Gay Weddings are Good for Business

Two Bright Lights recently released data which indicated that wedding expos/shows don't generate many bookings and don't generate them often. In fact, compared to other forms of advertising (print ads, google, other online listings etc), they're pretty much a waste of money.

So why would gay wedding expos be any different? They're not, really.  

I used to have booths at expos and with a one-off exception, gave it up 3+ years ago.  The mostly female couples who attend (and trickle in, let's be honest) aren't often there to commit to a purchase.  They are not typically affluent couples, so if you are a wedding planner seeking to reach an affluent couple who can afford your services, wedding shows in general and gay wedding shows, specifically, are not the place to find them.

My advice is to skip the shows and choose a different marketing strategy to reach same-sex couples.  What did you decide and how was your experience?

One of the reasons that the 2010 U.S. Census results will be so valuable is to help identify the number of male and female "married" partners in a given area and their average age.  

The 2005 U.S. Census American Community Survey told us that D.C. has about 3800 same-sex couples, 72% of which are men, with an average age of 42.  We can also learn about their average household income using this data.

Knowing that D.C. has a high number of partnered gay men in their 40s should inform your marketing strategy if you are in this area.

What is your specific market within the gay and lesbian wedding market?

I strongly advise you not to do this.

Despite your best intentions, this will make you inauthentic:

• Your straight clients will find the gay website and the more open-minded of those couples won't respect you because you're afraid to be openly inclusive.  The less open-minded ones will also find your alternate site and may be offended.
• And I promise you that the gay clients will find the straight website and will think you're afraid to indicate your support of gay couples on your regular site.

• GayWeddings.com:  the first and pioneering gay wedding directory, resource guide and boutique (founded by a straight mom helping with her lesbian daughter's wedding)
• RainbowWeddingNetwork.com:  has a vendor directory and produces a magazine and gay wedding expos around the country
• SoYoureEnGAYged.com: features real gay weddings, gay and lesbian bloggers, a free vendor directory (note: vendors are heavily vetted for inclusion)
• QueerlyWed.com: features real gay weddings, articles, news stories and a vendor directory
• PurpleUnions: a vendor directory only (has been great for me for referrals)
• GayRites.net:  vendor directory (free), store, resources and wedding tips

One of the first things I did when I started my company is put together a list of screened gay-friendly and gay-owned businesses to whom I would feel comfortable referring my clients.  I wrote up questions for each category of wedding vendor: caterer, florist, jeweler, etc - and then cold called a whole bunch of people.  I started my list of places to call based on Pink Pages and Bay Windows advertisers.  

I quickly found out that even though a business advertised in Bay Windows, that did not guarantee that they were gay-friendly.  I had many uncomfortable conversations in those early days and many since.  My goal was to always make sure my clients felt protected from having those conversations themselves.

And that's the goal of this website - to support wedding industry businesses who want to do the right thing and be inclusive of all couples.  I can show you how.