We were married on a beautiful spring afternoon six years ago. Twice. Once on the bay. And once on land.
We were fortunate to have our wedding ceremony on a yacht anchored off a cove at Angel Island. During the ceremony, Rabbi Martin Weiner pronounced us husband and wife under the laws of Moses and Israel and the state of California. He told our guests that of the hundreds of weddings he had performed in his career, it was the first time the rabbi, best man and matron of honor were all named “Marty.”
In the midst of our reception, back on land in San Francisco, Rabbi Weiner hurriedly summoned my new husband and me over and, in a whisper, asked us to get our two witnesses and meet him in an adjoining room. Puzzled, we complied.
He pointed out that he had certified on our state marriage certificate that the wedding occurred in the city and county of San Francisco. Apparently, Angel Island is in Marin County. So, just to be sure everything was kosher, unbeknownst to our family and friends (with the exception of Marty, Marty and Marty), we were officially pronounced husband and wife for the second time that day.