Gay Weddings are Good for Business

Gay Wedding Glossary

Civil Partnerships:  Civil partnerships are the federally recognized equivalent of same-sex marriage.  Civil partnerships are the law in several countries, including the U.K., Ireland and Germany.

Civil partnerships bring identical rights, recognition and protections of marriage, to same-sex couples, without using the actual term "marriage".   A civil partnership is different from a civil union in the United States because civil unions are state laws and civil partnership are federal laws.  

Why not use the term marriage?  Marriage, while, at its heart, is a civil institution, has many religious associations.  Many politicians feel that "civil partnership" or "civil union" is a safer term and that it's easier to pass legislation using that term, instead of marriage.