LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and his wife, Janet, have converted their 30-year bond to a convenant marriage in a Valentine's Day ceremony.
The Huckabees recited vows in front of a crowd of 6,400 people in Alltel Arena in North Little Rock Monday night, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
The state's first couple fought for the state law they say strengthens the traditional marriage by requiring counseling and a two-year waiting period before divorce.
Huckabee, a Baptist preacher, said if more people in Arkansas would convert to a covenant marriage the state's high divorce rate might drop.
The Huckabees led other couples in the vows at the ceremony, but they did not actually convert their marriages because of the legal filings required.
Outside the arena, about 80 people protested gay couples can't legally marry or create civil unions under Arkansas law. They complained their tax money had been used for the event, but a Huckabee spokesman said most of the cost was borne by private donations.
