PRIDE WEDDING SPECIAL

Seattle Gay News
Issue 25, Volume 41, June 21, 2013
pride Wedding
special
Samantha Lynn
and Lawranne Yadao
are partners in every way
co ur te sy
la wr an ne
co ur te sy
la wr an ne
Ya da o
Ya da o
o
wranne Yada
nn (l) and La
Samantha Ly
Samantha Ly
nn proposin
by Shaun Knittel
SGN Associate Editor
e Yadao durin
g Pride Idol at
working retail. “I was the new girl who
had transferred from California, and
Sami had worked there for a few months,”
explains Lawranne. On my first day, she
strutted up to me and asked, ‘You’re that
chick from Cali, right?’ After I answered,
she smiled and replied, ‘Cool,’ and strutted away. She didn’t even introduce herself to me!”
“Okay, I totally introduced myself –
that’s where we differ on the retelling of
the story,” Samantha says. “That, and she
totally checked me out as I was walking
away.”
“I never denied that,” said Lawranne,
smiling.
Samantha says the two went on “pretty
normal dates.” There is one date, however,
that stands out: the night that the two decided they were right for each other.
“I took her to putt-putt golf, went to the
local market to get fresh food, and we
cooked dinner together,” she said. “Really, quite a remarkable night and I could
tell that I was very smitten with her. And
at the end of each date, I’d ask, ‘When can
I see you again?’”
Spend five minutes with these two and
you’ll see it – they truly are a team. “We
call going on a date ‘dinosaur hunting’
Neighbours
Nightclub
after an unfortunate picture Samantha
found of me in preschool, dressed in a dinosaur costume,” says Lawranne.
‘GAY MEANS LOVE’
This will be the third year that their
nephews will join them for the Pride Parade.
“Michael is five and he says that ‘Gay’
means ‘love.’ Anthony is two and a half
and likes waving the Pride flag,” Lawranne said.
As for the wedding, Samantha and Lawranne told SGN, “We haven’t set a date
yet, but the wedding will be in Seattle.”
“We would love to have a June wedding
just to make Pride month even more exciting,” admitted Stephanie. “We want to
find an urban venue with exposed brick/
wood work to really represent how much
we love living in Capitol Hill.”
Samantha Lynn will perform some
original songs at PrideFest on the Acoustic Stage (located by the skate park next to
2nd and Thomas) from 1 to 1:35 p.m.
“We would like to thank our community for being so supportive! It means the
world to us to be able to share our love
with you all!”
all photos courtesy Dana Pleasant Photography
community all in one place, celebrating
our pride, it seemed like the perfect opportunity.”
“And who wouldn’t want Mama Tits
Less than one year ago, we Washington
voters found ourselves embattled over the as part of their engagement story?” asks
freedom to marry. Currently, things are Lawranne, 29.
different. Gays and Lesbians all over the
FRIENDS FIRST
state are bending their knees and asking
The two women tell SGN that they’ve
for their beloved one’s legal hand in marbeen best friends for the past three years,
riage. It’s a beautiful thing.
One of those couples is Samantha Lynn and a couple for the past two years.
“Sami [Samantha] is the only partner
and Lawranne Yadao. On June 9, Samantha knelt down and, in front of Pride Idol I’ve ever had who’s treated me like an
participants and spectators, asked for equal,” said Lawranne. “It’s different for
me to be in a relationship where I don’t
Lawranne’s hand in marriage.
hold anything back and still get met with
Lawranne said yes.
Samantha, 23, says she competed in complete support, love, and understandPride Idol last year, and was “inspired ing.”
“She really is my best friend in every
by the sense of community leading up to
way,” says Samantha. “I am constantly
Pride Month.”
“We have been talking about spend- inspired to work harder than ever and to
ing our lives together for the past couple strive to be a better person every day.”
