These Lesbians Want Your Vote

After meeting at a dive bar in New York City six years ago, Kelle Adams and Devon Claridge fell for each other. They partied and danced. And to hear Adams describe it, it was love at first sight – even if they didn’t technically have their first “real” date until two months later.

“We have talked about having a wedding ceremony or celebration for years, only we’ve been calling it our ‘Party About Love,'” says Adams. “Basically, we really just want the chance to celebrate our love with friends and family. We are both so grateful to be in this relationship with each other, and we really want to recognize that.”

After the first three years together, the couple got domestic partnership status in New York State – mostly for the right to visit each other in the hospital. “However, we recently moved to Philly,” says Adams, and entered Crate & Barrel’s Ultimate Wedding Contest in hopes of winning some serious swag in time for the same-sex celebration they’re planning this year.

“We want to celebrate that love with our friends and family,” says Adams. “Trips to Coney Island were a big part of our lives in New York City – we want to emulate that festive feeling at our wedding. Think: skee ball, photo booths and cotton candy.”

Since both women come from large families, they want to be able to accommodate everyone – that includes three sets of parents, six siblings and a large handful of extended family. “As with many in the queer community, our friends are part of our family and we want them all to be there,” Adams says. She admits she’d like to create an event like the monthly Stimulus dance party both women like to attend here in Philly, possibly with vegetarian food from Horizon’s – one of the couple’s favorite restaurants.

Adams and Claridge would also like to decorate their dream home in Bella Vista with Crate & Barrel goodies – so they’re looking for a little love from G Philly readers (folks can vote online).

“Obviously, we know there are plenty of loving, lesbian and queer couples out there who would get married if we had that right,” says Adams. “So, we’re hoping to not only have the chance to celebrate our love and committement like we want, but also to remind the general public that we exist, we are happy, and that love really is the most important thing in all of this.”