The Frierson-Nixon family on the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. displaying all eight of the couple’s marriage certificates
Kacey and Chwanda Frierson-Nixon celebrated their third anniversary of their relationship on April 7, and now they’ve added nine more anniversaries to their calendar—nine wedding anniversaries. The Jonesboro, Ga.-couple, mothers to seven children, ranging in age from 17 to 11-years-old, recently sojourned on a cross-country marriage spree, getting legally married in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Vermont, Washington, D.C., New Hampshire, Maine and Maryland. Their children accompanied them on the 10-day trip during the school’s spring break.
The Frierson-Nixons call their adventure the “I Do Marathon.” Kacey explains how it all came about: “As a lesbian couple, we cannot just go to any courthouse to get married, not even our own local courthouse here in Georgia, so we decided to take a cross-county journey of love, commitment and equality to eight out of the 10 states that we were able to legally get married in. We do plan on hitting Washington State and Iowa in 2014, plus any other states that pass marriage equality [before our trip].”
The brides got their first marriage certificate in New York. “For me, it was exciting and nerve-racking,” Kacey says. “We were originally supposed to get our license when we got to NYC on Friday April 5, because our ceremony was scheduled for Central Park on Sunday April 7. But we got to NYC late and didn’t make it to the courthouse. So we went ahead and had the Central Park ceremony because we had the officiant and all that. So Monday morning we went to the courthouse to get the actual license. When we got there at first they said we might not be able to get the waiver that would allow us to be married on April 8. But after going to two different buildings, the bailiff for the judge that we needed to see said that he was not one to stand in between love, and he took our waiver to get signed! Then we went and had the clerk at the courthouse marry us.”
The couple won’t have to add an additional date to remember for their wedding ceremony, since they had a church wedding with on their second anniversary on April 7, 2012, in Illinois. Even though they enjoyed having their friends and family attend that wedding, the couple hasn’t had much of a warm reception back in Georgia. “Our family and close friends have congratulated us, but that’s about it,” says Kacey.
Marriage and commitment signify a lifetime of togetherness to the newlyweds. “It means forever,” says Kacey. “It means that Chwanda is the one I want to spend all my days, nights and entire life with. I can’t see me being without her. I found my best friend and soulmate. There is no better way for me to show my love to her than to marry her, become her wife and take her name.”
“It means that I am able to love, trust, honor and respect Kacey with my whole heart and everything in me,” adds Chwanda. —By Kirsten Ott Palladino