According to Samantha, “we have
of years, and after Pride Idol 2012, I did
think it would be fun to share that special known we’ve wanted to share our lives
moment with our community when that together for a long time, but being able to
time came,” Samantha told SGN. “After call her my wife, and have the state recRef 74 passed, I knew this was the year I ognize that, is really a dream come true.”
would ask Lawranne to marry me. I had
WORKPLACE ROMANCE
already decided to compete for Pride Idol
Lawranne told SGN the two met while
again, and with our friends, family, and
g to Lawrann
Peter Shalit and Bob Clark
Meet one of the first Washington same-sex couples to marry
by James Whitely
SGN Staff Writer
Peter Shalit and Bob Clark were one
of the first same-sex couples to wed in
Washington state on the very first day
same-sex weddings were possible – on
December 9, 2012, at about 9:30 a.m. The
couple said “I do” at Seattle City Hall
with 132 other same-sex couples during a
daylong series of weddings hosted by the
city of Seattle.
Peter 59, and Bob, 55, met in Chicago
in 1998 at a conference on horticulture, a
hobby they both share.
“Bob was living in Massachusetts at the
time,” Peter told SGN. “Our relationship
sort of progressed long-distance over seven
years, and Bob moved here in 2005.”
“We didn’t really date because of the long
distance,” said Peter. “We’d meet in various
cities when one or the other was traveling.”
WORKING TOGETHER
Peter has both a Ph.D. and an M.D., and
has been practicing medicine – specifically,
HIV treatment – since 1990, at his own office in First Hill. He is a certified HIV specialist by the American Academy of HIV
Medicine. Bob was a wholesale florist when
the couple first met. Now, he works as a
medical assistant in Peter’s practice. Unfortunately, however, Bob and Peter still don’t
get many date nights, as the practice keeps
them both very busy.
“[In our downtime] we breathe, garden,
and travel,” said Peter. “Our families are
both back east and we have relatives who
are getting older, so we go back to New
England four times a year now, but it’s
worth it. We’ve got great families.”
The couple arrived at the King County
Recorder’s Office at 6 a.m. on December
6, to acquire their marriage license, hours
after droves of same-sex couples got their
documents when the office opened at 12:01
a.m. In the state of Washington, all couples,
straight and same-sex, must wait three days
after acquiring a marriage license to hold
their ceremony.
“There was no line,” Peter told SGN.
“We had it all choreographed. It was
great.”
“It was exciting to do it the first day and
we kind of appreciated the civic involvement and the opportunity to get married
at City Hall. It turned out to be even more
incredible than I imagined,” said Peter.
“And we didn’t have to do any of the planning ourselves – the city did the planning
for us.”
While many couples brought large
families or groups of friends to City Hall
on December 9, Peter and Bob kept their
ceremony small. Witnessing their wedding was only Bob’s 25-year-old son,
Russ, and an official witness. The two
were married by King County Superior
Court Judge Patrick Oishi.
POSITIVE REACTIONS
“We wore jackets, ties and slacks …
that was about the most formal clothing
we had. I’m not a suit kind of guy. Actually, we took the bus to our wedding and the
whole bus got involved,” Peter told SGN.
“We got on the bus and were sitting in the
seats that faced the center … this woman
looked at us and asked, ‘Are you guys going to get married?’”
Peter told SGN that after they told her
they were on their way to City Hall to
wed, she told them her son was Gay and
she was so happy he’d have the opportunity to one day marry as well. Then a
man in a security guard’s uniform seated
next to her spoke up and said, “It’s not
just an opportunity but a civil right!”
After getting off the bus, the
woman excitedly led them to City
Hall, saying, ‘You’re going to be
late!’
“A long time ago, I didn’t think
[the day] would come, but the last
few years I imagined it probably would,” Peter told SGN.
“In a lot of ways, it doesn’t feel
much different. It feels more
secure – I suppose it does feel
different. We’d been in a domestic partnership – that had
felt different, too – but this
feels even more different.”
Dr. Peter Shalit has been
active in HIV care since the
early and terrible days of the
epidemic. Over the years,
he has given treatment to
hundreds of people living
with HIV. At his First Hill
practice, he and his certified
physician assistant, George
Froehle, provide a full range
of HIV care services, from
testing to treatment of infection at all stages. They also
take part in HIV research.
2
Seattle Gay News
June 21, 2013
jimmy gonzalez / seattle gay news
Bob Clark(l) and Peter Shalit on their wedding day.
