The “Same Love, Same Rights” LGBT Wedding Expo is returning to the region March 6 at the Sheraton Bucks County Hotel.
The annual event by the Rainbow Wedding Network brings together more than 30 LGBT-friendly wedding professionals and vendors to help couples plan their big days.
Rainbow Wedding Network co-founder Cindy Sproul said the organization has hosted numerous wedding expos nationally for the last 16 years. The group produces about 30 shows per year nationwide.
“We have produced these events all over the country. We’ve produced over 150 events in 30 different states. This will be our ninth-annual Bucks County show,” Sproul said, noting her organization was staging the expos long before marriage equality hit the mainstream. “We were doing this well before it was trendy. We have seen an increase in the number of couples that are attending the show as well as the amount of businesses that want to participate in shows.”
Over the years, the expos have helped LGBT-friendly wedding professionals connect with couples face to face, instead of having to rely on the Internet or word of mouth.
“The businesses that tend to participate in expos are usually local DJs, photographers, caterers, banquet facilities, hotels, country clubs and other businesses,” she said. “That hasn’t changed so much. In the earlier years, we would talk to businesses and they would tell us, ‘Oh, I’ve been providing my services for LGBT couples forever. We just kind of kept it quiet and my name would spread around the community.’ So I think it was quieter in the earlier days. Now companies don’t feel like they have to keep that quiet anymore. They can say on their websites and marketing material that they welcome all couples. Most of our exhibitors in Bucks County have been with us all nine years. They find that our events are productive for them.”
Sproul said that whenever same-sex marriage became legal in a state, the number of vendors and couples at that state’s expos would increase.
“When a new state would offer marriage equality, we would see a bump,” she said. “We would see that regionally. But when the Supreme Court ruled for marriage equality, we saw a big bump in the later part of 2015.”
Sproul added that besides vendors and wedding-planning professionals, the expos also offer the opportunity for legal advice. At the Bucks County event, local attorney Angela Giampolo will walk couples through the legal ins and outs of marriage.
“Not only is she there as an exhibitor, but Angela, since we’ve done the show, has talked to the couples. It’s been so great with the evolution because, at first, it was, ‘OK, we can’t get married anywhere. But here’s how you need to protect yourself as a couple. You need to do a will and you need to do power of attorney.’ She would go through these steps on why it was important. Then it got to the point when New Jersey allowed civil unions. So we’ve had this whole evolution with Angela. Last March, when we were there, we talked a lot about, ‘OK, now you’re married in Pennsylvania, but if you drive through Georgia and you get hit by a bus, you’re not married.’ Now we’re going to be able to say, ‘We’re married everywhere.’ She will address the crowd and talk about different issues that are now going on. The couples love her and they really enjoy that part of the expo because they get some form of advice.”
With marriage equality nationwide, more businesses are coming to the gay wedding table, but the Rainbow Wedding Network has always made efforts to filter out the businesses that are looking to be opportunistic from those that truly support LGBT rights.
“Early on, we would ask them things like, ‘Have you ever provided your services for an LGBT couple?’” she said. “And if they say, ‘No, but I’ve always wanted to get into this business.’ Well, why do you want to get into this business? Is it because money is green? We would turn away some businesses because they might say, ‘Well, I’m willing to work with a lesbian couple but I’m not comfortable with two men.’ We’d say I’m sorry but that’s not good enough. Also very important for us is who was going to be attending the event on behalf of the company. Will it be the owner or an employee of the company? How do your employees feel about working with an LGBT couple? We’ve been online for 16 years and we were the first LGBT wedding resource available online. Since our launch until now, we’ve only had a handful of complaints from couples that have hired businesses online. We’ve never had a complaint from a couple that has hired a business from our expos.”
The Rainbow Wedding Network presents the Bucks County Wedding Expo 12:30-3:30 p.m. March 6 at the Sheraton Bucks County Hotel, 400 N. Oxford Valley Road, Langhorne. For more information, visit www.rainbowweddingnetwork.com.
