GayWeddings.com

Have you ever noticed that, any time a state legalizes same-sex marriage, numerous articles are published, featuring testimonials that there will be a huge gold rush and money falling from the skies as same-sex couples rush to the altar, Chuppah or City Hall to tie the knot or jump the broom?

In fact, I think I just heard a distinct rumbling coming from our Pacific Northwest...

When my partner and I announced our engagement and began telling friends and family that we were getting married, one of the most frequent questions we got was: What are you going to wear?

Seriously?!? What we were going to wear?

It was 1999 and I was more preoccupied with finding a location for the ceremony and vendors who didn't hang up on me; wondering who would officiate since the Methodist minister who baptized me said No; and, hoping that our families would actually attend the ceremony.

In some ways, it seems like a really small thing. It was just a kiss. A G-rated kiss. The kind of kiss that most folks wouldn’t pay much attention to if they walked past the embrace on a city block.

But this was no ordinary kiss.

We were thrilled to be approached by Stephanie Hallett of The Huffington Post this week as she sought more information on the "norms" and "traditions" of same-sex couples who are popping the question, purchasing rings and thinking about exchanging vows.

Here is an excerpt from the article Gay Engagement: Which Etiquette Rules Apply?

Reader Stephen Guy sent us this poem, written for the wedding ceremony of his friends, Erin & Deanna.

He wishes to share it freely in the public domain so if it speaks to you, you can have a dear friend read it in your ceremony as he did for his brides.

i meld into you

clouds meld into sky
mist mountains
undulate to blue

music melds into mind
special places special times
shared with you

rain melds into pond
ripples recede to
feed spring water

John Hoel just shared with us this fabulous wedding video from Patrick and Scott's recent wedding. It was an incredible ceremony and the footage and editing is beautiful! Enjoy the video and stop in on the VibrantFilm.com Vimeo page to learn more.

New York, NY (July 19, 2011) - Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and City Clerk Michael McSweeney today announced that due to high demand for marriage services on Sunday, July 24, 2011 – the first day New York State’s recently passed marriage equality law takes effect – the City will conduct a public lottery for any couple wishing to marry on July 24th. The lottery will guarantee access to one of the City Clerk’s five offices for 764 couples – opposite sex or same sex – on July 24th.

If the results we saw when Washington, D.C. legalized (and California briefly legalized) same-sex marriage is any indication for the New York market, it will be important for wedding pros to thoughtfully approach the growing market of engaged, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered) couples.

We believe that these are the vendors who stand to gain the most and, in turn, offer the greatest help to the LGBT community.