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Scott Olson / Getty Images
Many miles to go
What the marriage equality movement
must learn from Illinois
by Richard J. Rosendall
Special to the SGN
When the Illinois marriage equality bill
was withdrawn without a vote May 31, anti-Gay obsessives like Brian Brown of National Organization for Marriage crowed as
if they had defeated the Gay Menace once
and for all. This perception was reinforced
by LGBT activists’ anger at their suddenly
dashed expectations. In fact, Illinois House
Speaker Michael Madigan extended the
deadline for the bill through August; it still
may be taken up in a special session.
To treat one setback as a reversal of the
pro-Gay historical trend is like treating a
winter storm as disproving global climate
change. It is, rather, a stern reminder that we
must work hard for every gain. Part of that
work is critical self-assessment.
By self-assessment I do not mean opportunistic point-scoring. Log Cabin Republicans leader Gregory Angelo took the occasion to slam Democrats, despite only two
out of 47 Illinois House Republicans having
pledged support for SB-10. Please. There
was no outcry over Republican opponents
of the bill, because no one expected any better from them.
The shortfall in House support contradicts the exaggerated claim of Gay political power made by conservatives like Chief
Justice John Roberts. That claim is doubtful, as Laurel Ramseyer at Pam’s House
Blend observes, “even in ‘blue’ Illinois.”
The notion that we don’t need constitutional protection is ludicrous, given our long
struggle just to win marriage in one-fourth
of the country.
6
Seattle Gay News
TIME FOR A GUT CHECK
Some Gay pundits, like John Aravosis of
AMERICAblog, wasted no time in leaping
to a race-based analysis, fingering the Black
Caucus and Black ministers for a loss that
had not yet happened. Did we learn nothing
from the hasty, ill-informed scapegoating
after California’s Prop 8? Statistician Nate
Silver refuted that stunningly counterproductive narrative in November 2008. A few
thoughts come to mind:
• If you talk about anti-Gay Black ministers without mentioning pro-Gay Black
ministers, or prominent opponent Cardinal
Francis George (who compared the Gay
Pride parade to the Ku Klux Klan, though
he later apologized), then you need to check
your biases.
• We need to learn lessons and apply
them, not start an insult match.
• So you’re angry. The question is what
to do – likely a mix of changes in spending
priorities, better use of allies, better use of
data, better matching of message and messenger with the right audience, a new lead
sponsor, and a stronger grassroots effort led
by people familiar with the local terrain.
As David Badash of the New Civil Rights
Movement noted, blaming the Black Caucus
or Black ministers “is exactly what the National Organization for Marriage wants to
happen.” Why take the bait? Badash adds,
“It’s time we built bridges with other communities instead of trying to deflect blame
onto them.” Besides, our communities overlap. Into which balkanized category would
you place Mark Carson, the Black Gay man
murdered last month in New York?
Passion motivates us, but smart answers
require cool-headed analysis. We need to
June 21, 2013
be clear-eyed, disciplined and tenacious.
“Ready, fire, aim!” is no strategy.
MONEY ISN’T EVERYTHING
The deadline extension is an opportunity for a course correction. Rick Garcia,
policy director for the Civil Rights Agenda,
said of the May 31 meltdown, “This is what
happens when you allow a multibillionaire
and national organizations that have no clue
about Illinois politics and how Springfield
works to call the shots.” That billionaire is
Fred Eychaner, the major donor to Illinois
Unites for Marriage. Garcia, a longtime
Illinois activist, called for replacing highpriced consultants and lobbyists with “real
people standing up and speaking out.” You
cannot outsource community building.
Wisdom is noticing and repeating what
works. Strong interracial and interfaith
coalition efforts helped produce marriageequality victories in D.C. and Maryland.
Listening, learning, and nurturing trust can
create bonds that withstand the windiest of
cities.
Richard J. Rosendall is a writer and activist. He can be reached at rrosendall@
starpower.net.
Copyright © 2013 by Richard J. Rosendall. All rights reserved.
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Seattle Gay News
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HOW DID IT HAPPEN?
During the campaign to Approve Referendum 74, Yee-Shin and I were asked to
participate in the ACLU of Washington’s
Communities of Color campaign. We said
yes. In fact, we did what a lot of people did.
