Gay Weddings are Good for Business

Six years ago today, the first gay marriages in the United States took place in cities and towns around the state of Massachusetts.  Six months earlier, gay marriage was legalized by a ruling of the Supreme Judicial Court, in a case argued by GLAD.  As of May 17, 2004, my company's doors had been open for three months.  Our first real wedding was May 22, 2004.

• Six years and well over $120 million pumped into the Massachusetts economy because of same-sex weddings.
• Six years and over 13,000 married same-sex couples
• Six years and the fourth lowest divorce rate in the country (straight or gay)

A funny thing has happened in the past six years.  Same-sex couples meet, fall in love, get engaged and then get married.  And at least here in most of New England and now DC and Iowa, getting married and planning for a gay wedding has become the "normal" next step in a relationship.  It's legal and a legitimate, common option for couples.  Most of these weddings have no overt political agenda - they're just about the love of two people. 

Two of our dear friends recently got engaged after a 18 months of dating and will probably be marrying sometime in the next year or so.  And to us, and to our other friends, this is just what happens now.  Marriage is legal and gay weddings are happening all over the place, and then after the wedding, lots of gay and lesbian families (like ours) plan for kids.  

In those states where gay marriage is not yet legal (45 states!), you'll see the same phenomenon.  Some couples in those states are still having non-legal commitment ceremonies but the reality is that real, legal gay marriages are going to come, and when they do, the whole wedding and honeymoon industry going to change.  It'll be revolutionary and then it'll normalize, just like it has in the places that it is legal.

The trick is get yourself ready now.

What are you doing to prepare your business?

I wanted to introduce this site since I'll be doing most of my blogging over here now.  I've been planning gay weddings for 5 1/2 years, since they were first legalized in Massachusetts six years ago.  Back then lots of people thought I was crazy and advised that having such a specific niche would limit my market.