Wedding: Linda Leftwich & Jessie Black – The San Diego Union

It didn’t take long for Linda Leftwich and Jessie Black to move in together after meeting in February 2012.

“It was that June, only a few months after we met,” said Leftwich, 58, with a big laugh.

Wedding Day

Couple: Jessie Black and Linda Leftwich

Date married: May 9, 2015

Location: Metropolitan Community Church of San Diego, Bay Park

Fun fact: Black and Leftwich had trouble getting appropriate cake toppers for their wedding.

“When we went to look for them, there weren’t any women together,” Black said. “We saw individual brides, but they had white dresses and veils.”

Leftwich is a longtime golfer. Black, eager to avoid being a “golf widow,” has also taken up the sport.

“We could have had ordered custom-made cake toppers online,” Black said. “But they’d cost $300 to $400, which was ridiculous. We finally chose golf-women toppers — for $15 each!”

Black, also 58, said: “When you’re older you know what you want.”

Leftwich agreed, adding: “You know when you found the right one.”

But getting married was another matter. That took time. First off, the Clairemont residents had to wait until same-sex marriage was legal in California.

“A lot of our friends had been getting married in other states, or in Canada,” Leftwich said. “Jessie and I wanted to get married in the state where we lived. For one thing, it’s cleaner legally.”

In June 2013, the Supreme Court affirmed a lower-court decision that legalized same-sex marriage in California. Later that year, Leftwich proposed to Black.

Both self-described “Navy brats,” Leftwich was born in San Diego and has lived here most of her life while Black, born in Connecticut, has been a resident for more than 30 years, serving as a Department of Defense contracting officer for the Navy. Leftwich is a processing manager in the IT department at a San Diego credit union.

Black has two adult children — she was divorced in 1989. Her daughter, Genell Roder, was planning her wedding in May 2014, which was another reason the couple delayed their nuptials.

Leftwich and Black were finally married May 9, 2015, at the Metropolitan Community Church (MetChurch), an inclusive Christian organization with outreach to the LGBT community. The officiant was MetChurch’s pastor, the Rev. Dan Koeshall. The women’s sisters — Wendy Leftwich and Melody Fields — were their “best persons.”

During the ceremony, musicians Denni Coslet and Leslie Alexis performed several songs, including Etta James’ “At Last” and a version of “Come Rain or Come Shine,” inspired by Barbra Streisand’s recording.

Black and Leftwich never wear dresses, but that doesn’t mean pulling their wedding outfits together was easy. After a long search, they discovered A Better Deal Tuxedos Suits in La Jolla.

“It was hard to find tuxes designed for women,” Black explained. “But this place carries smaller sizes and they alter them if needed. And they were not weird about it.”

The couple wanted rainbow sneakers, but only found one company, China’s Alibaba, that had them for adults. But when the shoes were delivered, they were too small.

Leftwich, who Black says is the artsy half of the couple, used Rit dye, a spray bottle and brush to transform their sneakers into rainbow-colored shoes.

Their celebration stretched over three days, with the rehearsal dinner on Friday and the wedding and reception on Saturday. About 40 people attended. On Sunday, they had a brunch for 25 at the 94th Aero Squadron.

Most of their family members came from out of town, including the sisters and mothers of the brides, daughter Genell, and her husband, Brian.

Leftwich and Black are still moved by the participation of Black’s father, Richard Gibbens, who passed away last month.

“I was his buddy — I fixed cars with him and things like that,” Black said. “But he was a right-wing guy and had trouble accepting me.”

Although Gibbens seemed comfortable at the wedding, the couple was surprised when he stood up to speak at the reception.

“It was way unexpected,” Leftwich said. “We didn’t know he was going to talk. When he stood up, we were a skosh nervous.”

“Dad got up and gave a toast,” Black recalled. “He said how much he enjoyed Linda and welcomed her to the family.”

The reception was held at the Bay Park home of friends. The simple décor was in magenta and aqua, including the couple’s bow ties. Black had temporary aqua highlights in her hair, to match her tie.

“Our friends had tablecloths and plates in those colors,” said Leftwich, who didn’t color her hair, since it’s naturally close to magenta. “We didn’t want it real fancy.”

The cake, however, was pretty fancy. It was created by Black’s daughter, Genell, a professional baker in Virginia Beach.

The cake was in the shape of a cruise ship, inspired by the couple’s honeymoon. They took an eight-day Holland America Line cruise to Alaska. Open to lesbians and their friends, the cruise was arranged by Olivia Travel. Leftwich said they bought the tickets a year in advance and worked the wedding date around their trip.

On board, they socialized, played board games, went to comedy shows and enjoyed time alone.

“Linda scored! She booked a cabin with floor-to-ceiling windows and an outside veranda,” Black said. “We spent time on the veranda, watching the beautiful Alaska landscape.”

Beth Wood is a freelance writer.