We put up a yard sign, told our story (again,
and again, and again), and became table
captains at fundraisers for Equal Rights
Washington and Washington United for
ka pc hu
My partner … errr … um … lover, boyfriend, fiancé – whatever – proposed to
me, without a ring, before same-sex marriage was legal in Washington state, while
we were lying in bed together. We’d been
dating for over a year, but had known
each other for two. He had a roommate
and things got weird. She moved out and
I’d just moved in.
It was a moment I’ll never forget.
“Two months ago I didn’t think I was
ready to live with you,” he said. “But now
that you are here that has changed. I can’t
imagine you not being here.”
It’s true – two months prior I had asked
Marriage.
But we also did many things that
most everyone did not do. In April of 2012
we produced and starred in a musical (and
I am sooo not musical) to raise $6,000 for
the campaign for marriage equality. In July
of 2012 I founded a social justice
nonprofit, Social Outreach Seattle.
First at hand for SOSea – you guessed it –
marriage equality. Remember that march
and rally for marriage equality back in
October? Yeah, that was us.
We, meaning Yee-Shin and I, worked
our butts off for the people around
ra ph y
Editor’s note: Shaun Knittel and YeeShin Huang were married May 25 at
Plymouth Church in downtown Seattle.
Several months earlier, Shaun wrote this
article in anticipation of the event.
him to move in with me – and
four other people – living in a
small, modest Capitol Hill rental. He declined.
“I know, babe, I can’t imagine not falling
asleep in your arms every night,” I said, surprising myself at how vulnerable my love
for him makes me sound.
“We should probably get married then,”
he said.
“Yeah,” I replied. “We probably should.”
And that is the story of how Yee-Shin
Huang and I agreed to marry.
r. us ph
ot og
by Shaun Knittel
SGN Associate Editor
Shaun, Yee
-Shin, and
the Huang
family
kapchur.us photography
us who were inspired by what we were
doing. Friends and strangers alike registered to vote and then set out to register
others. We grew activists out of inactivists and made voters out of nonvoters. It
was a magical time. It would, in November, eventually become a historic time.
When the elusive same-sex marriage
became easily obtainable, Yee-Shin and
I watched as thousands of same-sex couples rushed out to get married as soon as
possible. The excitement was palpable.
Love was winning. And all because “the
people” voted for it. Gays were finally the
popular kids at the lunch table.
8
Shaun Knittel (l) and Yee-Shin Huang
Seattle Gay News
June 21, 2013
WHY WE WAITED
Yee-Shin and I are madly in love. However, we didn’t get caught up in the hubbub around the date. Yes, it was fabulous
and heartwarming to see all of those
people who felt that they could not wait
another day without wedded bliss cheer
as they walked out of Seattle City Hall
together – legally married. But being the
practical (some would say, stubborn) men
that we are, Yee-Shin and I decided that
we didn’t want anything, or anyone, to
tell us when we should get married. Not
even the friendly voters we had asked to
secure our right to do so. May 25 is our
anniversary, not December 9.
May 25, 2011, is when we both knew
that, on some level, we were meant to be
together. We were on a whirlwind tour
of Las Vegas, my hometown. He met my
family (I’d never even considered having
previous boyfriends meet the family),
hung out with my childhood friends, and
everything about “us” seemed to make
Celebrating 40 Years!
sense. Not surprisingly, we never even had
the “boyfriend” conversation or the always
awkward, but oh-so-common “So, are we
dating?” conversation. Instead, not unlike
the marriage proposal, we both just went
with it, knowing all the while that it would
work. When you know, you just ... do.
I love Yee-Shin with all of my heart and
soul. He is my best friend, cooks better than
any chef I’ve ever met, and supports me in
everything I do. He is, in my eyes, perfect
in every way. His smile melts me whenever I see it. He’s a good person, too. We are
sexually compatible, adventurous together,
and he is the best part of my day – always.
It’s the little things, too. You know what I
mean? I love it when he laughs or when he
does something to show me that, despite being two of the busiest people we know, he’s
thinking about me. We trust each other and
we communicate clearly and always with
the purpose of growing our love, not killing
it.
I do, take this man as my husband.
