Mark & David - Happy Anniversary!

A year ago today, two of my very dear friends were married in Ojai on Lake Casitas. It was a very intimate gathering of about 20, uniquely themed around a Renaissance Pirate vibe. My husband Brian and I were honored to be included in the group of very close friends and family members and of course, I provided a few blooms for the occasion. Mark and David have been together as long as Brian and I have been married - 16 years, and that they were officially marrying was a very emotional and triumphant event. It was so beautiful!

Mark, being the fantastic event designer and planner that he is, provided me a color palette and then, surprisingly, let me run with it. I came up with black magic rose balls ensconced in gold gilt stakes accented with deep purple dendrobium orchids, peacock feathers and strands of sapphire jewels. A small gazebo draped in a rich rust velvet burn out fabric, accented with a garland of bay leaves provided a masculine focal point for the touching ceremony. It was such a wonderfully warm afternoon and following all the tears and laughter, we celebrated on the dock with a round of rum shots in old pewter shot glasses. For many reasons, I will never forget the afternoon.

In November 2008, Prop 8 passed in the State of California, banning the legality of same sex marriages going forward. Although, Mark and David are in fact legally married, many other couples do not have the same rights to honor and validate their relationships in the same way that many of us do. What a heart breaking and devastating law of discrimination we have allowed to take hold in our great state.