Pink Wedding Days | Gay Marriage and Civil Partnerships Blog

Looking for a personal, unique and fun wedding gift for someone you know? Then keep reading, because we're really excited about the wedding book of everyone... Our society used to be very conservative in its views on marriage. There was the correct way to conduct courtships and pre-marital relationships and then there were the other (less forgiving) ways.  Couples didn't live together until after they were married. For most women, the only way out of the family home was to take a husband. Smaller incomes, too, meant that there was but a slim chance for singletons to establish a home of their own without a partner.  It sounds old fashioned, but if you're over the age of thirty, then it probably sounds like a scenario that's familiar to your family . Perhaps it wasn't your parents' situation, but it will most likely resemble the framework under which your grandparents and great-grandparents started married life.  Day one of marriage, therefore...

On Friday, the people of Ireland voted in favour of same-sex marriage, and we couldn’t be happier! Opinion polls had always put the Yes campaign ahead, but it’s never over until the votes are in and counted.  The result means that the Republic of Ireland is the first country in the world to legalise gay marriage by public vote.  And the vote wasn’t even close. The BBC website reported that 1,201,607 voted in favour of same-sex marriage, and 734,300 against. Support in favour, therefore, was about 62%. Not bad for a country that only decriminalised homosexuality 22 years ago. What’s more, Ireland’s long relationship with the Catholic Church could have made this vote far closer, but it didn’t. The rate of progression in Ireland on the issue of homosexuality is something that should be a beacon of hope to other countries.  Of course, nowhere is this now more noticeable than over the border in Northern Ireland . Despite constant campaigning by pro-equal marr...

Recently, I was invited to the 30 th birthday party of a very close friend of mine. As ever with Mike, there's a theme and this year it’s everyone at 80 : we’re all going to be dressed up as ourselves in the year 2065. Now, Mike is a bit of an expert when it comes to throwing fancy dress parties, so I know that whatever I pick to go as it had better be good . We have a joke – which is also not a joke – that if the costume  isn't  good enough then he won’t let you past the front door. I guess a bit of talcum powder and an  over-sized  cardigan just won’t cut it. Maybe it’s because I write for this blog or maybe it’s because everyone I know seems to be obsessed with getting married at the moment, but  I've  had an idea for a wedding themed costume. Now, I love a good wedding, and I enjoy writing about them, but I am just about the least likely person of anyone I know to even entertain the idea of getting married. I’m selfish, stubborn an...

What is Ireland voting for? On May 22nd 2015, The Republic of Ireland will vote on whether or not to allow gay marriage. If the country votes Yes , then Ireland will become the first country in the world to have passed equal marriage by public vote. Who looks set to win? Votes like this are notoriously difficult to call, and Ireland has a precedent for unexpected last minute results.  Since the referendum was first announced in November 2013, the Yes campaign have consistently been placed ahead of the Nos  with around 75% of the vote.  However, the margin between the two might very well be smaller than first thought. Throughout the media, there has been widespread reports of a  'silent vote against equal marriage' within rural communities where inhabitants tend to be more conservative in their thinking. Equally,  we know that support for equal marriage does drop off  in the over 60s age bracket and that these are the people far ...

A year after holding its first gay pride, Cyprus looks set to say I do to civil  partnerships.  The bill will still need to pass through Parliament in order to become law , but the approval of the cabinet has added valuable momentum. This was the second time that the Government had tried to bring the issue to Parliament. Previously, an attempt to legislate civil partnerships was scrapped amid fears that the Government was being  loose with legal procedure.  Here in the UK, we've enjoyed civil partnerships now for over a decade, and we've seen first hand how important they are not only to the individual couples who have them, but also in the momentum they create for a greater, deeper acceptance of homosexuality and same-sex relationships.  At the end of the day, gay people aren't trying to smash institutions, break down age-old belief systems or alter the fabric of society (although, sometimes wouldn't that be nice?) , they're trying t...

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On May 22nd The Republic of Ireland is voting in a referendum to decide whether or not it will legalise gay marriage.  For months now, most polls have put the Yes campaign ahead. However, these things are notoriously difficult to call. No one in the Yes campaign will be celebrating until the votes are in, the numbers counted and the results announced.  It's a tough wait for same-sex couples: to know that there is a chance that the vote might come back with a resounding no, thanks.   Here at Pink Wedding Days we're hoping for an emphatic yes, because we've seen first hand how important the Equal Marriage Act  has been to so many couples. We've also seen how frustrating it has been for same-sex couples living in Northern Ireland,  where even the possibility of a referendum seems a very long way off. But all this talk of Ireland got us thinking, (and we're  certainly not trying to jump the gun here) but we've been wondering about Gaelic wedd...