Gavin Newsom and Jennifer Siebel's Wedding Photos

Sometimes, Jennifer Siebel Newsom will catch a glimpse of her husband, Mayor Gavin Newsom, on television and realize she’s watching his hands. “It’s funny, Gavin always talks so much with his hands. And now that he’s wearing his wedding ring, I’ll see a flash of it and think, ‘Oh, that’s my husband!’”

Yes, indeed—love ran through it this summer, along the verdant banks of Mitchell Slough in Montana, when the mayor, 41, wed the actress, 34. It was a gracious, down-home affair hosted by Siebel Newsom’s parents, Ken and Judy Siebel, at the family’s Bitterroot Springs Ranch—a setting so naturally lush and picturesque that only the subtlest of decor was required for the wedding events created by designer Stanlee Gatti, a longtime friend of the mayor.

However, unlike most newlyweds, the Newsoms are experiencing their coupledom under the glare of klieg lights. Since his first victory as mayor of San Francisco in 2003, Newsom has lived his life on stage. And as a producer and actress (currently starring in NBC’s Life), Siebel Newsom, too, knows from the stage. “I don’t think anyone can be prepared,” she says of her new role as political spouse. “But we are so solid in our love for each other and blessed by our families and the wonderful people in our life—from friends to City Hall staff.”

Because “marriage” has been a constant theme in Newsom’s political life, his new wife is experiencing a state of expansion in her personal role as spouse. “Our relationship has definitely extended into the public realm because of Gavin’s championing of same-sex marriage,” she explains. “It’s very special. The gratitude expressed to us by these newly married couples is incredibly touching.”

As a politician, Newsom often dons roles Shakespearean in nature—vacillating between a brooding Prince Hamlet and a passionate King Henry V, rallying the troops on St. Crispian’s Day with a rousing “band of brothers” speech. But vacillate he does not when the subject is same-sex marriage and the contentious California State ballot drama swirling around Yes on Proposition 8—on the ballot this month—which seeks to amend our state’s Constitution and eliminate same-sex couples’ right to marry.

“Gay marriage is not about marriage—it’s about civil rights. It’s about human dignity, it’s about a constitutionally protected right,” said Newsom during a recent interview in Room 200 at City Hall. “And those aren’t my words; those are the words of the Republican-controlled California State Supreme Court.” Even dogged by a cold, he minced no words, or passion, regarding this particular state of the union. “Marriage equality is a fundamental issue, the civil-rights issue of our time. And I think we should act accordingly, as Democrats, particularly because we’ve always stood strong to protect the rights of minorities. It’s the reason I’m proud to be a Democrat.”

Same-sex marriage remains the most powerful issue with which Newsom has ever dealt. He sees it as the last great civil-rights struggle. “And I’m hardly a big part of that history. I’m a particularly small part,” said Newsom. “The big part of that history is the Phyllis Lyons, the Del Martins and the Harvey Milks.” In this past summer alone, following the court’s ruling, there was (according to the SF Office of the County Clerk) a huge uptick in same-sex marriage applications: a 62 percent increase since June, which translated to some 5,000 couples registering to marry in San Francisco.

And his marriage to Siebel Newsom has only made the mayor feel more connected to the cause of same-sex marriage. “There is nothing in our Constitution that allows us to treat people differently,” exclaimed Newsom. “It’s about as audacious an assault on human dignity and human liberty as there can ever be."

Photography by Meg Smith