Commitment ceremony at Pride festival

Arts and Culture

With two words, Rich Ephgrave and Darron Deal on Saturday linked themselves together forever: "I do."

Fifty same-sex couples came Saturday to the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlantic Civic Center to pledge a lifetime together. There were wedding dresses, suits and a few tuxedos. But many participants were dressed casually.

Rich Ephgrave, 34, (right) and Darron Deal, 26, wanted the world to know they were devoted to one another. And though the state of Georgia outlaws same-sex marriages, the couple said this ceremony was important to them.

Carrie Wilkie and Stacie Williams listen to the prelude of the Atlanta Pride Festival's commitment ceremony. The couple is committing to each other on their third anniversary.

The Rev. Paul Graetz blesses the union of Bonnie Kohl and Maria Vinson during the Atlanta Pride Festival's commitment ceremony. The couple have been together for nine years.

Jason Dulworth and Dennis Taylor of Oxford, Ala., traveled here for the ceremony. "We feel this is the right time for us to take part in the ceremony, " Taylor said.

Rev. Paul M. Turner blesses the union of Jeffery Hall(left) and James Nichols. The couple traveled to Atlanta from Birmingham specifically for the ceremony.

From left, Rich Ephgrave and Darron Deal, Zandra Whiting and Valencia Dennis wait for the start of the Atlanta Pride Festival's commitment ceremony. Saturday's committment ceremony offered many couples the chance to openly express their love to their families. It has been a staple of the city's annual gay pride celebration since 1991, when people leading an alternative lifestyle sought an alternative to marriage.

Andy Bo and Dennis Lee wait for event. "We can't get married legally, so we decided to do the ceremony," Lee said.

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Fifty same-sex couples came Saturday to the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlantic Civic Center to pledge a lifetime together. There were wedding dresses, suits and a few tuxedos. But many participants were dressed casually.

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