Ald. James Cappleman has wed his longtime partner Richard Thale in Washington State.
Cappleman announced that the marriage had taken place on his Facebook page Nov. 17.
"After 22 years, at last we're married surrounded by family and friends," wrote Cappleman. "Can't wait to celebrate the day that's coming soon when other same-sex couples can get married in Illinois."
The openly gay alderman told Windy City Times in October that he and Thale, a community activist, could no longer wait for the protections that marriage provides and would be married in Seattle by Cappleman's brother. The couple has together for over two decades.
"Symbolically, we were married 22 years ago," Cappleman said. "The protections that marriage provides, it's almost like driving a car without insurance."
Cappleman and Thale had a civil union in September 2012, and they had hoped to wed in their home state of Illinois in 2013. They celebrated their 22nd anniversary Oct. 18.
Gov. Quinn will sign marriage equality legislation Nov. 20, but marriages cannot begin until June 2014.
Cappleman said waiting was too big a risk, especially since the strike down of the Defense of Marriage Act now means that gay married couples can access federal benefits.
"We thought about waiting," said Cappleman in October. "But if something happened to me, we would be chancing it, and we didn't want to chance it."