Get Hitched!

Updated January 24, 2013.

In November 2012, three states approved same-sex marriage at the ballot box — Maine, Maryland, and Washington.  As a result, the 2013 Emerald City Hoedown is the first IAGLCWDC convention to be held in a state where same-sex marriage is legal.  And what’s more, Washington does not have a residency requirement, only a three-day waiting period (and that can be covered by mailing your marriage license application ahead of time).

What this means is that if you and your sweetheart having been looking to tie the knot, you can do it as part of the 20th Annual IAGLCWDC Convention, with a few hundred of your dancing friends as witnesses!  If you arrive on Thursday in time to get to the courthouse, we can get your paperwork filed and Rain Country will arrange for an ordained individual to conduct the ceremony on Sunday as part of the hoedown activities.  (Won’t arrive until Thursday evening or Friday?  You can mail in a license application and pick it up during business hours on Friday.  The office is only 7 blocks from the hoedown hotel.)

Yes, this is “marriage tourism”, perhaps on par with getting married in Vegas — we probably can’t supply an Elvis impersonator, sorry — and that’s not for everyone.  If you want a big church wedding or meticulously planned outdoor ceremony colored in Blush and Bashful, all your family and friends from home around you, and a 7-tier wedding cake with all the reception trimmings, you will want to plan that yourself.  But if celebrating your wedding as part of a great country-western dance party weekend appeals to you, we will be happy to help that happen!

For details on Washington’s same-sex marriage victory and a same-sex marriage FAQ, visit Washington United for Marriage.

For specific details on the waiting period, requirements, filing fee, etc., visit the King County marriage licensing page.  You may download a PDF of the marriage license application for mailing from this site.

If you are interested in having us incorporate your wedding into the hoedown weekend, please contact us as soon as possible, so that we can help ensure that all the needed details are handled.  Be sure your travel plans get you here by early afternoon on Thursday!  (And please note, Washington United for Marriage strongly recommends consulting a lawyer prior to getting married to understand the legal implications and requirements of this serious relationship step.  Rain Country Dance Association echoes this recommendation.)

Referendum 74

Got Questions?  E-mail hoedown@raincountrydance.org