Stephanie Figarelle & Lela McArthur, Phil Fung & Shawn Klein
Stephanie Figarelle and Lela McArthur met as college students in Alaska and Phil Fung & Shawn Klein met at a nightclub in Manhattan. They became the first same-sex couples to be married at the Empire State Building on February 14, 2012.
"I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you," Stephanie Figarelle told Lela McArthur as they exchanged rings in a ceremony at the iconic skyscraper.
"I will always love you forever, with every beat of my heart," said McArthur, who is taking her partner's name.
Figarelle and McArthur were among four couples who won an online contest for a Valentine's Day wedding at the Empire State Building designed by event planner Colin Cowie.
After the ceremonies in a 61st-floor area that is rented out for parties, the couples posed for photos on the 86th-floor observation deck.
Figarelle (born 1983) and McArthur (born 1988) met in an anatomy class at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Celia Milton, the interfaith minister who married them, said that Figarelle invited McArthur out to see a drag show and McArthur thought she meant a drag race.
Stephanie Figarelle and Lela McArthur became the first lesbian couple to be married at the Empire State Building on February 14, 2012. Figarelle and McArthur were among 4 couples who won an online contest for a Valentine's Day wedding at the Empire State Building. Figarelle and McArthur met in an anatomy class at the University of Alaska. Celia Milton, the interfaith minister who married them, said that Figarelle invited McArthur out to see a drag show and McArthur thought she meant a drag race.
Phil Fung and Shawn Klein became the first gay couple to be married at the Empire State Building on February 14, 2012. They met in 1994 at the Roxy, a popular nightclub that has since closed. "You can find true love on the dance floor. It can happen," said Klein, who works in procurement at New York Presbyterian Hospital while Fung works in the technology department of a financial firm. They walked up the aisle to the strains of the Michael Bolton song "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You."
"Needless to say she was quite surprised," Milton said.
The two work as personal trainers in Anchorage and are finishing their degrees.
Figarelle was married in a black tuxedo (and the funny thing is that, an television news program mistook Stephanie for a man) while McArthur wore a strapless white gown with a train.
"Equality's a beautiful thing," she said. "Love is a beautiful thing. We don't have enough of it in this world."
New Yorkers Phil Fung and Shawn Klein walked up the aisle to the strains of the Michael Bolton song "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You." The men wore matching brown suits and checkered ties.
They met in 1994 at the Roxy, a popular nightclub that has since closed.
"You can find true love on the dance floor. It can happen," said Klein (born 1961), who works in procurement at New York Presbyterian Hospital while Fung (born 1963) works in the technology department of a financial firm.
The decor for the women's nuptials was "winter wonderland," said Cowie, the host of a wedding planning show on Lifetime TV. The flowers were white, and crystals dripped from a white tree.
The men were married under a jungle-inspired arbor draped with banana leaves and tangerine-colored flowers.
Source: www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/14/alaska-women-stephanie-fi_n_1276208.html
Further Readings:
Understanding American Government (with CourseReader 0-30: American Government Printed Access Card) by Susan Welch, John Gruhl, Sue Thomas and MaryAnne Borrelli
Paperback: 624 pages
Publisher: Cengage Learning; 14 edition (January 17, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1133955746
ISBN-13: 978-1133955740
Amazon: Understanding American Government
UNDERSTANDING AMERICAN GOVERNMENT is highly respected and trusted for its attention to research and issues of diversity, as well as for its award-winning team of authors. While covering the foundations of American government, this text also moves beyond the nuts and bolts to explain why and how important aspects of government have evolved, their impact on government and individuals, and why they may be controversial, inspire debate, and worth learning. More than just narrating facts and current issues, UNDERSTANDING AMERICAN GOVERNMENT leaves students with an understanding of the "why", so their knowledge can be applied long after the course is completed. UNDERSTANDING AMERICAN GOVERNMENT is a three-time winner of the American Government Textbook Award for the Best Treatment of Women in Politics, by the Women's Caucus for Political Science.
More Real Life Romances at my website: www.elisarolle.com/, My Ramblings/Real Life Romance
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