The LGBT Wedding Expo comes to Denver this Sunday, August 22 from 1-4 p.m. in the beautiful Magnolia Hotel. The event is free to the public and over 30 LGBT and LGBT-friendly wedding professionals will participate as exhibitors and there will be music, samples, seminars, and everything you and your partner could want or need to plan the wedding ceremony of your dreams.
I had the chance to chat with Marianne Puechl and Cindy Sproul, organizers of the event as well as the founders of RainbowWeddingNetwork.com to find out what attendees of the Expo can expect, their top wedding planning tips, and who their favorite gay married couple of all time is and here's what they had to say:
I had the chance to chat with Marianne Puechl and Cindy Sproul, organizers of the event as well as the founders of RainbowWeddingNetwork.com to find out what attendees of the Expo can expect, their top wedding planning tips, and who their favorite gay married couple of all time is and here's what they had to say:
Drew: Where did the idea for the LGBT Wedding Expo come about and why do we need one?
Marianne and Cindy: Back in 2000, we launched RainbowWeddingNetwork.com as a wedding resource for LGBT couples. Specifically, the site offered the first and, at that time, the only wedding gift registry specifically dedicated to same-gender couples, as well as an extensive online directory of screened, lgbt-friendly wedding, travel, gift, family and home-related businesses. It was our goal to become as broad in scope as we could, in offering LGBT couples throughout America the resources needed to plan an ideal ceremony free from discrimination. We didn’t want anyone to deal with being cursed out or hung up on or ignored when trying to plan such a joyful and sacred occasion.
As our company expanded, it was natural to offer the LGBT Wedding Expos. Our first was held in Minneapolis in November 2003. At that time, there had only ever been a handful of such events in a few places throughout the country... obviously this was an untapped niche! In 2004 we produced events in Massachusetts two weeks prior to the same-sex marriage legislation being enacted in that state, and one in San Francisco just a week after Gavin Newsom’s landmark marriages were over-turned. It was such a historic time! We quickly found that our LGBT Wedding Expos were not only fun and productive in bridging couples with gay-friendly business professionals... but they also served as an ideal way to provide a refreshed sense of legitimization for our community, around the issue of equal rights. The name of our events, ‘Same Love, Same Rights’® LGBT Wedding Expos stuck permanently.
Here in Colorado, events like this one are necessary because they bring the issues into the public eye. This serves to educate the public about the facts surrounding LGBT marriage rights... and it also serves to support the local LGBT community in feeling legitimized and empowered. From many of our Expos, couples (as well as singles and straight allies) have walked away finding a renewed motivation to get involved or re-involved with the issue of marriage and family rights, either on a broad scale or at the grassroots level.
Obviously, most American divorce statistics don’t include same-gender relationships! I think weddings still matter to the LGBT minority because,as of right now, we are denied this right. In a nation that was founded on equal rights for all citizens, this is simply unacceptable. Whether you wish to marry your partner or not, the issue is about equal access to the law.
This issue should be important too to all our advocates as well; in fact, to all Americans. When one minority is denied its rights simply because the majority deems those rights unacceptable, it potentially threatens everyone’s liberties.
Time, communication, and finding ways to include family and guest to participation at some level in the ceremony.
A) Time: We always suggest that couples take their time making the decision to marry... and take their time planning their ideal ceremony. Enjoy these special moments in your lives! We have all worked too hard for marriage rights to take the events lightly and I think same-gender couples truly don’t want to spike with high divorce rates - not after working so hard to obtain marriage equality!
B) Open and honest communication is key for planning a perfect wedding. Such occasions bring out strong emotions and it’s important for the two people involved to listen to one another with respect and to work together to create a ceremony that is inclusive of both their perspectives, spiritual ideals, favorite traditions, etc. A skilled officiant or wedding planner can help make sure this happens as successfully as possible. Having several months or a year (or more) to plan can also help with keeping couples a little less stressed in terms of cooperating with each other as the give-and-take becomes necessary with hashing out those ongoing details for the ceremony and reception.
C) For most of your ceremony guests, this event will be the first gay or lesbian wedding they have ever attended. Yes, the day is all about you & your partner!... but at the same time, it is a wonderful gift to be able to set your guests at ease and help them to fully enjoy the festivities. This can be done in a variety of ways: from casually having your caterer offer everyone sparkling water, champagne or wine upon their arrival for the ceremony... to being sure to ask your father if he would like to walk his daughter down the aisle to meet her wife-to-be there at the altar... to including several family members or friends in offering special readings during the ceremony... or asking for Mom’s involvement in helping to find just the right “something old or something blue” to add into the occasion... Or having thank-you cards placed at each reception table inscribed with a personal note such as “We truly appreciate that you chose to join us for our Special Day! It means so much... Love, Joshua & Ty”No matter how long you and your partner have been together, or how accepting your family has been, getting married takes the reality of your relationship to another level. This makes you and your fiancĂ©e nervous, of course!... but it also can make family and friends a little nervous too. So, take time to find ways to set them at ease, and while they may not verbally thank you for it, they will show their appreciation by being more relaxed and having more fun at the wedding!
How does the recent rulings in California (Prop. 8, overturning Prop. 8, postponing of gay marriage) color the mood or mission of the Expo, if at all?
Yes, the very recent decision to continue the stay on same-gender marriages in California certainly is disheartening. On a personal level, I think all 19 million gays and lesbians across America feel somewhat soured by the latest news. However, as my partner Marianne and I comment in our upcoming book “My Dangerous Commute – Witnessing Gay Marriage Rights Across America”... From the book, I quote: “Sharp opposition helps to define that which it opposes. It chisels away the chaff, revealing clearer outlines of the underlying masterpiece yet-to-be. Were it not for the stance of the conservatives on this issue, would the gay marriage movement have come so far this past decade? There’s reason to wonder.”
So I really do believe that the news from California this past week will only serve to strengthen our cause in the long-run. Ultimately, as we all know, equal rights will prevail. It’s only a matter of time.
So I really do believe that the news from California this past week will only serve to strengthen our cause in the long-run. Ultimately, as we all know, equal rights will prevail. It’s only a matter of time.
Who are your favorite gay married celebrity couples and why?
Del Martin & Phyllis Lyon – their vision and commitment never cease to inspire.
There are several couples in recent years who have been willing to stay very active with the marriage rights movement... These are not necessarily celeb/s but they are vitally important and it is their work, their persistence and their hearts that really stand out. Despite all the ugliness from opponents to gay marriage, these couples remain strong and undaunted. They keep choosing to believe in love, even though hatred is spouted all around them.
Why should readers of MileHighGayGuy.com come to the LGBT Wedding Expo?
Anyone who believes in marriage & family equality ought to join us in Denver on August 22. We should all support such events in order to more fully coalesce as a community. The LGBT Wedding Expo is for couples planning their ceremonies, yes, but it is also a forum in which singles and allies can network with travel and family-related businesses... as well as with other advocates of equal rights. Communicating & celebrating with each other during these historic times, as we all strive for equality, is imperative to the cause!