There’s just one problem: We don’t know
how to get married.
SEATTLE COUNSELING ALLIANCE
Maura Freeman, RN, LMHCA
206.310.3111
[email protected]
maurafreeman.com
seattlecounselingalliance.com
Gregory Porter
June 21-23
“The brilliant
new voice of jazz.”
-Huffington Post
Vieux Farka
Touré
SO HOW DOES IT WORK?
Isn’t that foolish? I feel so ignorant writing that down. But I told myself that if I
were going to do truth, and this article, any
justice, I would have to be honest and say
that I, and most Gay men I know, have no
idea how to get married.
Take, for instance, the flower girl. Why is
she there? What do the flowers mean? “Ring
bearer” is equally as confusing. I mean, I’m
no idiot, I know that he is the person who
is supposed to keep the rings safe and hand
them to the bride and groom (or, in our case,
the groom and groom). But why is he sometimes 11 years old and other times 35? Is he
the best man or … can somebody please tell
me what is going on here???
Seeking answers, I turned to the Rev.
Brandon Duran, a pastor at Seattle’s Plymouth United Church of Christ, for counsel.
Yee-Shin first met Duran years ago when
he attended Taiwanese church on Sundays
with his family as a young man. Duran was
one of the first people that Yee-Shin felt
comfortable to tell he was Gay. His family
– my soon-to-be in-laws – knows Duran,
and Yee-Shin believes that will add a sense
of authenticity for them. Now, we are by no
means having a “normal” ceremony. But we
don’t want to mock religion either. So, as
you can surmise, Rev. Duran has been –for-
June 25-26
91.3 KBCS
presents More than the Hendrix
of the Sahara “...original
guitar music of such fluidity,
technique, rhythmic invention
and passion, that it’s virtually
unequaled.” - All Music
Booker T. Jones
CD RELEASE PARTY!
June 27-30
Hammond B3
soulman touring
in support of his new Stax/
Concord Record release,
“Sound the Alarm.”
Acoustic Alchemy
July
2,3,5-7
“Acoustic Alchemy enchanted
the audience with a sound that
masterfully fused jazz with a
diverse range of musical styles.”
- Daily Inquirer
see shaun/yee-shin page 26
Oliver Mtukudzi
and The Black
Spirits
July 9-10
91.3 KBCS welcomes Zimbabwean afro-beat roots
music against oppression
UPCOMING
JOHN MAYALL
JULY 11-14
ALBERT LEE
JULY 15
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Hiring a wedding planner
The whys and hows of enlisting special help
for your special day
by Jenny Harding
Special to the SGN
CONGRATULATIONS! You are engaged and the adventure of planning your
perfect day is underway.
So … where do you start? The questions
from family and friends come almost immediately. Your eyes glaze over as you surf
the many online lists, resources, and Pinterest boards! You suddenly realize that this
whole wedding thing may be more of a project than you imagined. You turn on the TV
and The Wedding Planner starring J-Lo is
on. Oooohhh. A fancy wedding planner! A
wedding planner? No … that’s silly. Oh, but
wait! Is it really that silly?
DO I NEED A PLANNER?
Hiring a wedding planner is no longer a
luxury, but essential for couples planning
any type of wedding celebration. While
you relish the moment with each other, your
friends, and your family, your wedding
planner is there to handle every detail ensuring your day goes wonderfully smooth.
A coordinator can help you negotiate contracts, offer you exclusive discounts and
invaluable advice, and help you build a perfect team of vendors to match your style,
needs, and budget. Not only do you want a
wedding planner who understands your vision and is able to make it a reality, but also
one who adapts well with various personality types and can diffuse stressful circumstances that might arise.
HOW DO I HIRE ONE?
Personal referrals are often invaluable.
If a friend or co-worker was recently mar-
ried, ask them who they used and what they
thought about their experience. Were they
happy overall? Did the coordinator offer
sound advice and guidance? Did their
rates match the level of service provided?
Many venues and wedding
professionals have a list of
preferred vendors. They
want to effectively provide their best product
or service so they’re
going to recommend
those planners who
are the most flexible
and professional to
partner with.
