Gay Weddings are Good for Business

I'm speaking at various places in the U.S., Canada and Mexico about gay weddings each of the next seven months.  Two of the dates are full day certification courses, so if you are in Toronto or Denver, you can take advantage of a full day course and receive the Gay Wedding Institute certification.  

To check out the full speaking calendar, click here.

To register for the March 24 Gay Wedding Institute course in Toronto, click here.

To register for the April 3 course in Denver, click here.

And to have me do a shorter presentation or full day course in your area, send me an email!

I hope to meet more of you soon at one of these sessions.

Last week when I spoke at Engage!, I started by saying, "Did you know that it's harder to get a gay divorce than a gay marriage?"

Did you?

I have former clients who live in California and married here in Massachusetts last year.  They contacted me recently asking about divorcing.  I'm definitely not in the business of divorce, but what I told them is that, in order to divorce, one of them would need to move to Massachusetts and establish residency here.  After residency was established, they could then file for divorce in Massachusetts.

So if they live in California, why can't they divorce in California?  Straight couples don't need to move to divorce.

California doesn't recognize their legal Massachusetts marriage as a marriage.  As far as that state is concerned, that couple are merely domestic partners.  And California has the right to make that call - the federal government says so.

There have been gay divorce court cases in both Texas and Pennsylvania where couples have sought to divorce without establishing residency in the state where they were married.  In all instances of legal battles for gay divorce, the couple has been denied that right.  Why?

Because if a state says it's OK to have a gay divorce, then they are, in a backwards way, saying it's OK to have a gay marriage! And they are simply not ready to say that.

Gay marriage is messy political and legal business - but gay weddings are fabulous!  It's worth it and one of these days, this stuff won't matter anymore.  I can't wait.

Yesterday I was interviewed on the National Public Radio Station, WNYC, on the show "Soundcheck" to talk about music at gay weddings.  Last week they had a show about music at weddings and a listener wrote to complain that same-sex weddings were left out of the discussion.  They called me up and I filled them in about music at gay weddings.

You can listen to the entire clip here.

The bottom line is that there is a difference in what many same-sex couples request, as compared to opposite-sex couples.  The first example that comes to mind is that many same-sex couples request pop music during their ceremony processional and recessional, as opposed to the traditional classical pieces.  I give some examples during the show.

Enjoy!

This week I led a workshop on civil unoins for a group of enthusiastic, committed wedding professionals at the workshop of photographer Rick Aguilar in Chicago. Enjoy these great photos shot by Rick and his team.

The individuals below worked very hard to complete the GWI certificate course which wrapped up last week.  They spent 3+ hours on webinars, did homework on their own time and now all have the resources to help LGBT couples with their wedding plans.  These individuals are literally from around the world - from as far away as Hawaii and Canada, from Maryland, DC, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Massachusetts and beyond.  It gives me great pleasure to introduce the first round of GWI certificate course grads.

Wayne Alldridge
Katie Bianchi
Julie Buckley
Holly Carney
Cassie Conching
Christy Daly
Nancy Salatto Deighan
Julia Grasch
Patricia Hall
Cara Lanza
Tracey Manailescu
 Michele Stallings Mills
Andrea Nacci
Colleen Reid
Ira Task
Jen Wooster-McBride
Jen VanMassenhoven

Thank you all for your outstanding participation!  I know you will be fantastic advocates for your same-sex clients!
 

I talk with wedding professionals all the time, from around the country, and have been asked countless times when I'm going to launch a webinar series on the topic of gay weddings...

At long last, here it is!  Introducing the 14 Stories Gay Wedding Institute Certification!

Our same-sex wedding certification program will launch on March 9 with a three part webinar series (each session lasting at least an hour).  You must register for all three dates and attend all three sessions to be certified.  

Attendees will learn all about LGBT weddings:  laws, definitions, terminology, dos and don'ts, etiquette and much more.   At the end of each session, you will receive tangible homework/action steps designed to help ready your business for gay weddings.  Those who attend all three sessions will receive the 14 Stories Gay Wedding Institute certification badge for your website, a certificate in the mail and a resource guide.  Plus, we'll list you on our website to promote your support for same-sex weddings!  

Although we've trained hundreds of vendors from around the country, we're very excited to share our knowledge with an even greater audience!  The first of this three part series is on March  9 so don't hesitate - register today!  The early bird registration fee of $269 ends February 25!

Wedding vendors (particularly those in New England where same-sex marriage is legal in most states) please join us for a training at the Vermont Wedding Salon on Saturday, February 5!

We'll be educating wedding vendors on what makes a gay wedding different, gay wedding traditions, marketing to same-sex couples and much more.  The workshop is at 1pm on February 5 and is free for members of the Vermont Wedding Salon and $20 for non-members.  

Space is limited and pre-registration is required.  To register, please follow this link!

This Sunday I'm flying down to West Palm Beach, Florida, to speak at Engage! The Breakers.  My session, called "The Emerging Gay and Lesbian Wedding Market" will be co-facilitated with Kate Parker.  

A year ago, Kate and I collaborated to ensure that her new venture, www.MyKateParkerWedding.com was completely gender-neutral and non-heterosexist. We'll be talking about that process as well as the differences between straight and gay weddings.

I attended Engage! Cayman earlier this year and blogged about my experience.  I met such fantastic people and really enjoyed hearing stories from vendors around the country about their experiences (or lack thereof) with same-sex weddings.  This time, I get to take things to the next level and do some real education - and I can't wait!  I hope to see you there.

Please contact me if you'd like me to lead a workshop on same-sex weddings in your area.

I'm really honored to have been selected to speak at The Special Event Show.  This national conference covers all kinds of events, not just weddings, and my presentation, "Traditionally, at a Gay Wedding..." is part of the Wedding Trends track.   We are flying to New Orleans tomorrow for a few days of R&R before the Show.

I'm thrilled to be co-presenting with my real-life spouse and partner in crime, Jen Coveney-Smith.  The workshop will be held on Tuesday, January 12 from 10:45am-12:45pm in room 335.  Gay weddings are different and we'll talk about the hows and whys during the presentation.

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