Pink Wedding Days | Gay Marriage and Civil Partnerships Blog

The German Parliament will vote on same-sex marriage tomorrow. President Angela Merkel has announced a free vote on gay marriage meaning party members can vote with their conscience rather than tow the party line. Support for same-sex marriage is high in Germany.  Civil partnerships have been legal there since 2001.  But President Merkel has been reluctant to upset some of the more conservative members of her centre-right coalition government by forcing the issue.   She's voiced concerns, too, about the rights of children in situations where the parents are in a same-sex marriage. Her change of heart is almost entirely political .  Germany will soon be heading to the polls and same-sex marriage would have been the ideal platform for her rivals to challenge her on.  It's easy to be cynical, but this is huge news for  Germany's LGBT community. Some measure of opposition is expected but it's likely the vote will pass.  We'll...

They say love doesn’t cost a thing, but a new survey has revealed that, in fact, an average date night in the UK clocks in at£75, with those in London paying the most of all (£87).  Globally however, a date night in the UK is cheaper than the same date in several other major global cities. An average date night in the UK costs £75 London is the UK’s priciest large city for romance, with an average date costing £87 Cardiff is the UK’s cheapest large city for romance, with an average date costing £48 Globally, the average cost for a date is £68 The most expensive date night worldwide is in Oslo, Norway (£105) and the cheapest is in Bogotá, Columbia (£34) The cost of a date night in the UK A new analysis from premium dating site Elite Singles has delved into the cost of love, revealing that a typical date night in the UK (consisting of a mid-range dinner for two, a shared bottle of wine, two cinema tickets, and an ...

' Wedding season ' sets the average adult back almost £800 , a study found. Research revealed the typical adult will attend three ceremonies this year, spending a total of £266 each time on accommodation, gifts, drinks and travel. Grandparents will end up with the largest bill, around £430, while the best man will end up with a £313 dent in his bank balance. The study also found four in ten have gone over budget at a wedding. However, the value of seeing loved ones walk down the aisle far outweighs the cost for many, with two thirds saying they feel it’s a real honour to be asked to attend a wedding. Paul Stokes of M&S Bank , who commissioned the study of 2,000 adults, said:  “We know the privilege of attending a wedding far outweighs the cost for many of us, but with wedding season totalling nearly £800 on average, we wanted to look at the costs and see where guests could make some savings.” Buying gifts was one of the most ...

Finding the right wedding photographer can be tough. A good photographer does more than just point and click a camera. And choosing the right person for the job requires more thought and effort than just scrolling through images on a website.  Of course, there’s the usual pre-decision checklist to keep in mind: Someone whose work you really like Someone within your budget Someone available for your date Someone able to travel to your venue Someone with good reviews and recommendations BUT You'll also want a photographer that gets you.  Now, that might sound a little new-age or millennial but it’s vital if you want more than just a record of your day. Good photography isn't just record keeping.  It's capturing the essence of the occasion in images that will invoke and colour your memory for many years after the 'I dos'. The only way that you'll get a 'feel' for a photographer is by meeting them and ...

Pride and houmous - has there ever been such a fabulously delicious combination? If you're heading to London Pride and you get peckish in Soho , then this HAS to be where you end up.  The Real Greek , is turning its popular chickpea dip into the colours of the rainbow, in celebration of one of London’s most iconic parades on Saturday 8th of July. For one day only, Londoners who visit the Soho restaurant and request ‘Rainbow Houmous’ will be treated to a delicious plate of the multicoloured chickpea dip, served alongside free crudités. Staying true to The Real Greek’s commitment to premium ingredients sourced largely from Greece and Cyprus, ‘Rainbow Houmous’ is made from fresh, natural ingredients that enhance the flavour of the dish – spinach, yellow pepper and turmeric, red pepper and beetroot – whilst flying the flag for Gay Pride in the heart of Soho. Set to be the most Instagramable dish of the day, the delicious offering is perfect for parad...

Humanism isn't something we were all that familiar with but a high court ruling in Northern Ireland could be of interest to couples both in the LGBT community and outside it.  Humanists UK  has reached out to us with details of Laura Lacole and Eunan O'Kane's bid to have an official humanist wedding ceremony. Humanists Laura Lacole and Eunan O’Kane have been granted legal authority by the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland to have their Humanists UK-accredited humanist celebrant authorised to conduct a legal marriage ceremony. The decision follows a hearing at the court today on  an appeal  by Northern Ireland’s Attorney General, General Register Office, and Department of Finance, against the  landmark High Court ruling  on 9 June which gave legal recognition to humanist marriages. Laura and Eunan’s wedding will be the first legal humanist ceremony in Northern Ireland and the first in the UK outside of Scotland. Laura, a mod...

With less than a month to go, It's time to start thinking about the annual LGBT+ extravaganza that is London Pride .  Need details? One of the best places for up-to-date information is VisitLondon.com There's a dedicated section on their website with lots of details including: Time and location of the parade Transport information Hotel information And even which bars and clubs to visit The theme for London Pride 2017 is   “Love Happens Here” , and we couldn’t think of a better sentiment. Visitpride.com We'll be counting down to London Pride over the coming weeks. If you're going, then we'd love to hear what you're planning to do. 

Wedding favours have moved on from sugared almonds in small netted bags and are now  far more likely to reflect the decor and aesthetic of the individual wedding. But many couples are choosing to ditch wedding favours entirely.  If you're wondering whether favours are worth giving to your guests, then we hope you'll consider giving ones that help charity. You might remember that we wrote about this at the end of last year.  Cancer Research UK is the world's foremost cancer charity  and it's asked British jewellery designer Alex Monroe to create a wedding favour pin badge in her unique style.  The badges are part of a wider range of wedding favours offered by Cancer Research.  Couples are asked the make a donation (£2.50 per badge), which will go towards helping to raise money for the charity's life-saving work.  This beautiful gift goes far beyond the pin itself. We've all had or all will have our lives touched by cancer...