NEW GLARUS - They're both named Scott, their wedding bands are designed the same, they were even dressed in similar blue polo shirts; thankfully, to keep things less confusing, they decided not to change their last names when they got married on Monday.
"Things are confusing enough with both of us named Scott," Scott Rippe said.
"They asked us like 'Oh, no, do you want to change one of your names? and both of us were like, 'no,'" Scott Shaver said.
After 18 years together, Shaver and Rippe made official what they had known for so long. The couple had a symbolic unification ceremony 16 years ago, but now their marriage is real, and legal.
The New Glarus couple took advantage of what some think may have been a small window allowing for same-sex Wisconsin couples to marry after U.S. Circuit Court Judge Barbara Crabb found the state's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional June 6. Her decision is already under appeal, and as of Friday afternoon, any future same-sex marriages are put on hold pending an appeal by Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen.
"All of a sudden there was this sense of urgency, where for the past 18 years, there was none," Rippe said of last week's ruling.
"It was like, 'Oh my God,' the window is open."
After Crabb's decision last Friday, the Scotts discussed getting married throughout the weekend, but didn't come to a decision until Monday morning, Rippe said.
Shaver, who works at Home Depot, said both he and Rippe, who works for a marketing and design firm in Madison, knew almost from the moment they met that they would be together forever. And while they considered themselves already married for 16 years, once the opportunity came to legalize their union, they had to do it.
The two had called ahead to the Green County Clerk's office to see if it was issuing licenses for same-sex couples, but Rippe said he didn't tell them whether they were coming or not.
"We showed up at like 8:02, just after they opened, and the lady there was like, 'We're not ready,'" Rippe said, opening his eyes wide and putting his hands up.
The clerk's office staff had to reword its prepared vows to take out any gender confusion and make calls to other clerks in other counties to try and figure out how they were performing the ceremonies.
The Scotts said the staff at the clerk's office was very accommodating and appeared almost as excited as the grooms.
"The girls were clamoring over each other to see who got to sign the license," Rippe said. As of Friday, the men are the only same-sex couple to be married in Green County.
Shaver said he wants people to realize that gay marriage doesn't have to be like some scary fiend.
"Some people act like the gays are some sort of monster," he said. "But once you lift up the veil, you see there really is a monster - but it's not gay people, it's bigotry."
Rippe said they have a few same-sex friends who want to get married but are waiting until Wisconsin law allows them to do so without being contested in the courts. Both the Scotts agreed that they didn't expect the judge's decision to come so soon.
"It feels like history is here," Shaver said.
"Like it's catching up," Rippe said.
The Scotts plan a reception later this month but it will mostly be for friends and family and with a decidedly party atmosphere.
"We had the symbolic one, we had the real one, now it's time to just drink," Rippe said.
"Things are confusing enough with both of us named Scott," Scott Rippe said.
"They asked us like 'Oh, no, do you want to change one of your names? and both of us were like, 'no,'" Scott Shaver said.
After 18 years together, Shaver and Rippe made official what they had known for so long. The couple had a symbolic unification ceremony 16 years ago, but now their marriage is real, and legal.
The New Glarus couple took advantage of what some think may have been a small window allowing for same-sex Wisconsin couples to marry after U.S. Circuit Court Judge Barbara Crabb found the state's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional June 6. Her decision is already under appeal, and as of Friday afternoon, any future same-sex marriages are put on hold pending an appeal by Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen.
"All of a sudden there was this sense of urgency, where for the past 18 years, there was none," Rippe said of last week's ruling.
"It was like, 'Oh my God,' the window is open."
After Crabb's decision last Friday, the Scotts discussed getting married throughout the weekend, but didn't come to a decision until Monday morning, Rippe said.
Shaver, who works at Home Depot, said both he and Rippe, who works for a marketing and design firm in Madison, knew almost from the moment they met that they would be together forever. And while they considered themselves already married for 16 years, once the opportunity came to legalize their union, they had to do it.
The two had called ahead to the Green County Clerk's office to see if it was issuing licenses for same-sex couples, but Rippe said he didn't tell them whether they were coming or not.
"We showed up at like 8:02, just after they opened, and the lady there was like, 'We're not ready,'" Rippe said, opening his eyes wide and putting his hands up.
The clerk's office staff had to reword its prepared vows to take out any gender confusion and make calls to other clerks in other counties to try and figure out how they were performing the ceremonies.
The Scotts said the staff at the clerk's office was very accommodating and appeared almost as excited as the grooms.
"The girls were clamoring over each other to see who got to sign the license," Rippe said. As of Friday, the men are the only same-sex couple to be married in Green County.
Shaver said he wants people to realize that gay marriage doesn't have to be like some scary fiend.
"Some people act like the gays are some sort of monster," he said. "But once you lift up the veil, you see there really is a monster - but it's not gay people, it's bigotry."
Rippe said they have a few same-sex friends who want to get married but are waiting until Wisconsin law allows them to do so without being contested in the courts. Both the Scotts agreed that they didn't expect the judge's decision to come so soon.
"It feels like history is here," Shaver said.
"Like it's catching up," Rippe said.
The Scotts plan a reception later this month but it will mostly be for friends and family and with a decidedly party atmosphere.
"We had the symbolic one, we had the real one, now it's time to just drink," Rippe said.