Pink Wedding Days | Gay Marriage and Civil Partnerships Blog

June 1 st is the start of Pride Month and Barnardo’s is keen to hear from any LGBT couples interested in being foster carers to vulnerable children.   We think this is such an important topic and when we read Stephen and Wayne’s story we knew we had to share it with our readers. Stephen and Wayne White describe fostering through Barnardo’s as “the best thing we’ve ever done”. Stephen, a 34-year-old manager, and Wayne, a 30-year-old part-time care-worker, live in Coleshill in Warwickshire. They were approved for fostering in December and it was just a few weeks later that they were introduced to a young boy, Thomas (not his real name), now aged eleven. Stephen said: “We both come from large families where several of our own relatives had been fostered or adopted and we always considered them to be genuine members of our family - they were simply our aunts, uncles or cousins. “So, when the time was right, we started to do a lot of research into foste...

Taiwan has legalised gay marriage just days before the end of a two-year deadline set by the Constitutional Court.   Taiwan is now the first country in Asia to allow same-sex marriage with campaigners hopeful that it could spur neighbouring countries in the region to follow suit. In May 2017, Taiwan’s Constitutional Court had ruled that any ban on equal marriage was unconstitutional.   Up until that point, the law had been clear: marriage was between a man and a woman only.  The Court gave the Government two years either to update the pre-existing law or to create a new one. A referendum in November 2018, however, showed that most people in Taiwan didn’t actually believe in guaranteeing rights for LGBTQ couples on the island.  It put the Government in a rather difficult situation: between the proverbial rock and hard place and caught or rather between the people’s vote on the issue and the demands of the Constitutional Court.  Despite t...

Creating a wedding hashtag for a ceremony and reception isn’t every couple’s cup of tea but is it really so ridiculous when most of us use social media to document and organise our lives anyway.  Gay wedding hashtags are one example of how same-sex couples are creating new traditions.  Planning a wedding when you’re LGBTQ often means navigating heterosexual customs and gender-based norms.  This is one way that couples (gay or otherwise) can embrace modernity and add a bit of fun to their ceremony and reception. Customising a hashtag for friends and family to follow across social media platforms is bound to raise an eyebrow with some guests who may feel that it’s a bit soulless, tacky or narcissistic BUT hashtags are so helpful in curating photographs taken throughout the day.   It’s great for the happy couple to search back through, too, and see a different side of the celebrations: a guest’s eye-view.    Another reason that it’s popul...

There’s a gorgeous wedding venue in Lincolnshire .   It’s called the Poachers Country Hotel in Boston and we think it should be TOP of your must-visit list. The Poachers Country Hotel prides itself on its individual approach to wedding ceremonies and receptions. All budgets and tastes are catered for with this warm and welcoming venue boasting a 19 th century bar area and function suite catering for up to 110 formal diners and receptions of up to 200 people . A complimentary overnight stay is included for all couples. Things We LOVE about the Poachers Country Hotel Its large function suite with state-of-the-art fibre starlight optics. The sumptuous food made from locally sourced produce The garden house marquee set in landscaped gardens The small, dedicated and talented team who are eager to help facilitate the wedding you’ve dreamed of. The emphasis on individual wedding planning rather than a cookie-cutter approach. Civil marriag...