Use your local
wedding resource
guide,
wedding
shows, and bridal
magazines to gather
your list of potential
planners to interview.
Whether you found the
planner through a friend,
a preferred list, or a magazine, always interview them.
Most coordinators offer a complimentary consultation so you
can get to know them, their style,
their level of experience, and how they
can help you. Your coordinator can often
act as your confidant, designer, liaison, organizer, scheduler, and so much more, so
make sure there is a good connection between you.
Wedding planning can be FUN! You’re
only going to do this once, so choose someone who will inspire a fun experience for
you!
HOW WILL IT WORK?
Having a wedding planner is a partnership. Your wedding planner is there to support you, guide you, help you bring your
vision to a reality, and help orchestrate the
entire day. A good wedding planner will
give you options, ideas, and valuable information based on their experiences – but will
always leave the final decision to you. Most
planners will require you to make all vendor agreements directly with each vendor,
leaving you ultimately in control of hiring
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your wedding team and allowing you to
have direct contact with your vendors at
any time throughout the process. A good
wedding planner will be able to understand
your vision in order to communicate that to
other vendors on your behalf, while never
compromising the things that are most important to you.
Most planners have customizable options
where you can choose the services you want
help with, and do the rest on your own. At
minimum, consider hiring a “day-of” coordinator. This is the perfect option
for those savvy couples out there
who enjoy planning, organizing,
and doing their own research.
Typically, anywhere from
two weeks to 90 days before
your event, your day-of
coordinator can come in
and help finalize details
and ensure the entire
day is orchestrated and
seamless, just as you
have planned it.
HOW MUCH
WILL IT COST?
There are good wedding planners at every
price level. Here in Seattle, we have talented
day-of coordinators who
offer packages as low as
$350, all the way up to planners who offer a full-service
boutique type of planning experience at rates ranging from $4,500 to
$10,000. There is someone just RIGHT
for YOU!
If your time is valuable, you have a budget you need to stick with, and you need to
know how to prioritize your planning, hiring a wedding planner should be the first
interview you schedule!
Jenny Harding is owner/planner/event
producer of New Chapter Weddings &
Events.
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Let us make your wedding day as fun
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Cuts & Styles
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June 21, 2013
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Clearwater Casino offers a picturesque wedding and honeymoon locale
by Albert Rodriguez
SGN A&E Writer
head. The resort itself presents a fairytale
landscape, especially if you exchange vows
on the Event Lawn that provides couples
a backdrop of water, trees, and occasional
soaring birds. The peacefulness and seclusion of this locale adds a serene element that
lends itself to a very special occasion. If you
The misconception about casinos is
that people only go to them for gambling.
While slot machines and card tables still
draw in the masses daily, casinos have
steadily begun adding more amenities
to attract a new generation of clientele.
From shopping outlets to premier restaurants to built-in spas, they’ve become
visitor destinations all their own. The
Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort,
less than an hour from downtown Seattle
by ferry and shuttle, rests beautifully on
the Kitsap Peninsula border enveloped by
impeccable scenery. Besides a waterside
hotel complete with spa and pool, the casino also operates a special-events lodge
and golf course nearby. Either of these
would be perfect for a wedding, rehearsal
dinner, bachelor/bachelorette party, and/
or honeymoon. Here’s more information
on the Clearwater Casino Resort, and for
additional details go to www.clearwatercasino.com. To inquire about group sales prefer indoors, both of the resort’s banquet
quarters – the 100-capacity Kitsap Room
and catering, call 1-866-609-8700.
and the 56-capacity Chino Room – are
equipped with tables, chairs, and built-in
LOCATION
Those who’ve been to Clearwater Ca- audio systems for intimate receptions. Insino might pinpoint it to Bainbridge Is- house catering can prepare everything from
land, yet it’s actually on the mainland, hors d’oeuvres to multi-course dinners to
about 10 minutes from central Poulsbo. buffet spreads to chocolate fountains.
