Catie Byrne
Features Editor

The history of North Carolina was forever changed on Oct. 10, 2014, when the state’s same-sex marriage ban was ruled unconstitutional.

This ruling opened the floodgates for 51 same-gender couples to marry the same day the ban was struck down. Oct. 10, 2014, also happens to be the date Chad Biggs, a former Wake County sheriff’s deputy and now full-time wedding planner, and Chris Creech, a full-time sheriff’s deputy, became the first gay couple to marry legally in North Carolina.

Almost one year later, on Saturday Sept. 26, the couple celebrated their union with a formal wedding ceremony.

Biggs took the time to speak with The Carolinian about the important events and experiences that marked his journey as a part of the first gay couple to marry legally, as well as the celebration of their wedding.

Of setting the atmosphere of the ceremony despite the bad weather, Biggs said, “So when we moved it to Melrose Knitting Mill, it has that same feel, that sort of exposed brick, it has those exposed beams, it has those beautiful arched windows on both sides with tons of natural light coming in.”

He described in intricate detail what was needed to create the spacial design of the wedding.

“In pictures that you’ll see the style of the ostrich feather plumes, the abundance of hydrangea, and the amount of floral we used was just over the top; we used a lot of candles and romance throughout the room to create the ambiance throughout the space… Mirrors, gold, platinum, that whole metal feel, I think that just compliments our style, that whole Gatsby-esque style that we were looking for,” said Biggs.

The emphasis on aesthetic design, Biggs said, was important in order to create a special experience for his partner, family, friends and supporters.

“As a planner, it was very important that that day happened the way I wanted, and there was no formal proposal, so one of the pictures you may see online is actually me and Chris, standing at the end of the aisle during that first look, Chris had his back turned to me and turned around then saw me on one knee, as I proposed to him, and it was quite beautiful,” said Biggs.

Biggs, on a personal level, described feeling as though the journey of preparing and planning the formal wedding ceremony, in comparison to his legal marriage on Oct. 10, 2014, was a very intimate process.

“After waiting three or four days waiting on the court’s’ ruling, and then all the news media, cameras going, everything was just very impersonal,” Biggs said.

“That is just a big difference from being around your family and friends and being able to create your own vows; as much work that you put into a wedding is kind of reflective of how much love your family, friends have for one another, and this a celebration.”

The marked difference in how Biggs and Creech experienced their first and second wedding, Biggs said, was contingent on the court ruling, time for planning and the degree of togetherness he had with family and friends in his formal wedding ceremony, that lacked in his initial union.

“It is a very real feeling to know something you could not have for years is now available to you, and not knowing whether or not it’s going to be overturned, how long it’s going to last — there’s not a ton of time for you to assess that information,” Biggs said.  He continued, saying, “You can’t get family and friends down there, you can’t get all that stuff, so you just kind of go with the moment itself; and then obviously our wedding was completely different than that. It was everything that a couple would want. It was more relaxed, it was more planned, it was thought out for our guests, and it was thought out for our daughter, and our five foster children. There were a lot more intimate moments in our second wedding than the first one.”

Upon reflection of his wedding, Biggs said that one of the more touching moments was the harp music setting a memorable scene for the exchange of vows with his partner.

“To be able to write our vows that day and read them to each other, everything that was written that day was written through us and really came from the heart,” Biggs said.

He emphasized that the weddings are experiences that he will carry as precious personal moments, as well as historical events that further the progression of LGBT rights for a younger generation in North Carolina.

“We received messages on Facebook from a lot of young adults saying, ‘Because of you, I could tell my parents that I was gay.’ ‘Because of you, I saw the positive response that my mom and dad had when I listened to the vows you said to each other on 10-10.’ ‘I watched my mom and my dad say, good for them, and I could say that I’m gay, and I’m no longer scared to say that’.”