Awful Goodness: Wedding Picture Highlights

These are a few images from my wedding day. If you're interest in seeing more, I've got a few galleries at www.michaelandrafaelgetmarried.com. Thanks for checking them out!

This is me and our officiant, Wendy Goldberg, at the White House a few hours before the ceremony. I can only assume from the demonic look on my face that Wendy had just said something that cracked me up, as she often does.

Maria Thayer helped me get ready. She also sang a beautiful song at our ceremony.

The siblings Barakiva (or Bar-Akiva).

Linsay Firman, my gorgeous god-daughter Julia Rettig, and Shane Rettig. Linsay also gave a beautiful toast at the ceremony.

Me.

This is my brother, re-doing the tie that my sister had already helped me put on.

Rafael, his friend Monica, her husband, and all the way in the back, the incomparable Maamoun Jibali, who designed our rings and did our flowers.

Rafael holding his mother's hand, with Monica and her husband on his right.

My brother giving me last-minute advice, as we walk to the ceremony.

A beautiful day to get married, no?

Wendy C. Goldberg, Artistic Director of the Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, and my dear friend and our officiant.

Our mothers, giving us away.

I cried for most of the ceremony.

Shoko Kambara designed our beautiful chuppah, with poles that went all the way to the ground (this is how a great set designer thinks, ladies and gents, so our chuppah bearers wouldn't fatigue over the course of the ceremony. On Rafael's side, his brother Luis Antonio and his friend Francisco. On my side, my un-boyfriend Andy Goldberg and my brother Doron. Half-way through the ceremony, I made Rafael switch places with me, since the ceremony was in three-quarters and I was worried about sight-lines

Rafael and I incorporated our audience into our vows.

Rafael's women: from left to right: his cousin Adriana, his cousin Alijandra, and his best friend from Mexico City, Carmen Corona

Lindsey Gates did a reading of Emily Dickinson's WILD NIGHTS

My women: Linsay Firman, Maria Thayer, Kareen Barakiva.

We kiss.

We leave.

People have cocktails and dance.

I know that the people here look like they've been photographed jumping, but they actually learned how to fly for our wedding. Now, that's friendship.

Flowers by Maamoun Jibali.

We got not just one, but two rainbows the day of our wedding. I'm not going to tell you how much they cost, or what I had to do to guarantee them. But they were worth it. God uses rainbows as a reminder that he will never again destroy the world by flood, and to show that he endorses gay marriage.