Spc. Shane Adriano and Pfc. Tristian Resz chose the Greene County Courthouse as a venue because they wanted something small and intimate for their Feb. 11 wedding. It was to be just the happy couple, a few supportive friends and a judge.
But after they shared their "first married kiss" photo on Facebook, their small ceremony turned into a worldwide event.
The American Military Partner Association posted the photo a few hours after the wedding. As of Monday morning, that post has been shared 800 times, has almost 4,400 likes and more than 215 comments.
PROMO, a statewide LGBT advocacy group, shared the photo the following day and got more than 1,400 likes and many comments.
The GLO Center shared the photo, garnering about 125 likes and several comments.
Adriano told the News-Leader they have long since lost track of how many times the photo has been shared.
"It just keeps getting reshared," he said. "We had a little bit of negative comments on there, but I wasn't even expecting that many people to like it and share it over and over again."
Adriano said they appreciate the warm wishes coming from around world.
Resz said many of the positive comments have come from veterans and people in the military.
"The majority of people who were commenting and sharing, they were doing it because they are proud of how far the military has come," Resz said. "Up until 2011 it was illegal to be openly gay in the military. Now, it's legal for us to be married."
Adriano said he has been in the Army for three years and is stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood and Resz has been in the reserves for a year and a half. The couple is moving into a home in Waynesville.
Adriano proposed to Resz a couple of months after they met last fall.
"I know a lot of people don't believe in love at first sight, but sometimes you just know," Adriano said. "That is how I felt with me and him."
Resz said he didn't hesitate to say yes.
"I realized this is someone I want in my life forever," Resz said. "This is the one person I can't live without."
Judge David Jones performed the ceremony.
