There still exists a myriad of issues that same-sex couples face during the planning of their best LGBTQ wedding which are simply not a worry for hetero couples
Holding a successful and legally-recognized best gay wedding still poses very unique challenges to same-sex couples
Deciding on Who to Invite to Your Best LGBTQ Wedding
Among the most taunting challenges gay couples address when making a decision on who to invite to their wedding is which among their family members and friends will be supportive of their wedding and marriage.
According to Bernadette C. Smith – the founder and president of 14 Stories, a Boston- and New York-based gay-wedding-planning company. Some people won’t mind if their uncle or nephew is in a gay relationship. But will consider a marriage resulting from the same a tandem too far!
Therefore, you need to do a good evaluation of who should really attend this happiest-day-of-your-lives event.
Legal and Social Barriers
As at present, sexual orientation is still not recognized by anti-discrimination laws in about 29 US states. This means that a country club or florist in Texas can refuse to plan a wedding for an LGBT couple because they are gay or transgendered without breaking any anti-discrimination law.
More subtle discrimination could include not returning emails or your phone calls, or a venue becoming booked all of a sudden. Just because the owner has realized that it is a same-sex couple making a booking for their wedding.
So unless it is a hired wedding-planner doing it for you, as same-sex couples, you must always come out to each and every vendor, venue-owner or photographer you contact.
This is so that you are aware of any reservations that they may have against a same-sex wedding.
Smith advises gay couples to try as much as possible to look out for gay-owned businesses for your wedding services.
These vendors speak “your language”, understand your culture and will obviously be more than glad to do a good job for one of their own flock!
Is a Pre-Nuptual Agreement necessary For your Best LGBTQ Wedding?
Maybe, maybe not.
A pre-nuputial agreement is more beneficial to the wealthier spouse. But it can generally help you navigate the tax waters just in case you divorce. Since the Federal Government does not recognize gay marriage as yet, yours is technically a state marriage.
So you should take steps that will avoid transfer taxes in case of split-up.
What about incorporating Religion into Wedding?
Many faiths are obviously anti-gay, but others welcome gay relationships and marriages.
A former Catholic priest, Fr Anthony Adams – who performs wedding ceremonies for same-sex couples in New York – advises God-loving gay couples who want to wed in church to be creative by reinventing the usual symbolic words and gestures to suit your own spirituality.
For instance, you may get a marriage officiator from another faith altogether and come up with your own customized vows but with a skew towards the normal religious ones.
A fairly standard text could also be used i.e. the officiator talks about what God’s marriage covenant means, but only for the man and wife part!
Even Jewish customs could be tweaked to suit gay couples.
For example, have two glasses broken for two Jewish lesbians wedding! What about the man to break the glass if you decide to use one glass? The couple take turns to break the glass together!
Can You Look Beyond the “Bride and Groom” Tradition?
It is true that the wedding industry has been traditionally overly bride-focused. We hear of the bridal party. Contracts and forms refer to the bride and groom while wedding attendees sit on either the bride’s side or groom’s side.
As a gay couple, it is up to you to decide how to break these traditions.
For instance, let it be your personal choice what you choose as your wedding dress. If you are two brides, you can choose to wear two dresses, two suits or a suit for one and a dress for the other.
Two grooms and want to wear full black suits, or one of you wears a white tux and the other a black one, who cares?
It is your wedding and you are at liberty to choose whatever you want!
Since the bride walked down the aisle traditionally, a wedding with two brides or two grooms can be a headache. To avoid the question of who is the bride and who is not, you can just walk down the aisle hand-in-hand.
Or if space allows, just use two aisles!
What about Post Wedding Decisions like a Honeymoon?
Gay marriages are still illegal in some US states and most nations across the world, so deciding on your honeymoon’s destination can get really complicated.
Traveling together as a married couple internationally or in some states in the US will mostly be illegal. This means that you will have to carry with you some extra paperwork that will prove your relationship in case of any medical emergency for example.
This obviously will cost you thousands of dollars in attorney fees.
Couples taking each other’s name or creating a new name together will also find legal barriers hectic.
For example, you may get legally wed in New York but on getting back to Texas, your name change will not be valid by just presenting your marriage license.
You have to go through another legal process via the Texas court system to effect a change of name, obviously more costly and time-consuming.
Your challenges are more complicated if you have children involved. Resulting to extra paperwork, legal fees, second-parent-adoption issues to address,.
You can see for yourself, planning the best gay wedding is not a walk in the park.
All these and other issues will always be there, but you need to stay true to who you really are. Do not subscribe to a low-profile boring wedding if you are not a low-profile boring couple.
Your wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Let it be really fun and express who you are. You have no apologies for being who you are!
Find Gay Love Online!
Gay dating websites are the most effective way to meet single gay men looking for other men. There are thousands of gay partners at the moment who met each other online.
The best part of online gay dating websites is that single men look for long term relationship. Unlike bars or clubs, which most gay singles found there just look for a one night stand.
So, in these modern days, men seeking men online at gay dating websites is popular. In other words, gay online dating for gay men is really working out well. Thousands of gay relationships are created every year.
Gay dating websites are meant for single men looking for men for love and relationship, not just for sex.
There are thousands of single gay men seeking men at these dating sites waiting for you, so take action today and find your ideal match.
