'Now we're a legal, married family'

CEDAR RAPIDS -- Like just about anyone about to be married, Regina Culbertson admitted to a bit of nerves Monday afternoon.

"A little bit, yeah," Culbertson said. "There's press in my home."

The press -- two TV crews, two print reporters and a photographer -- were there to record the civil ceremony uniting Regina Culbertson and her partner, Jan Culbertson, on the first day they were able to obtain a marriage license in Iowa.

"This really just does solidify and validate us as a family," Regina Culbertson said.

The family includes 2-year-old Connor Culbertson, who donned a tie and sweater to serve as official ring bearer. He threw himself into his unofficial role, entertaining guests and media, with enthusiasm.

"I think he's more excited about today than I am," Regina Culbertson said.

"We decided to do it today because it is a historic event in Iowa," Jan Culbertson added.

The couple, together 11 years, held a commitment ceremony in 2002 in which Jan Culbertson, 50, adopted the last name of Regina, 37. Their new legal status sanctions their legal rights -- "pensions and Social Security," Regina Culbertson said.

"It adds a permanency that's just not present in every relationship," added Kate Varnum of Cedar Rapids, a longtime friend of the Culbertsons and lead plaintiff in the case that led to the April 3 Iowa Supreme Court ruling overturning the ban on same-sex marriage.

It was the day's second same-sex marriage for Magistrate Robin O'Brien-Licht. She noted marriage "is not to be entered into lightly, but seriously and thoughtfully."

"With this ring, I thee wed," O'Brien-Licht said at the end of the brief ceremony. "I pronounce that you are partners in life."

"We're no longer single," Jan Culbertson said. "We've always been a family, but now we're a legal, married family."