US President Barack Obama said today that in no uncertain terms, we've made our union a little more perfect with the Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality. But as daytime fans already know, soap operas beat the rest of the country to the chase on perfection, already having featured both a lesbian wedding as well as a male/male wedding. The first was between All My Children's Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel) and Reese Williams (Tamara Braun) in 2009, and the second was between Days of our Lives' Will Horton (Guy Wilson) and Sonny Kiriakis (Freddie Smith) in 2014. Both weddings were incredibly special, and in celebration of today's landmark in United States history, Soap Central is taking a look back on the groundbreaking soap opera nuptials.
The Vows
Bianca: It may not have been Cupid's arrow that brought us together, but the day Miranda's ball hit you in the head, my heart changed forever. I found a woman of strength, passion, and beauty. I look into your eyes, and I see my soul mate. I see tomorrow and the day after that and all the days to come. I see passion and joy for each other, our life together, our family, our future, wherever we are and whatever it brings. You make me feel safe and loved, like anything is possible -- and with you, it is. I promise to always put my hand in yours so that we can face what's ahead together. You're my strength. No matter how dark some days may be, I know that I can survive anything, wrapped in your arms. Your love, our family. I promise to be your partner, your home, your wife, for eternity.
Reese: It was like I was in a deep sleep before you. I was in a timeless fog, unable to see past yesterday and unwilling to hope for happiness that tomorrow might bring. And then you came along, and you brought the sun with you, and now I can see into forever. I promise to try and make you laugh, because you have the most beautiful laugh and the brightest smile I have ever known. But most importantly, I promise to love you and devote myself to you and our children for the rest of my life... Bianca, I have loved you since the moment I met you, and I have wanted to marry you for so long, but it wasn't until this moment, standing right here and looking in your beautiful eyes, that I know just how right it is, that any doubt that I had, it was silly, and any fears or mistakes that I made, they were foolish, because standing here with you, it's where I belong.
The Outcome
Shortly after Bianca and Reese were announced as wife and wife, Kendall (Alicia Minshew) stormed into the wedding with the announcement that Greenlee had been killed in a horrific motorcycle accident upon learning about Zack and Reese's kiss. Horrified by the reveal and that Reese had been unfaithful, Bianca pushed her brand new wife away. Though the couple tried reuniting in the months to come, they ultimately realized they weren't meant for each other and went their separate ways.
The Vows
Sonny: I love a good adventure. That's been my life. And what my dad said is kind of true: I've been out on the edge my entire life. I've been to every continent on this earth, and if someone would have asked me a couple of years ago, I would have said that would be my life -- until I met you. You're my anchor, you're my anchor that doesn't weigh me down, but gives me something to hold onto, a reason to make a home. Our life together is the greatest adventure of my life. I love you so much, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you and Arianna.
Will: I can't say that I grew up with the same hunger for adventure that you did. I wanted to escape sometimes, and I did some pretty messed up things to make that happen, but beside that, I never really thought about my future very much. It felt like my own skin was a coat that was too heavy, and even when I came out, it wasn't as though the coat suddenly fit. It was more like I finally understood why it never would. I didn't believe I'd ever find any kind of love, let alone the love that I've found with you. Ian Forrester once described love as two imperfect souls coming together to create something close to perfection. That's how I've felt since the day that I met you -- even if I'm the one who brings more of the imperfection into the equation! I respect you. I admire you. I adore you. But most of all, Sonny, I love you.
The Outcome
Sonny and Will's marriage was happy for a little while, but as soap opera marriages usually go, things eventually started falling apart. Will got distracted with work and practically abandoned his hubby for a project in California, while Sonny dealt with the surprise return of his first love, Paul (Christopher Sean). In a strange turn of events, it was Will who ended up sleeping with Paul -- not knowing the former baseball player was his husband's ex. Sonny and Will's relationship went downhill from there, and with Smith's days with the NBC series having come to a close, their relationship is most likely officially over.
Sadly, neither of daytime's first married gay couples appear to have had a happily ever after (as is typical in soap opera relationship land), but their onscreen unions served as brief, beautiful symbols of the exponential possibilities that can arise out of love. Congratulations to the LGBT community for achieving equal rights, and here's to successful marriages without surprise pregnancies, motorcycle accidents, returning former lovers, and all the other outlandish soap opera maladies in between!
