Hey, Gay Married People: This Guy Knows How to Do Your Taxes

Photo by Stefano Giovannini / The Brooklyn Paper

When gay marriage was passed in New York State last June, I was one of those people running down the street with my friends, screaming like an asshole.  I was so happy -- I almost couldn’t believe it. I finally had the right to get married; to not just enter into a loving partnership, but a legal partnership with full benefits and blessings. It was a moment I’ll never forget – and one I hope every gay person experiences in their own state one day.

But in all of the joy, I hadn't really thought about all of the new, stressful things that might come along with gay marriage. Like, for instance, doing taxes.

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A FiPS Guide To Getting Gay Married In Brooklyn

Photo by Meredith Zinner

If you're gay, you probably haven't spent your whole life planning a dream wedding. Until New York passed the marriage equality bill, many of us never really thought that we'd ever have a real wedding. Before gays and lesbians were granted marriage rights,  my "partner" and I figured we'd just go to Connecticut, find a judge and get hitched quickly and painlessly. But even though it'd have been legal, it didn't feel to us that that was going to be the real deal.  We told our friends and family, "Oh, yeah. Not a big deal. We'll go out to a nice meal next time we see you."

Then the law changed, and that date that we'd set for our wedding became a sort of deadline. Suddenly this marriage was going to be a real thing, you know? The pressure was on! We could no longer go out of state. We had to actually invite people. We had to spend money, throw a fun party, and still figure out how to pay for a needed renovation to our bathroom. We had to find venues and vendors who were available on that kind of short notice. And most importantly, we had to figure out what exactly we wanted this wedding to be.

Assuming  that other gays in Brooklyn are planning weddings and are struggling to figure out exactly how to throw a big party for friends and family without breaking the bank, I'm here to help.

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