thunder the sun broke through the crowds to shine over the 8th annual Commitment Ceremony held in front of Ferndale's City Hall.
At the event, which is held the day before Motor City Pride, nine same-sex couples exchanged vows and rings and ate wedding cake as their friends and families looked on.
Ferndale Mayor Craig Covey officiated the event along with Rev. Mark Bidwell, Rev. Deb Dysert and Rev. Kevin Kinsel of Metropolitan Community Church of Detroit. Covey is the third Ferndale Mayor to officiate the event.
"Ferndale does this to stand up and demonstrate to the region that this is the right thing to do. This is the future. We're simply ahead of our time," Covey said. "We try to demonstrate in our own way that we value and embrace diversity."
"I think, especially in lieu of the California Supreme Court decision, public affirmation of our families is critical," said Sean Kosofsky, director of policy at the Triangle Foundation, "and right here on this major thoroughfare people can witness the love of these gay and lesbian couples."
Commenting on the previous night's storm, Kosofsky said the rain "provided fertile ground for our marrying families here."
"I believe in our right to have what every other human being has which is the right to commit and to celebrate our commitment," said Rev. Dysert.
Krissy Duvall, 28, and Jessica Boler, 25, came from Monroe to participate in the ceremony. The couple, who met at work and have been together for five years, were there "to prove our love to each other and everybody else," said Duvall.
Donna Sashington, 43, of Melvindale said she was there "to get married to my baby," her partner Brenda Huff, 34, of Detroit. The women, who have been together for over a year, met at work. They found out about the commitment ceremony from the Motor City Pride Web site and had fifteen family members in attendance.
Rev. Kinsel opened the ceremony. "May your love grow sure and strong and true in the days and weeks and months and years to follow," he told the couples and lead a prayer before yielding the podium to Rev. Dysert.
"Let me begin by saying, wow, do you look good," Dysert said.
Covey and Rev. Dysert led the couples as a group through their vows: "I, a child of God, take you, my gift from God, to be my partner, to love, honor and comfort you through this journey of life we share together and to be faithful to you as long as we both shall live."
The collective "We do" that followed was loud.
Rev. Bidwell told the crowd that he thanked God for states like California that allow gay and lesbian couples to legally marry. While the commitment ceremony he presided over is not legally recognized, he made it clear that it was blessed.
"This is a spiritual ceremony. This is a religious ceremony. This is a holy ceremony because God is here," said Rev. Bidwell.
"This is your wedding day," he told the couples. "This is the day God has created and said, 'This is good. This is holy.'"
After the ceremony Jim Ingleson, 55, of Ferndale called himself the "happiest man on earth." Ingleson had just wed his partner Leon Nesbitt, 55, also of Ferndale. The two were introduced three and a half years ago by Ingleson's ex "who's my best friend."
"We love each other and this is what we wanted to do ever since we met," said Ingleson.
Both men had their sisters present at the ceremony.
Elizabeth Bauer, Ingleson's sister, came all the way from Madison, Wisconsin to attend. "I couldn't miss my their wedding," she said, adding that she thought the ceremony was "wonderful."
Nesbitt's sister, Pauline Bennefiled of Oak Park, said she appreciated the spiritual aspect of the ceremony. "It's my brother's wedding. Wouldn't miss it for the world," she said. "I thought it was beautiful."