This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
This is Michael Ferguson and Seth Anderson. They're smiling because they found themselves in a historic situation: They were the first couple in Utah to legally obtain a same-sex marriage license after a federal judge ruled that Utah's ban was unconstitutional.
Seth and Michael own The Queen's Tea in Salt Lake City, which sells tea to local shops and is served in several restaurants around town. This is the couple checking out tea plants.
They said they met on Facebook two years ago. Seth was living in Phoenix but eventually moved to Utah.
In July, they got engaged while on a trip to Japan. Michael said they've always expected to get legally married, despite living in Utah where Amendment 3 to the state's constitution has prevented that.
When they heard the news Friday that the ban had been struck by a judge, they were in their shop. They immediately closed and went down to the county clerk's office in Salt lake City and filled out the paperwork for a marriage license.
They didn't expect it to happen so quickly, Michael said, but they were granted a license and got married in the county clerk's office right then, along with about 100 other couples.
Since then, they've been in the Salt lake Tribune, appeared on news programs and been mentioned nationwide. On Monday, Judge Robert J. Shelby will hold a hearing on whether to grant a stay on his ruling pending an appeal by the state. That hearing will determine whether same-sex marriages can continue in the short-term.