Pretense

Glad I'm not superstitious (knock on wood). I wrote up a ceremony announcement -- in the past tense -- to submit to the Windy City Times in August. I have to keep it to 100-200 words so some of these details will have to go.

After six years of love and commitment, two Chicagoans pledged their lives to one another Saturday, July 29 during an intimate ceremony tucked away in a secluded garden off of Commercial Street in Provincetown, Mass.

Kelley Elizabeth Quinn and Kathryn Mari Phillips were civilly wed by Quinn’s best fried, Mary Joan Collins, in front of 20 witnesses at the Secret Garden Inn on the evening before Phillips’ golden birthday.

The couple chose Provincetown for the ceremony because it was where they fell in love. The ceremony also was meant as a sign of support for the state’s gay marriage law.

Quinn wore a two-piece Ralph Lauren suit, and Phillips wore a floor-length, silk evening dress. They exchanged platinum bands and bands worn by Quinn’s late grandmother, Helen.

Diane Strawser, a corporate saleswoman from Upstate New York, stood up for Quinn, her lifelong friend. Sarah Mesle, a professor from Rogers Park, stood up for Phillips, a college friend from the University of Iowa. Judith Phillips-Quinn, the wedded couple’s German shepherd-chow mix, acted as flower dog.

Quinn, 37, is spokeswoman for Cook County Clerk David Orr’s office and is a former award-winning journalist for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin and the Aurora Beacon News.

Phillips, 30, is the education reporter for the Daily Southtown and was recently honored by the Chicago Headline Club and Education Writers Association for watchdog reporting.

The couple met in 2000 while working at a newspaper in Upstate New York. They knew they were meant for each other after covering a thwarted Columbine-style shooting at Quinn’s high school alma mater. They agreed it was their best Valentine’s Day ever.

Quinn and Phillips moved to Chicago in 2001 to further their careers and because the city is known for its acceptance of gays and lesbians. They currently live in Wicker Park.