The girl's father is a pastor, and he is telling all of his congregants not to get a marriage license

It's worked for polygamists for years.

It certainly seems odd. I mean, isn't he then telling them it's okay to live in sin because he knows about it and they had a nice party?

I hadn't thought of that with the polygamists, but it makes sense. I think that was a "duh" moment for me.

isn't he then telling them it's okay to live in sin

Ah, but they're not living in sin, their union was blessed by God. And he's suddenly demonstrated that marriage is a religious thing, separate from government, so all the governmental rights of marriage should be available to anyone.

I read on a blog, maybe feministing, that one couple feels their wedding is ruined because it says Party A and B and not Bride and Groom, maybe it's the same couple. They said that this proves that same sex marriage adversely effects opposite sex marriage. Which just is lame to me.

Personally I like the seperate religious and civil ceremonies. Plenty of people don't get married in a church or with a religious ceremony. My aunt is a Notary Republic and she married a couple who got married at a lake in swim suits. They jumped in afterwards.

I have a couple, both friends, who had two completely different weddings. The first one, which is the LEGAL one AND the religious one, was performed by a shaman.

A week later, they had the fluffy dress family wedding, and skated around the issue of signing the license. The officiant was the grooms old art teacher, and he was in the know, but I don't think the fam know, to this day.

My friend A is currently on her second of three marriages - one about a month ago at the JoP, one Muslim ceremony two weeks later with his (Egyptian) family, and one planned for the spring in Costa Rica for all the friends

Since marriage is a contract, it IS easier to just use the one the state has already written for you. Here's Calif. statutory law re marriage [link] This + case law and you're all set.

Probably was the same couple, Askye. I was repeating off of the top of my head, though I'm pretty sure it wasn't on Feministing, might have been though.

Greg and I were married by a Catholic notary friend of mine, because he was Catholic, and blessed by my pastor, in an office building. It had been planned for the park, but we got torrential rain.

I saw the story on Salon Broadsheet. My eyeballs just about rolled right out of my head.

Calif. statutory law

That's a very long document.

It may have been from a link to Salon. One of the people on my flist is highly political and I've followed some of her links.

I'ma go to bed now. I meant to say hello and give hairpats where wanted, but I'm suddenly exhausted. It's been a very long day.

sj, I'm sorry about the SSI mess, but you did light a bulb in my brain that should have been lit long ago. We're going to check on benefits for Aidan. We could use some help, especially with extra pairs of glasses and adaptive technologies.