Photos by Nate Gowdy / Seattle Gay News
After U.S. Marine Corps Captain Matthew Phelps proposed to his boyfriend Ben Schock at the White House, they received national attention as the first same-sex marriage proposal to take place. Now Capt. Phelps and his new husband Ben Schock have made it official, marrying in Seattle on Saturday, May 25, at Within Sodo, a Seattle event space.
As the couple explained in previous interviews, they met in 2010 at the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network annual dinner in Washington, D.C. At the time Phelps lived in San Diego and Schock in Seattle, but after he graduated from University of Washington, Schock moved to Washington, D.C., to live and work. After "don't ask, don't tell" was repealed Phelps came out publicly and was active with OutServe, which eventually took him to D.C., and they finally got to see one another again and began dating.
Phelps originally enlisted after 9/11, "out of a desire to serve my country." He originally servedas a Marine musician until 2005, then he was commissioned as a logistics officer. He deployed to Iraq in 2007-2008, served as a company commander in San Diego, and is currently attending Marine Corps University. Schock was working for a non-profit Washington, D.C., before returning to school to pursue a degree in nursing.
Phelps wanted to get married before he was deployed on his next assignment overseas and they decided upon Seattle after the recent marriage equality law was signed into place.
Phelps wore his blue-white dress uniform and Schock wore a black tuxedo.
SLIDESHOW: See More Images from the Ceremony
