Gay Weddings are Good for Business

Research, data, advice and tips on the business of same-sex weddings from Bernadette Coveney Smith, the nation's leading gay wedding expert. In 2004, Bernadette opened 14 Stories, the first company in the U.S. to specialize in planning same-sex weddings.

Those Who Work with Same-Sex Couples Must be Advocates

Bernadette Coveney Smith - Thursday, October 21, 2010
I blogged awhile back about how wedding planners who work with same-sex couples must be their advocates.  It's true and there's perfect proof in the case of wedding planner Kate Parker, based in New Hampshire, who is working with two grooms marrying this weekend.  Gay marriage is legal in New Hampshire and the state also prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

A few things have come up with these guys:

1) They wanted to be married in an Episcopal church.  Episcopal churches only marry same-sex couples in one place in the United States, Eastern Massachusetts.  So the grooms had to find another officiant.

2) One of the grooms "came out" to his family via his wedding invitation.  Some family members had previously not known he was gay.

3) They wanted to run a wedding announcement in the local paper and were denied because the paper doesn't run same-sex wedding announcements.

4) One of the grooms is from Venezuela and can't get a green card through this marriage because of DOMA.

One wedding, four big issues that Kate and her team had to deal with, none of which would ever come up with a straight wedding.  So yes, planning a gay wedding is different and if you are a planner (or a venue, or caterer) and want to reach this market, you must be prepared to understand these issues and be your client's advocate.

Have you had any similar experiences when working with same-sex couples?



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Weekly Gay Marriage Roundup

Bernadette Coveney Smith - Friday, January 29, 2010
New feature:  every Friday, I'll be sharing some interesting news regarding gay weddings and gay marriage laws.  I'm hopeful that the news won't always be depressing about gay marriage bans and such.  So, here we go:

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Gay Marriage Comes to New Hampshire

Bernadette Coveney Smith - Monday, January 04, 2010
I'm thrilled that gay marriage is legal in New Hampshire as of January 1.  For those couples for whom civil unions were not enough, the state will now legally marry same-sex couples

What does this mean for vendors?  To start with, it means more business.  More engaged couples = more money.  Gay weddings are different, of course, so you'll want to make sure you're up to speed with your marketing materials, knowledge of the laws, and contract language.  

You're going to want to strike a delicate balance between reaching your current (likely heterosexual) market and this new market.  You'll want to do this in a way so you offend no one.  There's a learning curve so you can start by familiarizing yourself with some of the concepts I've posted about in the past:

I'll presenting a workshop to wedding vendors in New Hampshire on Tuesday, February 2 at the Highlander Inn in Manchester.  If you'd like to learn more, you can register right here.

What have you done to prepare yourself for gay marriage in New Hampshire?



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Gay Marriage & the States: New Hampshire

Bernadette Coveney Smith - Friday, January 01, 2010
Let's talk about the Live Free or Die State, that great very libertarian state of New Hampshire, and hows its laws affect gay couples and wedding vendors:

  • New Hampshire, does, as of today, January 1, 2010, issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples
  • Prior to this, New Hampshire had civil unions
  • New Hampshire has a law banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation (though not gender identity).  This means, as a wedding industry vendor, you are required by law to work with all couples, regardless of sexual orientation.  It's illegal to discriminate. 
  • According to the U.S. Census, in 2005, there were 5,578 same-sex couples living in New Hampshire (about equal number of male and female couples).
A good number of my clients come from other states and will be legally marrying here in Massachusetts or in Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont.  

Do you know of anyone planning to marry in New Hampshire?  How are you planning to prepare yourself to reach this market? 



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