Same-sex marriages start up again in Riverside County

“I, Dan, take thee, Ernest.”

Dan Ianneo and his partner, Ernest Brune, finally got to get married, after what they say feels like a lifetime together.

“I’m excited. I can’t believe I’m doing this after 40 years,” Ianneo said.

They joined the surge of other same-sex couples tying the knot Monday morning – the first day the Riverside County Clerk’s Office in Indio started re-issuing marriage licenses.

“It’s about time. The country is finally giving us the equal rights that should have been there a long time ago. Now we can love each other and be recognized as a married couple,” Gary Spero, also marrying his partner, said.

Dan and Ernest arrived first, at 5:30 am, so they were also the first so say ‘I do’.

This is currently the only office in the Coachella Valley issuing marriage licenses, so these are the first same-sex couples get married in the desert.

All the preoccupied minds meant a lot of anxiety.

“We did a dry run yesterday. We drove over here to make sure we didn’t get lost. Couldn’t sleep all night,” Elizabeth Peters, who is marrying her partner Monday as well, said.

For Kate Gordon, watching her brother, Dan, say ‘I do’ meant a lot of emotion.

“It’s exciting. They’ve been together so long and they love each other so much. It’s exciting,” Gordon said.

Now the pair can enjoy the rest of their lifetime together, married.

“As long as we both shall live,” Ianneo said.