Rainbow Wedding Network co-founder Cindy Sproul noticed an increase in attendance at the organization’s wedding expos after the 2016 presidential election.
“There’s a little more of a sense of urgency, to put it mildly, where [LGBT couples are saying], ‘OK, we shouldn’t put off getting married,’” Sproul said. “‘If this is something we want to do, we should go ahead and think about getting married and making sure we find businesses that are going to support us.’”
On March 5, LGBT couples can find this support at the Rainbow Wedding Network’s “Same Love, Same Rights” LGBT Wedding Expo at the Sheraton Bucks County Hotel. While the organization has staged these expos nationwide since 2003, in 33 states, this is the 10th year it will be held in Bucks County. Sproul said the event will be the organization’s 186th show.
The expo will feature free samples, food, music, raffle prizes and more than 30 LGBT-friendly businesses. Additionally, LGBT legal expert and PGN contributor Angela Giampolo will speak about how couples can protect themselves.
“She makes it so fun, so informative,” Sproul said of Giampolo’s past presentations. “Couples leave [the expo] and are grateful that they’re able to ask her questions.”
Sproul said she will often talk to couples at these expos who mention their experiences at “straight bridal shows.” She said many reference feelings of discomfort when speaking with vendors.
“They will walk up to a vendor and the vendor says, ‘Which one of you is planning and which one of you is the sister or the bridesmaid or the maid of honor?’” Sproul said. “Vendors just cannot wrap their heads around that it might be a lesbian couple that walks up to the table.”
This is not a problem couples deal with at “Same Rights, Same Love.”
Sproul noted that all of the vendors at each expo are supporters of LGBT equality. She said Rainbow Wedding Network only works with businesses who are “100-percent on board” with the cause.
“They are not there just because money screamed,” Sproul said. “They really support the community.”
During the raffle segment of the show, Sproul asks couples to raise their hands if they have been together for longer than 10 or 15 years.
“The couples in the room go crazy for the people that were together for a long time that are planning weddings,” Sproul said. “The couples are coming together and they enjoy being together. It’s a day to celebrate with each other.”
After this segment at the Bucks County show two years ago, one lesbian couple walked away with “much more than what they had originally planned for,” Sproul said.
This couple was in their mid-80s and Sproul asked them how long they had been together because she knew it would be a “good answer.” The couple responded 42 years.
“We started crying,” Sproul said. “We had to stop the expo. Everybody went around and gave them a hug. Every single vendor in that ballroom walked up to them and said, ‘I don’t care what you want. I will provide my services to you free of charge.’”
“It wasn’t because the businesses just wanted the PR for doing that,” Sproul added. “They were so excited for that couple.”
The couple ended up having a small ceremony in a friend’s backyard. An officiant, DJ, florist and caterer, all of whom they met at the expo, provided services to the couple for free. Sproul said she was “so proud” of the vendors for their offers.
“It was the most beautiful moment I think we had in any of the expos,” Sproul said.
Overall, Sproul said the event is for all LGBT couples who are in the planning process of their weddings.
“If you want to meet amazing LGBT-friendly businesses and be in an environment where everyone is welcome, you’ll have a great time,” Sproul said.
Rainbow Wedding Network’s 10th Annual “Same Love, Same Rights” LGBT Wedding Expo in Bucks County will be held 12:30 p.m. March 5 at the Sheraton Bucks County Hotel, 400 N. Oxford Valley Road, Langhorne. Free tickets can be obtained at http://bit.ly/2kXEkIp. Raffle prizes are drawn at approximately 2:15 p.m.