W. Babylon Women Make History

For Melissa Itoh and Judeith Chiello the New York State law allowing same-sex marriage tops off what has been a whirlwind romance from its start a little more than a year ago.

The two West Babylon residents, who met when Itoh brought her dog to a vet clinic where Chiello works, sealed their love for each other officially Sunday during a ceremony presided by Judge Andrew Tarantino at Brookhaven Town Hall. It was the first day same sex couples were allowed to wed in New York State, the sixth state to allow same-sex marriage.

The couple got engaged just before Memorial Day and both have been active supporters of the newly passed legislation.

“We did the quick ceremony to legalize things and we’re planning a small intimate wedding in September 2012,” explained Chiello. “I have everything I want now that I have my wife,” said the 31-year-old.

The couple recalled hearing the news that the law passed in an email from a fellow activist.

“We had been calling our legislators every day, pledging money and were very proactive,” Chiello said. The couple was already considering getting married in Connecticut if the law had not passed.

“We have friends who are getting married there and were considering doing our own ceremony after,” she said, adding that having their own wedding on Long Island is a much more compelling event.

“We’re both so excited and happy. We met when both had just come out of long relationships and it was just meant to be.”