The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
A dozen years of not being able to legally say “I do” ended Oct. 24 for Debra Calie and Lou Marinucci as the two women exchanged wedding vows before a group of friends in the municipal building.
Officiated by Mayor Brian Levine, the ceremony was believed to be the first same-sex marriage in the township.
The couple have been together since 2001, when they met at a lesbian support group before which Marinucci was lecturing, she said.
“We talked, and then we started dating,” Marinucci said.
“It feels good,” Marinucci said after the ceremony. “It feels like the accomplishment of a lifetime.”
“It’s a joyous occasion,” Levine said. “I’m happy for people to be happy like this.”
The couple were residents of Warren up until June, when they bought a Somerset townhouse.
Calie is a high school art teacher and Marinucci is retired.
Watch the video above for the entire ceremony.