A similar setting, but with more privacy,
You can drive there, but an effortless
alternative is to catch the Bainbridge is Kiana Lodge. Up the road from the caIsland ferry ($7.70 round-trip) from the sino-resort, this six-acre property can host
Seattle waterfront and then await a cour- ceremonies on its pristine lawn and posttesy shuttle at the ferry terminal that will events in two separate facilities, the actual
deliver you to the front door (look for the lodge and Garden Atrium. Kiana Lodge
“Clearwater Casino” white van). If it’s has a rustic, outdoorsy feel to it, yet leather
your first time, let the driver know im- furniture and hardwood floors give it a slick
mediately, otherwise you’ll be asked to appearance, and a wall-pegged bearskin
present a “player’s card” for the free lift. rug adds a nice cabin-in-the-woods touch. It
When you arrive at the casino, make a also comes with a reception room that could
beeline to the elevators, where you’ll be be used as a dance floor, aside from mindirected to the resort tucked away in the gling areas and a pair of bar counters. The
back. Guests opting to drive can bypass atrium has more of an open ambiance and
the casino altogether and park at the re- can seat up to 600 for a formal meal. Speaking of which, the culinary team at Kiana
sort for no additional charge.
Lodge are able to customize a menu to your
WEDDING FACILITIES
You can wipe that image of a wedding
altar next to a roulette wheel out of your
liking or that of your guests, ranging from
appetizer plates to signature salmon dinners
to a whole roast pig (luau-style).
Lastly, Clearwater Casino has recently
acquired White Horse Golf Club, a ninemile trek from the resort past the town of
Suquamish and a winding tree-lined road.
Weddings during the warm months take
place in the Ceremony Garden, overlooking the first hole of a lush green golf course
nestled among tall pine trees. Receptions
can be held in the Chief Challacum Hall, located inside the newly built clubhouse that
also contains a casual restaurant and pro
shop. The hall can seat 175 to 200 for a formal dinner, with a you-name-it-we’ll-makeit menu concept and everything prepared
onsite. Clearwater Casino, which already
has a Gay wedding on its books this summer, can provide courtesy vehicle service to
Kiana Lodge and White Horse Golf Course
from its resort.
ACCOMMODATIONS
The resort currently boasts 85 rooms
on four floors, but an expansion is in the
works to double this number. Rooms are
very generous in space with a modern, elegant flair and top amenities – dark-wood
cabinets, queen- or king-sized beds, chaise
lounges, flat-panel HDTVs with cable, microwaves, mini-fridges, coffee brewing sys-
tems, WiFi, walk-in showers, and scented
bath soaps and lotions. Guests staying in
waterside rooms will appreciate the remarkable views of Agate Pass from their
balconies, which come with two wooden
patio chairs and small tables. Continental
breakfast in the “Great Room” (lobby) is
complimentary with an overnight stay,
and an exclusive bar for hotel guests is
open on weekends. Accommodations for
nonsmokers and smokers are on separate
wings of the top floor; as a nonsmoker I
encountered no issues. As mentioned, the
resort is detached from the casino and
parking is free for overnight guests.
AMENITIES/DINING
The downside for hotel guests is that all
the dining options, with the exception of
room service, are inside the casino. This
will change once the expansion is complete, but for now the choice is between
Cedar Steakhouse, Longhouse Buffet,
or Agate Pass Deli. A fourth setup, the
Beach Rock Sport Lounge, is mainly a
bar. All are passable, but none is extraordinary. Those with a vehicle will find a
better selection of restaurants in downtown Poulsbo, or ask the concierge to put
you on the White Horse Golf Club courtesy shuttle to eat at Cedar Ridge Grill –
the fish sandwich with parmesan fries I
had while looking out at the greens was
fabulous, and the prices were reasonable.
The other amenities fare extremely
well, such as the indoor zero-entry pool
(open daily until 11 p.m., sliding doors for
warm days), outdoor Jacuzzi, courtyard
for socializing and inhaling the view, fitness center and Angeline Spa, the WestSound Home & Garden Readers’ Choice
winner for “Best Spa.” I indulged in a
90-minute hot-stone massage and literally felt the tension melt away in the skilled
hands of my therapist, a native Hawaiian with an infectious personality. Various packages are available at Clearwater
Casino Resort, including the pet-friendly
“Dog Gone Fun,” the sports-y “A Birdie
in Hand,” and, of course, the couplesthemed “R&R (Relaxation & Romance).”
photos Clearwater Casino & Resort
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shaun/yee-shin
continued from page 9
give the pun – a Godsend.
