Costa Rica legalised same-sex marriage on Tuesday, May 16. At the stroke of midnight, couple Aritza Araya Arguedas and Alexandra Quirós Castillo became the first same-sex pair to legally tie the knot in the country.

The couple said ‘I do’ in San Isidro de Heredia, a town outside the capital, San Jose. The momentous wedding was broadcast on national television and live streamed on Facebook. Approximately 10 000 viewers from around the world tuned in to be a part of this historical moment.

“You have begun in law what has existed in love,” said officiant Ana Cecilia Castro Calzada. “We celebrate and honour this journey that you have made together as life companions in hope of a day like today: historic for you two and for Costa Rica.”

Take a look at the nuptials below:

Costa Rica is the first country in Central America and the sixth in Latin America to legalise same-sex marriage. Other Latin American countries where same-sex marriage is legal include Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Uruguay and some parts of Mexico.

The legalisation of same-sex marriage in Costa Rica comes after a years-long campaign spearheaded by pro-marriage-equality group Sí, Acepto. In August 2018,  the constitutional court in Costa Rica declared that the ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional and discriminatory, and gave congress 18 months to change the law or else it would automatically happen. As the Legislative Assembly did not act, the ban was automatically nullified on May 26.

Feature image: screenshot from livestream

COVID-19 related wedding postponements have struck again as a Belfast couple have been forced to change their date. For this couple, however, the cancellation was more serious since they’d already tattooed their wedding date on their arms.

Francis Donald popped the big question to Fionnuala Kearney in December 2017. Immediately the pair began preparations for the big day.

With their planning, they decided on the wedding date to be October 16, 2020. To commemorate this decision, they had the special date tattooed on their arms in Roman numerals while on holiday in Turkey last year.

“We were in Turkey and had checked out of our hotel at 9am, but had to wait until the evening for our flight home – so we decided to go on a bar crawl. We strolled past a tattoo salon and we were tipsy, so thought it was a great idea to get matching tattoos,” explained the bride-to-be.

Unfortunately for the couple, the coronavirus pandemic took over and their wedding venue, Hugh McCanns hotel in Newcastle, informed them that they would have to postpone their wedding until 2021.

“When I was told we would have to postpone the wedding I was devastated, of course – but we only realised afterwards about our tattoos. If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry!” said Kearney to SNWS.

Of course, having to postpone your wedding is bad enough. However, since they already had the date tattooed on their arms, the couple were devastated. 

They have now moved their wedding date to April 2021 and are considering how they can ensure the tatoos remain meaningful.

It seems they are lighthearted about their misfortune, as Kearney posted to her Facebook, “Would only be us to get our wedding date tattooed for it to be postponed ?” 

Image: Facebook / Francy Donald

A California man said ‘I do’ to his pet cat this past weekend in a livestream ceremony, and no, not in a weird way. The ‘commitment ceremony’ was to raise funds for a local animal shelter where they first met.

Scott Perry found his beloved Olivia Le Chat at the Best Friends Animal Society NKLA five years ago. She quickly became an important part of his life.

“It was love at first sight! Well, sorta — Olivia hopped right into my girlfriend’s lap and right into our hearts! And then she hid under the bed for months,” says Perry on his website. “The girlfriend moved on but Olivia stayed, and as time went on, Olivia became less and less shy. Fast forward five years, and Olivia is more than happy to speak her mind, to wake me up to feed her and pet her in the early mornings, to let her out on the front porch for brushes in the sun and napping on the lounger, for evening biscuits on my tummy while I watch TV, and lots of treats and play time in between.”

Perry explains that he wanted to raise funds for the shelter and bring some happiness to the world during lockdown. So, he decided to have a commitment ceremony with Olivia. He even created a website with a wedding registry, for which he has a goal of raising $5000 to donate to the shelter.

“With the two of us locked down for the crisis, we decided to take the leap and make it official, by offering the world a bright spot to all the bad news out there and to raise money for the very place we met, Best Friends Animal Society NKLA.”

Perry says that having a pet is a huge commitment, much like marriage. You promise to take care of them and be there for them whenever they are in need. Thus, a commitment ceremony seemed fitting for them.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CASxdqsHR8b/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The wedding streamed on 23 May on Perry’s Instagram Live. A black tie dress code was preferred, and pets were encouraged to dress up too.

Perry wore a tux and Oliva looked adorable in a flouncy white wedding dress. Watch the livestream here:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CAirkJVnN3C/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAkpAj8nLnA/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Feature image: screenshot from livestream