Gay Weddings are Good for Business

14 Stories in the New York Times

Wed, 23 May 2012 20:47:00 GMT

We (and two of our clients/former clients) are in the New York Times about the wardrobe options for lesbian brides.

It's a great piece which offers insight into the unique challenges that our clients face. Check it out!

What the Data Says about LGBT Inclusive Language

Tue, 15 May 2012 03:13:00 GMT

85% of engaged and newlywed LGBT couples surveyed in 2010-2011 found it very or somewhat important to hire businesses with LGBT inclusive language. Language focused on the "bride" (and only one!) can lose you business. This is exactly why you should update your materials to be inclusive!

Stay tuned as we release more data on the habits of engaged and newlywed same-sex couples!

More Gay Wedding Data: What Percentage of Same-Sex Couples Get Married in a Place of Worship?

Mon, 14 May 2012 20:10:00 GMT

Only 8% of same-sex couples surveyed in 2010-2011 responded that they married in a place of worship. Very few churches and only some synagogues and other places of worship will allow same-sex marriages so those couples frequently choose to have their ceremony and reception in the same place.

Stay tuned as we release more data on the habits of engaged and newlywed same-sex couples!

Our Love is Just Like Everyone Elses

Thu, 10 May 2012 20:29:00 GMT

There was a contest in Chicago recently giving away a free wedding to a deserving couple. A same-sex couple participated and won. This quote in the video below from that couple really moved me - even though I hear this type of quote all the time: "We are the only same-sex couple a lot of our friends and family know so if they were to see us in a wedding scenario, it would just prove to them that our love is just like everyone else's."

That's what same-sex couples are looking for...keep in mind that most of the guests at their wedding will be straight...I urge you to urge them (the couple) to make the ceremony as impactful as possible so that those guests have tears in their eyes, love in their hearts and support of marriage equality on their minds.

One of the ways that can happen is if your clients hire a Celebrant to officiate their marriage ceremony, or someone else who can write a very powerful and meaningful ceremony script...

How Much Do Gay Weddings Cost on Average?

Wed, 02 May 2012 13:32:00 GMT

There's a real lack of data (even by us) on how much same-sex couples spend, on average, on their wedding. In fact, the data that is available for straight couples seems to skip a MAJOR variable...the average number of guests.

Our last survey asked same-sex couples how much they were spending on average on their wedding but we decided not to include the data because it didn't represent the number of guests. Our next survey will ask how much they are spending on average per guest.

Many same-sex couples who live in states which do not provide legal marriage rights choose to have two events - a very small legal ceremony in a state where they can; and a larger party in their home state.

Data does not reflect this sum, nor does it take into account the number of guests...ie, a LGBT wedding with 100 guests is of course going to cost less than a straight wedding with 200.

We aim to provide accurate data on this often-asked question!

Most Popular Blogs Read by Same-Sex Couples

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 21:53:00 GMT

In 2010-2011, we surveyed nearly 500 engaged or newly married LGBT couples from around the U.S. and are now starting to release the data.

This question is, "What wedding blog do you read the most?" and the responses are:

So You're EnGAYged 18.43%
Offbeat Bride 10.27%
Style Me Pretty 5.74%
Wedding Bee 5.14%
WeddingChicks 4.53%
Snippet and Ink 3.63%
IndieBride 3.32%
Green Wedding Shoes 3.02%
Junebug Weddings1.81%
A Practical Wedding 1.21%
14 Stories 1.21%
Other 3.02%
Don't read 38.67%

As disappointed as I am that the couples aren't reading my own blogs (boo-hoo!), the results are still surprising. Who would have thought that so many same-sex couples don't read wedding blogs at all? Perhaps because many blogs and magazines are still so heterosexist...

Note: this survey was started before these great blogs launched: Huffington Post Weddings, Equally Wed's blog, GayWedding.com's blog, A Bicycle Built for Two and For Real Equality Weddings

Gay Wedding Marketing Topic on the Wedding Market Chat

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:56:00 GMT

Today I participated in the Wedding Market Chat on Twitter and had some great questions! You can follow along and check out the transcript here. I shared some gay wedding data, some information on laws and policies and marketing tips.

Thanks to Julie Albaugh from Wedding Market News for inviting me to participate!

Same-Sex Weddings Article in Event Solutions Magazine

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:29:00 GMT

In February I spoke at the Event Solutions Idea Factory conference and this new issue of their magazine has a great article on same-sex weddings.

You can read the Event Solutions magazine article here to see what my advice is for wedding professionals!

New Gay Wedding Institute Graduates - Colorado

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:30:00 GMT

This past Tuesday I led the Gay Wedding Institute full day workshop in Denver, which was then followed by the launch party for Colorado Gay Weddings and A Vote and a Vow.

It was so wonderful to be in such a great group of enthusiastic supporters of marriage equality. Mark Paquette from Events Unwrapped organized the training and Kristy Rowe and Jessica Bergthold from A Vote and a Vow planned a fantastic, well attended party which featured great food and tastings from the area's finest distilleries!

