Gay marriage industry booms - Same-sex ceremonies are fueling a growing gay-friendly wedding business

Gay marriage industry booms - Same-sex ceremonies are fueling a growing gay-friendly wedding business
By Dionne Walker
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune and The Associated Press
Published December 26, 2006

RICHMOND, Va. -- He's no celebrity, but when Phillip McKee III tied the knot in September, he did it with all the pomp and circumstance of an A-lister: Custom-designed gold rings, a $2,000 kilt and a caviar-and-crepe reception at a posh hotel.

McKee, 34, sank some $60,000 into his Scottish-themed nuptials, worth it he says for the chance to stand before a minister and be pronounced husband --and husband.

Even as lawmakers across the nation debate legislation concerning same-sex marriage, couples are uniting in weddings both miniature and massive, fueling a growing industry peddling everything from pink triangle invitations to same-sex cake toppers.

Vendors say attention to the marriage issue has encouraged more gay couples to recognize their relationships, though in most states, the ceremonies are purely sentimental.

"For the longest time, there was so much shame and privacy around it that people didn't really give themselves permission to have ceremonies like this," said Kathryn Hamm, an Arlington-based wedding consultant who planned McKee's marriage to partner Nopadon Woods. "[Now] the market is growing as the headlines remain out there."

Unlike the multibillion-dollar traditional wedding industry, experts say the gay wedding business is harder to track. Some estimates place its value at up to $1 billion.

In 2005, gays spent $7.2 million with vendors found at the Rainbow Wedding Network Web site, according to data collected by the site, which publishes a national magazine and hosts wedding expos. That's up from $2.1 million in 2002, according to Cindy Sproul, who co-owns the North Carolina firm.

Sproul estimated gay couples spend about $20,000 on ceremonies in states offering some form of recognition, like Massachusetts and Vermont. Sproul said couples average $15,000 on ceremonies in states that have banned gay marriage such as Georgia, where an annual wedding expo her company hosts draws about 500, mostly black gays and lesbians.

Vinyelle White and Madeline Jones of Richmond spent $4,000 -- a month's worth of their combined income -- on their August ceremony, a homespun affair with handmade invitations.

"It may sound really stupid to say, but why not," said White, who visited gay wedding Web sites before choosing an African-themed wedding. "We're showing this is how much we love each other, whether it's legal or not."

Massachusetts is the only state to date to allow gay marriage. In November, Virginia was one of seven states that approved gay-marriage bans, joining 20 that had done so in previous elections. But other states are moving in the opposite direction: New Jersey's gay couples gained new rights last week when the state legalized same-sex civil unions there.

McKee and Woods invited 200 guests to their black-tie ceremony, followed by a cocktail hour and reception at the Ritz-Carlton in Tysons Corner, Va.

Groomsmen received engraved pocket watches; a bagpiper, pianist and DJ serenaded guests, who dined on caviar and lobster.

McKee used gay wedding books, Web sites and a wedding coordinator to find things like gay-friendly photographers. The ceremony cost half their annual income.

In Virginia, the men were no more legally bound after the lavish wedding than before. Still, they considered it a good investment. "For us, the essence of a marriage is our love," McKee said. "Whether the state honors it is the icing on the cake -- it's not the cake itself."

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Custom-made gifts

Items available for same-sex nuptials:

- Rainbow-bejeweled rings

- Double-bride thank you cards

- "His and His" towel sets