Gay Weddings are Good for Business

If you are in the business of weddings and find yourself referring wedding officiants to couples, you may have some challenges with gay weddings.  First off, they are not sanctioned by most churches and if your client wants a secular ceremony, the options get a little confusing.

If your state allows Justices of the Peace or judges to perform ceremonies and if gay marriage is legal in your state, then by law, all JPs and judges must officiate same-sex weddings.  However, you'll find some JPs who welcome LGBT clients with open arms and others to pretend they are booked on that specific day or otherwise flat-out deny a couple their services.  I've seen it happen even when it's against the law.  

The best resource I've found for officiants is Celebrants-USA.  It's an intensive training so individuals learn to perform life ceremonies - this could include marriage ceremonies, baby blessings and so forth.  Celebrants can draw from a variety of cultural backgrounds to create a very personal and meaningful ceremony.  Technically and legally they are ministers but they serve a non-denominational and usually non-religious role.  Celebrants are great!

It's VERY common for same-sex couples to have a loved one marry them.  This could be a family member or friend who gets a license online from the Universal Life Church to perform marriage ceremonies.  It's pretty easy for them to do and many couples appreciate this personal approach.

As a wedding vendor, when you are looking for officiants to refer your clients to, I'd start with Celebrants-USA and from there, make calls to those who advertise on PurpleUnions.com, SoYoureEnGAYged.com and GayWeddings.com.  Don't refer vendors without first chatting to them about your client in the instance that the officiant may not be as gay-friendly as they pretend to be in their ad!

Who has officiated your same-sex client's weddings?