How to Find Gay-Friendly Vendors

It's easier than ever to find gay-owned and gay-friendly wedding professionals to help you with your wedding plans. One of the challenges, however, is that not all those people who list themselves in a gay wedding directory website are, in fact, gay friendly. Most of those sites don't actually screen the vendors who are listed...anyone can pay to get up there!

My favorite place to find gay-friendly wedding vendors is on the Gay Wedding Institute site, which actually has a list of everyone who has been trained and certified by me! Now, I don't list the website or company name of those who have graduated from the program because the certification is per person, not per company, and if the person changes jobs, I can't keep track of all that!

Other places are So You're EnGAYged.com and A Vote and a Vow.com, both of which have rigorous screening processes in order to be accepted. And they don't charge any money so yo know if they're accepted, they are very good! On the 14 Stories app, the vendor directory there is connected to So You're EnGAYged.com.

Finally, when you start to look through wedding blogs like the two above and also A Bicycle Built for Two and EquallyWed.com, you can see the professionals that those "Real Wedding" couples have used!

Don't forget to come out right away when you email or call these people - otherwise you might waste your time talking to someone who is not a good fit for you!

photo by Kat Hempel

Lesbian Wedding Suits and Tuxes

Photo by Infinity Portrait Design

For years I’d watched my clients struggle to figure out what to wear to their gay wedding.  My many lesbian and queer clients who wanted to wear a suit or tux were faced with three bad options:  hunt around on the internet and in department stores; buy a man’s suit and have it tailored to fit their body; or have a custom suit made. I struggled with this myself when planning my own wedding to Jen and I’m sure many of you know exactly what I’m talking about.    For years I wanted to solve this problem (except I’m not a fashion designer!) 14 Stories is proud to introduce Fourteen, a line of ready to wear suits, tuxes and accessories especially for lesbian, queer and trans weddings.

Fourteen is the first line of ready to wear garments specifically for this market.  Shirts, jackets, pants, ties, vests and more are for sale now on www.FourteenStyle.com. In the Fourteen clothing line, jackets and shirts have smaller armholes and shorter arm lengths, as well as a shorter torso measurement.  Necklines and shirt cuffs are modified, more bust room added where needed, all without sacrificing design and style.   All of our clothes were tested on and designed with the consultations of real life lesbians, queers and transmen.

Fourteen is designed by Miami-based clothing designer (and my business partner) Marialexandra Garcia.  Marialexandra is a renowned and award winning fashion designer based in Miami.  She led her eponymous design company to sales in over 60 US specialty stores and major retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue.  Check us out www.FourteenStyle.com

How to Get Married in Maryland, Washington and Maine!

 

(photo by Kristin Korpos)

Now that marriage equality is the law in Maryland, Maine and Washington, here's the rundown on how to get married (note:  you must be 18).  Now, go gay weddings!!!

Maryland

• First date to apply:  January 2, 2013
• Waiting Period: 48 hours after license is issued
• Witnesses:  None
• Blood Test:  None
• Divorce Decree Required:  Yes
• Fee:  $35 and up
• Where to Apply:  Circuit Court's office in the county in which you plan to marry

Maine

• First date to apply:  December 6, 2012
• Waiting Period:  None
• Witnesses:  None
• Blood Test:  None
• Divorce Decree Required:  Yes
• Fee:  $20
• Where to Apply:  Town hall where one of the residents live, or if an out of state couple, any town hall.

Washington

• First date to apply:  December 6, 2012
• Waiting Period: 3 days after license is issued
• Witnesses:  2
• Blood Test:  None
• Divorce Decree Required:  No
• Fee:  $35 and up
• Where to Apply:  County Auditor's office

Ask the Wedding Planner

I wanted to make myself available to answer any of your wedding planning questions! I've been planning gay weddings for about 8 years now and have pretty much seen it all! I'd love to answer whatever questions you may have about your big day!

Please leave any questions in the comments and I'll respond in an upcoming post, or email me your question and I'll answer it promptly!

Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Wedding Photographer

Wedding photography is a huge investment but after the wedding is over, the photos remain. It's important to choose the right photographer, not only someone whose personality clicks with yours, but also someone who you trust. As you interview wedding photographers, be sure to ask the following questions:

* Have you shot a gay wedding before?

* How would you describe your style?

* How many photos do you shoot at a typical wedding?

* Do we get proofs of the images?

* Are proofs digital proofs or paper proofs?

* What level of editing do you provide photos before we receive them? Do you do color correction, crop out EXIT signs, and the like?

* Do we get full use of high-resolution images after the wedding?

* Do we book an album through you or can we make our own?

* How long does it take for you to give us the high-resolution wedding photos?

* How long does it take for you to produce an album?

* What is your backup plan in case of emergency?

* Do you offer an assistant and if so, for what price?

* Do you offer an engagement photo shoot and if so, for what price?

* How many weddings do you shoot in a weekend?

* How is your pricing structured?

Enjoy the process of looking through the portfolio of wedding photographers - you may find inspiration for you own weddings!

Who did you choose to be your wedding photographer?

Provincetown Weddings

What's not to love about Provincetown? Same-sex marriage is fully legal there. It has great beaches, fantastic restaurants and a rich nightlife and art scene.

There are tons of inns and bed and breakfasts for every budget and your guests can easily turn your wedding into a vacation.

I plan a bunch of weddings in Ptown every year and it's one of my favorite places for a wedding. The vibe is so casual but you can also do a really elegant wedding. We do a lot of elegant-beachy weddings, like my brides Gail and Paula, to the left. They were married at The Red Inn.

My only word of warning: July and August are peak months in Ptown and many inns require 5 night minimum stays. The Red Inn and some of Ptown's other wedding venues won't offer their spaces for weddings during those months.

Photo by Julia Cumes

Restaurant Weddings

Over the weekend, I had a small gay wedding with 30 guests at a restaurant in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was great! Ceremony and cocktail hour were held in the outdoor patio area before the restaurant was open for dinner. Then the brides and their guests ate dinner in the restaurant's private dining room.

Restaurant weddings can bring you the best of everything: a cool space that doesn't need a lot of decorating; delicious, seasonal food; and great cocktails! Typically restaurant wedding require a food and beverage minimum (if held in a private dining room) or a flat fee restaurant buyout rate (if you take over the entire restaurant).

Is your wedding being held in a restaurant?

Photo by Kristin Korpos