Former Olympian Matt Savoie married his partner on October 7 in Massachussetts. Savoie, who competed alongside Johnny Weir and represented the U.S. in the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, met his husband while both were students at Cornell Law School. Both Savoie, 32, and his husband, Brian Boyle, 30 graduated in 2009 and are currently practicing attorneys living in Boston.
The ceremony was held at the Publick House in Sturbridge, Mass., according to IceNetwork.com. The grooms got engaged in November 2010, and started planning in June 2011. Savioe told IceNetwork that even the wedding planning was a harmonious partnership.
"Brian is really wonderful at seating charts as it turns out," Savoie told IceNetwork. "That was a project I was really frightened of, but he finished it in, like, 45 minutes."
The grooms exchanged traditional vows, but read letters to one another at the start of the service to personalize their commitment.
"We both wanted to do that because we think it's important to personalize what the vows meant for us," said Savoie. "It was also important for us to have — for lack of a better word — conventional vows. We wanted to make the ceremony feel connected to ceremonies that our families probably had in the past."
The ceremony was officiated by the Rev. Terry Rooney, an Episcopal priest and long time friend of Boyle's. During the ceremony, the Reverend mentioned the importance of the fact that the men live in a state that embraces marriage equality.
"That validation is hard to describe," Savoie said. "It's very important to us. We're really proud to live in a state that supports it."
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