My first gay wedding

On Saturday, June 9, my friends Matty Mallon and Connor Cumming were wed in an informal humanist ceremony.

You might know Matty as the smiling bartender at Swizzles and Connor as his alter ego, Alyna Moore.

The ceremony took place at The Exchange in Rideau Centre and good times were had by all.

Matty said, “We chose a humanist ceremony because it reflected our values and was respectful of our same-sex union. We didn’t want a religious ceremony, as it doesn’t reflect our beliefs.”

He went on to thank all who attended. “The whole day was such an awesome experience for us. To have 150-plus people show up to cheer you on and celebrate with you is such a humbling experience. We have such an amazing group of friends and family. It was awesome to see such a diverse group of people; from our square-ish family to goths and gays all partying together.”

Connor echoed Matty’s sentiments, adding that the throngs of well-wishers made the day that much more meaningful.

“Having so many people show up was humbling, especially for myself, since I’m not from Ottawa. To have so many people drive for over an hour to make it to an evening that was so special to me, in turn made my night even more amazing.”

Congratulations to the happy couple. If all gay weddings are this much fun, I look forward to attending many more.

See pictures of their special day and quotes from friends below.

Bradley Turcotte photo

“I really liked the humanist approach; it was universal and lovely. They love each other so much, and the fact that they both cried when they were up there — I almost cried too,” Jayda Kelsall said.

Steffany Cyr photo

“This was my second gay wedding. I think it was the same person who presided over the first gay wedding I attended. I really appreciated that it was a humanist approach. They are a fabulous couple,” Jenny Dyke said.

Sarah Duff photo

“It was very nice. It wasn’t too elaborate. It was very concise. I’m very happy that this was my first gay wedding. Despite the informality, it was still very respectful to the traditional commitment of marriage between two loving people. Even though they parted with tradition, they still kept what marriage was about,” Alex Stewart said.