'Couldn't be happier,' heading to the altar
Matt Hurwitz and Bruce Walter
San Francisco, Calif.
The couple: After getting out of a long-term relationship, the last thing Bruce Walter, now 37, wanted to do was jump right into another one. But then he met Matt Hurwitz, 41, three years ago. When things began to get serious, Walter decided it was time to come out to his family.
In October, the couple had a big wedding ceremony with friends and family in California. But they still aren't legally married or in a domestic partnership -- they didn't feel like they should take that leap until federal benefits were available.
Financial impact: With DOMA out of the way and same-sex marriage set to resume in California, the couple plans to head to the courthouse and get legally hitched next month.
They won't realize a tax benefit from filing jointly since they have similar incomes. But the assurance of medical rights, as well as inheritance rights and survivors benefits, will be worth it.
"The second I saw the decision I called Matt and he was already crying," said Walter. "This was exactly what we were hoping for -- we couldn't be happier."