All of you wedding novices out there take
note: Duran made us a cheat sheet of sorts.
It is, for all intents and purposes, perfect!
He outlined everything from the Unity Candle and Sand Ceremony to the homily, communion, and the exchanging of vows.
Oh, and about that ring bearer? The good
Reverend cleared that up, saying, “Typically [he’s] a little boy who carries the ring
(or other symbol of love) during the processional. Actually, the ring bearer is not entrusted with the actual rings and instead is
given fakes (a member of the wedding party
is typically responsible for them).”
Duran admits, “I have no clue how this
started.” He does, however, allude to the fact
that it now seems to be all about how cute it
is to dress up a young boy in a tux.
Shin’s sake, make this the most amazing day
ever. I start going through the checklist and
don’t you know it – we’ve got everything
done! We did it right!
Yeah, right.
Time to call in reinforcements, otherwise
known as my husband-to-be’s girlfriends.
Alicia Kikuchi and Lauren Husband have
literally saved the day. Please, anyone reading this who actually goes to the wedding, it
HOW SPECIAL IS ‘SPECIAL’?
is these two women that you need to thank
This big day is fast approaching and there and say, “It was a beautiful ceremony” to.
is this pressure to make it as special as pos- They whisked Yee-Shin away to Nordstrom
sible. And I really, really want to for Yee- and had wine and chocolate tastings, bought
bridesmaid dresses (in a shade of blue that
was closest to cerulean) and went over a
much more thorough and carefully combedover checklist.
My wedding party is going to be different.
I don’t have any girlfriends coming to the
wedding who mean more to me than Robert
Matencio, otherwise known as the legendary and fabulous Gaysha Starr. So I decided
that I will have her, as Best Queen, replace
the role of best man. High-fashion day drag
at my wedding? Yes, please!
I think this is going to be a special day,
indeed.
SO WHY DO WE DO IT?
There was a time, not so long ago, that
many Gay men would have been telling
me that marriage is for straight people and
that Yee-Shin and I shouldn’t worry about
it. Marriage isn’t our thing – it’s theirs. And
there was also a time, not so long ago, when
I agreed with that sentiment.
I was young. I wasn’t in love like I am
now. And well … I was foolish.
People, places and things all change with
time. And our time is now. Maybe you don’t
care about the dresses, the flowers, or the
food at weddings. Or perhaps you just don’t
believe in marriage as an institution. But
nobody can deny that this moment in our
movement’s history is unique. For the first
time since I entered my very first Gay bar in
1996, I finally feel like we are all, somehow,
even.
What I mean is that each generation’s
experience is different. The struggle with
AIDS has changed. Styles change, slang
changes, bars open and close, and people
change. The elders tell us what we don’t
know, and we ask questions that are insensitive or don’t care because – it turns out they
were right – we don’t know.
But what I do know is that we are all, each
and every one of us, witnessing the time in
our history where love and compassion and
fairness actually began to win. The big bad
wolf is still huffing and puffing – but getting
nowhere fast. Like it or not, marriage equality really has become the catapult for the
modern Gay rights movement.
Still, when I say “I do” to Yee-Shin on
May 25, 2013, I won’t be saying, “I do, to
your benefits” or “I do, to the LGBTQ marriage equality struggle.” Instead, I will look
the man I love in the eyes and say, “I do take
you to be my lawfully wedded husband.”
Because for the first time since never, “lawfully wedded husband” applies to Gay men
too. Our wedding will look different, the
processional will no doubt be different, and
many of the invited guests will be dressed
differently than at a traditional heterosexual
marriage. But what will not be different at
our (excuse the term) Gay wedding is the
law that says who can and cannot marry in
Washington state. Because on that day, in
this special place and time, we will finally
be equal.
Jus Roux
& More Catering
Creole cuisine for every occasion
281 SW 41st Street,
Renton
425-614-7288
"Best Gumbo Ever"
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Weddings By the Sea
Visit us online www.sgn.org
www.oceanshoresweddings.com
206-403-8170
Let us make your wedding day as fun
as a day at the beach.
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