What do Gay Dating Websites Do?
Gay dating websites provide the means to help single gay men set up a profile, search for men and interact with each other.
There is also a chat system if you want to chat with each other online. After you message on one another, you can exchange e-mail addresses and communicate.
When you post your personal ads, it is recommended that you include your own photos.
In fact, gay men prefer to search for profiles with pictures.
So, if you don’t have any photo on your profile, then they cannot find you.
The main reason that many gay dating websites have expanded in the last few years is to help gay men seeking other gays online.
As we live in this busy world, the lack of time to go out in search for a date. If you are a gay man, then you should take the opportunity to find your perfect partner online.
Gay dating websites allow you to read each profile carefully before you send out a contact.
You already know his personality in general so you are not nervous when you meet that person face to face.
Gay dating websites allow the same sex singles to meet each other for love and relationship. So, selecting the best sites to join with is a must. There are some totally free gay dating websites that don’t charge membership fee.
Some gay dating websites are free and some charge monthly membership fee.
Usually, most gay men prefer to choose free dating sites to start with since they don’t have to pay any fee.
Free dating websites have the same features as paid sites. The only difference is that free gay dating websites have more members than paid ones because they are free.
Some people think that free sites do not have serious gay men as paid sites. You can use your imagination to figure out if it is true or not.
Gay dating websites are the means to connect you with your potential life partner.
If you are a single gay man, you should take action to find your partner. Gay dating websites have connected thousands of single gay men online nowadays.
When finding love, it is always a good idea to think about finding gay single men online. This is especially the case when it comes to Internet dating.
Some single gay men who try to get into the gay dating community tend to suffer from a great deal of pressure as they are trying so hard to date other singles from different classes or demographics.
The fact is that it is best for gay men to look for love online when they are looking for singles outside their racial boundaries.
One of the best reasons for this case is because gay dating is made to where personals can easily get in touch with one another in a private online environment without worrying about the public judging anyone.
Unfortunately Internet dating is that it is often seen as a suspicious activity in the eyes of some.
However, gay dating is easier to get into when online as it can be done in a place where singles won’t be suspected of anything and are free to know each other in a private environment where there won’t be a great deal of judgment going on in the process.
Keep in mind that it might be easier for people to find each other in closer areas.
Part of the fight that comes with trying to date others is that they often run into singles which are too far away from each other. The key of online gay dating is to find personals which are closer to where they will be easy to date and be of interest with.
Also, online dating allows single gay men to get in touch with each other in a way to where they will have a little more pacing with regards to how they communicate.
One of the biggest problems that often come with dating in the real world involves the need to rush things along in physical settings.
This is particularly a challenge in Internet dating as two singles might struggle to get their feelings in check and talk with each other just to feel positive.
Gay online websites are used to give gay men the opportunity to get to know one another in a better setting.
This can be done without outside pressure and other hassles.
In fact, the online dating world has evolved to where the industry is extremely selective in terms of how singles are to be identified. People can no longer simply apply for sites and just post their information on these places.
They now have to work harder to actually list themselves and their details while also participating in multimedia chat sessions with other singles to make them heard.
Internet dating is certainly a great thing for gay men who are looking for love as it expands the horizons that singles often get into when trying to find other singles.
Today, a large number of people visit the online dating and social networking sites to look for people of same sex.
Being a gay man is no longer a tabooed topic on the online world and that is the reason, many websites have come to help people for finding a partner of same sex.
As several online websites are offering gay dating options, many people are interested to know how men are searching for men at free gay dating websites.
Gay Dating Websites
There are several gay dating websites and it is indeed a tricky task to find which websites are reliable for this purpose.
That is why many people have a common question how men are looking for men at these free gay dating sites and which are they?
It is true that finding the best gay dating website at the first chance is a tricky task but that does not mean it is impossible. Where there is a will, there is always a way, as we say.
If a young and sexy man was looking for an equally bold and charming man on a gay dating site, he would meet his search. But to find the desired search results, one needs to spend some time for searching the best gay dating website.
As you all know, Internet hosts multiple scam sites that want to make an improper use of people’s money as well as personal information.
Therefore, you should be careful about the website that you are selecting by checking all the necessary details to know about its authenticity.
When you are searching for a free gay dating website, you should check the terms and conditions of the site thoroughly.
Many free gay dating websites would ask for your credit card or debit card number for registering your name.
It is always better to avoid them and check for the websites that do not require any such details. Many scam gay dating websites make improper use of your financial details and so you end up giving a large sum amount of money for nothing.
Therefore, it is always suggested not to provide your financial details to the dating sites if you want to date for free.
When you are searching for a free gay dating website, you should carefully check each and every guideline and rule of the gay dating websites. This will help you in avoiding any troubles or legal issues later.
If you are new to online gay dating websites, it is always recommended to opt for a user friendly free website.
By opting for a user friendly chatting site, it would be easier for you to find the man of your fantasies easily. The simple features of the user friendly chatting websites, would give you an excellent experience of chatting on the Internet.
By chatting on the online gay dating websites, you might not only find a good friend but you can also find your future partner.
Meet PJ Weir, former Gay Exchange stalwart and gay rights advocate. Now caring for his mother in Queensland, he reflects on a decade of LGBTQ+ activism.