NY Boat Charter Hosts it's first Same Sex Wedding aboard the Royal Princes!
Press Release
Shortly after New York passed its historic bill to legalize same sex marriage, Sean DiGiovanna and Alex Hohmann decided to make their longtime union official. As a committed couple involved in civil rights activism, Sean and Alex wanted to experience a wedding, like other couples, where they profess their love to each other before family and friends in a beautiful setting. They chose the spectacular 125’ motor yacht Royal Princess to host their ceremony and reception. Their wedding will take place at 11:00am on Sunday, October 2nd, 2011 at Chelsea Piers.
“We wanted our marriage to be special not only for us but for our guests. Furthermore, the setting of the Hudson River and New York Bay has taken on particular meaning as New York now offers full marriage equality to couples like us while the state in which we live—New Jersey—does not. The waters that divide New York from New Jersey represent the significant divide between how those two states treat a significant portion of their respective populations. While we navigate the waters of the bay, we’ll have an opportunity to reflect on that gap.”
NY Boat Charter has hosted many wedding receptions aboard their tri-level yacht Royal Princess, but this marks the first true same sex wedding. Owners Capt. Robert Bellanich and Lezlee Peterzell-Bellanich are a dedicated husband/wife team who are meticulously involved in the pre-planning and execution of every event.
“We are so honored and thrilled to be a part of history,” Mrs. Peterzell-Bellanich writes. “Same sex couples like Sean and Alex deserve the wedding of their dreams. We’re excited that they will tie the knot aboard our yacht! The wedding industry in general will benefit from the introduction of same-sex marriage in New York and we look forward to serving other same-sex couples in the future.”
For Sean and Alex, who have been together for 13 years, this is a dream they thought they would never experience. Sean is a Social Studies High School teacher and Alex is a Sales Forecaster in the telecommunications industry. He is also a two-time cancer survivor, and both he and Sean are active in cancer fund-raising and support activities. “None of us knows how long we have,” Alex writes. “Now that marriage for same sex couples is legal in New York, we don’t want to wait any longer. The fact remains that our marriage will still not be recognized by the Federal Government or by most states including the state we live in, New Jersey. The fight continues.”
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