It won't be the first wedding for the Silver Spring couple, who met online five years ago. In 2006, they were married in a synagogue before 40 friends and family members. Snyder's mother - who was once "heartbroken" about her daughter's sexual orientation but came to accept it over time - traveled from Florida and said a blessing in the wedding ceremony. Afterward, their guests dined on wasabi-crusted tuna and lamb chops in a port wine reduction at a reception at a local restaurant.
Snyder, 43, a government and politics professor at George Mason University in Northern Virginia, and Hall, a 47-year-old software developer, consider themselves fully married. But they still would like that piece of paper.
Moreover, if the opportunity arises, they are willing to play a role in the legal struggle for marriage rights in Maryland, Snyder said.
The couple doesn't know anyone in San Francisco, so Snyder's boss' nephew, who lives there, is going to serve as the witness at their City Hall ceremony. Then they'll go out for drinks and food and will go sightseeing for a couple of days, hitting Alcatraz and a few other spots before returning. Later that month, they will throw a huge celebratory party at their home. They plan to serve the same almond cake with butter cream icing they had in 2006.
If they have to get married again down the line, they will, Snyder said.
"I do find that particularly heterosexuals understand marriage as a concept, so they treat our relationship more seriously when they know that we're married, and I expect the marriage license will increase that," she said. "We look forward to having our marriage recognized in every state and by the federal government, but that's going to take a while."
Brown and Rippetoe, who live in Silver Spring and work for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, plan to marry Oct. 15, the anniversary of their relationship's start.
They like the idea of having their commitment solemnized in California because that's where Rippetoe was raised. They want to express their solidarity with the cause and join the throngs who are taking part in what they see as a historic moment in a movement.
And they want to speak up with their tourist dollars - "to show California that not only is marriage a big deal but, by allowing it, they're creating income," Rippetoe said.
Also, after nine years together, they just want to be married.
"The universe knew what I needed in a soul mate and partner, and JP fulfills that completely," said Brown, 47. "We've been together long enough so that we're in it for the long haul. We wanted to take that step with each other."
rona.marech@baltsun.com
Sun reporter Kelly Brewington and the Associated Press contributed to this article.
