Dispatches: Same-Sex Couple Celebrates Wedding in Fairfax City

One in a on the state of the American Dream.

Dewey Osborn proposed to Josh Walton, his boyfriend of four years, in January under a dogwood tree, amidst a foot of snow in their Sideburn Road backyard. They made their marriage official Thursday with a quiet license-signing ceremony in some D.C. Starbucks. 

This weekend, they plan to host the real party in Fairfax City, with four days of celebration and a wedding of-sorts in downtown's Old Town Hall.

"He's just perfect," Osborn said. "We argue, and I just end up telling him, 'It's just because you're perfect.' He doesn't like it when I say that, but it's true."

Getting married and maybe even starting a family in a few years isn't politics for the couple. It's a dream come true.  

D.C. started allowing same-sex marriages last March when its marriage equality act passed congressional review.

Though there's nothing stopping Virginia residents from obtaining a marriage license in the nation's capital, none of the legal titles or benefits follow newly married same-sex couples home. 

"We're not bitter about it," Osborn said. "This is our home, and we enjoy being citizens of this great state. All of our friends and family are supportive, and that's all that really matters at this point."

The latest census data has identified more than 20,000 same-sex couples in Virginia and close to 3,000 in Fairfax alone. And while a May 2011 Gallup poll indicates over half of Americans support same-sex marriage rights, only six states and D.C. issue same-sex marriage licenses: Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. California used to be part of that list, but ongoing conflicts over Proposition 8, an amendment to the state's constitution identifying marriage as a union between a man and a woman, have stalled same-sex marriages. Licenses approved before Prop 8 remain valid.

So far, Osborn and Walton have heard only positive things about their celebration plans.

"Richmond may not recognize this, but NoVA does," Walton said.

"We're not trying to get people to like us," Osborn added. "They already like us. They're already impressed with us."

Osborn grew up in Jacksonville, Ill. Walton, in Vienna. Both were raised in church-going families. Both came out to their families about a year before they met at a D.C. bar.

"It was cake," Osborn said. He suspected his mom knew, his dad oblivious, but it turned out the other way around. His dad came to him before he could say anything and told him, "I don't want to talk about it. I love you. It doesn't matter."

"The hardest part was convincing myself to do it," Walton said.

The couple's relationship took off. Within a year they were living together in their home near the Green Acres Center. 

"We're both each others' first real boyfriends," Osborn said.

As gay couples go, they say they're an anomaly. Osborn got involved in a Jacksonville Catholic church at a young age and still runs church-affiliated tours to Italy. Walton grew up going to a Methodist church and was active in a Presbyterian church during college. They describe themselves as politically and economically conservative. Socially? It depends.

But they tend not to focus on the nation's same-sex rights battle. Now they're neck-deep in making sure the celebration goes without a hitch.

The festivities started Thursday with a barbecue at their home. will host Friday's bachelor party. The celebrations continue Saturday with a dinner and ceremony at and an afterparty at . Sunday, guests will get a chance to eat brunch at the Wine House and tour D.C.

The four-day celebration will feature cuisine and drink from local staples, like Wine House executive chef Jeremy Hand, as well as vegetables and spices picked from their gardens (one at home, another rented at Fairfax City's Community Garden) and homemade feta cheese.

During Saturday's ceremony, both families' coats of arms will hang on pillars outside Old Town Hall. A mashup coat of arms, featuring elements from both families' emblems, will hang inside the hall. 

Guests (by invitation-only), no matter the gender, have been urged to wear hats, from the simple ball cap to Kentucky Derby and Royal Wedding fare. The couple's Australian Shepherd, Gunner, and Beagle, Tink (short for Tinklebell and her tendency to "tinkle" indoors) will get beauty makeovers for the event. They're not sure how their two FIV-positive cats will fit in the festivities.

Check Patch next week for photos from the ceremony.