Here are the 21 graduates of the course on Tuesday very enthusiastically participated and will be fantastic advocates for their LGBT clients. The graduates are planners, officiants, photographers, florists, DJs, venues and even a linen company!

Lindsay Alesio

Pati Aslett

Amanda Baker

Colbert Callen
Stacy Coffey

Virginia Davis

Brooke De La Rossa

Alexandria Hatch

Diane Kunze

Kari Lilley

Adrienne Lucas

Marc McDonald

Mark Paquette

Gregory Sargowicki

Rev. Kent Robertson

Diana Sandoval

West Shirley

Laurie Signore

Heather Struna

Kim Tavendal

Tamara Wilkinson

Gay Wedding Tips if You're New to this Site

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 22:51:00 GMT

This site is intended to be a resource for wedding professionals and media who are interested in learning more about same-sex weddings. That said, since I actually PLAN lots of gay weddings, I don't have as much time to keep this updated as I'd like! Here are some resources to get you started:

The Gay Wedding Glossary - the only one in the world, with loads of terminology and information on laws and so forth
Data - We collect our own gay wedding data, but there's also some from the Williams Institute, Forbes and others
Our App - it's a free download for iPhones and iPads and is a great tool for wedding planning
Webinars - I teach quarterly webinars which cover everything you need to know about gay weddings (and more!)

Additionally, here are some of the most popular blog posts from the past 3 years of blogging about gay weddings for wedding vendors:

Please don't hesitate to contact us or ask if you have any burning questions!

New Gay Wedding Institute Certification Course Grads in Ontario

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 02:00:00 GMT

I'm at the airport heading home from an all day training I facilitated today in Toronto for my wedding industry peers. These 20 professionals came from all over the Ontario area to learn more about the LGBT wedding market so they can better serve their clients. I gave them A TON of information and in-course activities and I'm so proud of their enthusiasm!

A special shout out to Holly Carney for recruiting and organizing the participants! And to Angel St. Pierre from the Ontario Science Center for hosting us!

Please congratulate these new Gay Wedding Institute Certified professionals!

Elizabeth Scheniman
Danielle Rea
Kathleen Pearsall
Danielle Deebank
Jacquie Swadi
Joanna Efpatridis
Karim Shivji
Alanna Pizzoferrato
Diane Almeida
Jennifer Prince
Sandy Stirling
Christina Spring
Cassiopeia Burrell
Sherry VanHornne
Natalie Faria
Antonella Cerminara
Samantha Lavigne
Holly Carney (again!)
Denise Georgiou-Newell
Angel St. Pierre

Recent Gay Wedding Institute Course Grads

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:58:00 GMT

The next Gay Wedding Institute webinar series is underway but I wanted to give a shout-out to the most recent crop of wedding professionals who completed the GWI webinar course. They worked really hard and did a great job. Special shout out to the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square/Cambridge, MA and also the Ritz-Carlton Battery Park who have had the majority of their catering staff participate. Congratulations to the following graduates:

Wendy Kidd, New York
Gina Brown, Massachusetts
Sarah Chatingny, Massachusetts
Jennifer Halpin, Massachusetts
Carolyn Croisier, Massachusetts
Malia Stevens, New York
Michele Rose, Illinois
Laura Dlugatch, New York
Regina Cialone Aliamo, New York
Rena LeMessurier-Joubert, Alberta, Canada
Christian Heydt, Massachusetts
Ivan Jonathan Tavera, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Jocelyn McCarthy, New York
Jackie Ross, Florida

They worked hard, took all the webinars, did all the homework correctly and I'm thrilled to have this group as great advocates for LGBT couples!

Speaking at the Epic Summit - Half Off Registration

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 03:39:00 GMT

I'm speaking with a fantastic group of my peers on March 30 at the Epic Summit in Northern New Jersey. I'll be speaking on the topic of the emerging LGBT wedding market.

Other expert speakers include Katy Carrier, Sonny Ganguly and Alan Berg, among others.

I can offer an exclusive rate of 50% off admission to the first two people who comment on this post by March 5. Leave a comment and if you're one of the first two, I'll email you the discount code!

Same-Sex Marriage in Washington State

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 04:43:00 GMT

Washington State became the seventh U.S. state (plus D.C.) to legalize gay marriage on Monday when Governor Gregoire signed the marriage equality bill into law. This is very exciting and you should definitely get your business ready. Opponents of marriage equality still may try to stop it from going into effect on June 7 - so the matter is not yet settled - but this is a huge step forward. Go forth and prosper!

Gay Weddings with Political Undertones

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:06:00 GMT

It's pretty standard for legal gay weddings to have this very strong energy of triumph to them, a spirit of "FINALLY! We can get legally married!" As a result, many couples seek to bring a little bit of politics into their ceremony, and sometimes even their reception.

Two of the most popular readings at gay marriage ceremonies come from court rulings - the Goodridge ruling and the Walker ruling - check them out!

I've even had clients bring politics into their reception - naming tables after famous LGBT people in history, hosting the reception somewhere that has given a lot to marriage equality efforts - and I even had a couple name their signature cocktail the Revolution - in honor of the marriage equality revolution.

I hope these ideas help you help your clients put a little more edginess into their wedding!