Same-Sex Marriage in New York sets off Waves on Engagements
06-27-11 Special Events
Event: Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage
Where: New York
When: June 24, 2011
Article by: Jose Rolon
According to Yahoo News, waves of gay couples rushed on Saturday to make wedding plans that had been dreams for decades, as euphoria over New York's legalization of same-sex marriage promised to turn a traditional pride parade into an enormous roving engagement party.
In the minutes and hours after the law was passed and signed by Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo late on Friday, sparkling rings were offered and accepted and champagne corks flew to kick off wedding plans likely to add an estimated $284 million to the state's economy, according to a report by the Independent Democratic Conference.
The report estimated more than 21,000 gay and lesbian couples from New York would marry within the first three years and nearly 42,000 gay and lesbian couples from out of state would travel to New York for a "destination wedding."
We at The Foundry couldn’t be more excited! The Foundry has continued to support same-sex ceremonies for the past 10 years, including my very own. Five months before Allison and Julie hired me as the media/event coordinator, my husband and I legally got married in Massachusetts, but had our ceremony at The Foundry on May 15, 2010. Allison and Julie could not have been more accommodating with any concerns we might’ve had. After all, this was new territory for us, and we had to figure which things we enjoyed traditionally, and which things we didn’t. That turned out to be the beauty of The Foundry. It lends itself to create the ceremony you want.
Now couples won’t have to travel out of state to feel like their marriage is legitimate. Same-sex couples can have full legal rights in their own backyard. Regardless of your sexuality, The Foundry, in my opinion, is the best place for anyone to get married if you’re looking for something special and unique.
Friends keep asking if we’re going to have another wedding. Tim and I feel like we’ve already went through the process of choosing a kick-ass caterer (The Raging Skillet), picked our flowers (Verde Flowers), and created our invites (Pancakes and Franks). We’ve tasted our cupcakes (Tonnie’s Minis), posed for our photographer (Michael Rubottom), and danced the night away with DJ Gaza. Most importantly, we’ve already exchanged our vows and expressed our life long commitment to one another in front of our family and friends. Really, all that is left, is to head down to city hall on July 24th, make it legal according to the state of New York, and get myself back to work to help all couples make their dreams come true.