Pink Wedding Days | Gay Marriage and Civil Partnerships Blog

Today's post is more of a call to action than anything else. We're asking anyone who reads this blog to PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE take 2 minutes to sign this . Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is trying to add an anti-gay clause to the country's current equality laws. The clause is designed to protect those who feel any  endorsement of same-sex relationships would be a violation of a personal belief system or faith. When they say ' endorsement'  they're not talking about active endorsement. They're talking about commercial endorsement: between a business or service provider and the customer. In simple terms, it means that a gay couple could be refused service in a restaurant. It means that they could be asked to leave a hotel or be forced to look elsewhere for somewhere to live. It stems from the current court battle between  Ashers Baking Company and The Equality Commission . Last year, when a customer asked Ashers to bake ...

So, you've found the PERFECT venue for your civil partnership or marriage. The only problem? It isn't licensed to perform them. You have two options in this scenario. The easiest way to do this is to get the legal bit done separately . If you and your partner go with two witnesses to a registry office, then you can get "married" in a matter of minutes. You're then free to have the actual ceremony wherever and whenever you want. We've written about this here , and it's the best option for couples who want to marry outdoors, in unusual places or even in their own homes. You can hire a celebrant who will personalise the ceremony for you, too. The second option is to work with the venue and apply for a grant of approval from the local council. You'll need to tell them the rooms that you're intending to use within the building by sending them a plan. The council will then decide whether or not the venue is formal enough to deserve a lic...

Don't you just love it when something drops into your inbox at exactly the right time It makes a change from Russian webcam girls (Love you really, Natalya) and PPI spam. The office is going to be pretty quiet next week. We'll still be checking emails, Facebook and Twitter, but we won't have chance to post anything new.  Cue a lot of scratting around trying to find something to use.   Yeah, yeah, yeah - I know, we bang on about how important wedding organisation is and then we leave a wedding post to the last minute... We get a lot of press releases and, most of the time, they're either unsuitable or just not in keeping with the blog. It's difficult to know what to pass on when you don't have the product yourself.  And the wedding industry is very effective when it comes to taking your money. Having your perfect day can ( and often does) come at a premium. If you're familiar with some of the stuff of Etsy , then you'll know wh...

From March 2nd 2015, the notice period for marriage is changing.  We've put together a quick fire guide to explain the what , the when and the why . It's not a massive change, but it does affect everyone. Understanding the legal side to wedding planning is both necessary and bum-numbingly dull. But it is important. It's more important than seating plans, guest lists and chocolate fountains , and it's definitely more important that cataloging your iTunes library into first dance mix-tapes . What's happening? Currently, couples have to give at least 14 days notice before the wedding. This is as true of civil ceremonies as it is marriage or civil partnership. You can't just turn up and get married on the day.  From March 2nd 2015, this is being extended to 28 day s notice. Again, this applies to civil and religious ceremonies as well as civil partnerships.  Okay, what if I'm getting married BEFORE March 2nd 2015? It...

1. Drone wedding photos and videos Get a fresh new angle on your big day by taking advantage of new drone technology. The aerial camera can allow you to get creative and make sure that no one is left out of your wedding snaps (there is always one). Reaching new heights, the drone will also allow you even more opportunity to make sure that your fab wedding location is captured in all its glory. The grounds here at Bridwell would make the perfect backdrop, with over 100 acres of 18th-century parkland, woodland and an ornamental lake. Think it’ll cost you the earth, think again - a good drone will set you back as little as £75. http://www.bridwell.co.uk/venue-park.php 2. Would you App-reciate some help? Staying with the technology theme and really showing off your technical savvy – apps can help the busiest bride-to-be stay on track, as well as giving you some priceless inspiration. TaskRabbit can link you with people in your area who have the experience, or sim...

Tradition is becoming less, well , traditional. Thankfully, much of what was once marriage lore is now entirely optional . This is especially true for gay couples who, let's face it, have only had a year at this marriage business. Until the mid-nineties, even opposite-sex couples only had the option of a ceremony in a church or registry office. We take it for granted now, but there used to be some serious restrictions in the wedding industry. White dresses, bridesmaids, best man, fruit cake, confetti, garters, speeches, sit down meals blah-blah... There wasn't much that set weddings apart, not really. Think back to some of the weddings that you might have attended in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Of course, disposable income does play a role in this, too, but it's fair to say that modern marriages start off with ceremonies that reflect the freedom of our time. Get married in a zoo dressed as Adam Ant if you fancy it. Have a celebrant on a unicycle if that floats your b...

The Irish Minister for Heath has announced he's gay on Irish morning radio.  Leo Varadkar , who is a member of the Fine Gael Party, wanted the public announcement to highlight that, as a minister, he, too,  is impacted by current laws prohibiting equality in Ireland: equal marriage; blood donation etc. Both these things will feature on the Irish political agenda for 2015. In May, the Irish public will vote in a referendum that will decide whether the country legalises gay marriage. Mr Varadkar admits that his decision to come out publically will reflect in his support for the yes campaign. Additionally, he said that, whilst he was not frightened about coming out, he was worried that he had now made a target of himself.  We'll have an expanded post on this tomorrow. You can listen to the broadcast on the RTE website.

Stephen Fry  has married fiancee, Elliot Spencer, at a small private ceremony in Dereham, Norfolk.  The pair, who had only recently announced their engagement, broke the news via   Fry's Twitter page.  We'll update this post as soon as there are more details.  In the meantime, we'd like to wish them both our very best . There's been so much violence, sadness and anger in the news recently that it's lovely to see two people in love getting hitched.  Congratulations to them and to everyone else who got married this weekend. 

Vietnam has lifted its ban on gay marriage. This isn't the same as making it legal. The Government will not recognise the marriage, and there will be  no legal protection in the event of a separation or in the death of a spouse. This is good news, however. Especially for Vietnamese same-sex couples and foreign LGBT tourists. Positive LGBT stories from South-East Asia can feel few and far between. Financially, the decision is a sound one. Like many countries, Vietnam wants more foreign tourists, and this isn't easy in a competitive region that includes Singapore, Thailand and Cambodia. Economically speaking, recent years have not been kind to Vietnam, and the country has few options if it is to set itself apart from its rivals. Tapping into the LGBT travel market  could be a shrewd move. Presently, homosexual relationships are illegal in Singapore, Burma and Malaysia and gay marriage is illegal in Cambodia, East Timor, Laos, Philippines and Thailand. So there's...

Northern Ireland's marriage law will be challenged in Belfast high court this week. Northern Ireland is now the only part of the UK that does not recognise gay marriage. England and Wales welcomed its first gay marriages in March with Scotland having followed in December . Civil partnerships may have been legal in Northern Ireland since 2005, but, presently, there are no plans to introduce same-sex marriages. We reported last week that Amnesty International were planning to launch a legal bid, too. For many LGBT campaigners, the current lack of legislation contravenes both UK and European law. Equal marriage advocates believe very strongly that gay people should have the same legal rights as everyone else. One couple, however, are planning their own legal challenge. Married in England, but now living in Northern Ireland, the pair are not recognised as a married couple by the Northern Ireland Government. They believe this is unfair, and they are not alone. In February 20...

We've been away over the Christmas and New Year break, but marriage equality hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. Here's a quick rundown of what you might have missed over the festive period: 1. On December 31st, Scotland legalised gay marriage . Equal marital rights are now offered to both same and opposite-sex couples. Made minutes after midnight, one of the first ceremonies had Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, acting as a witness. 2. On January 1st, Luxembourg hosted its first gay wedding. Incidentally, the first couple married that day were also the first to enter into a civil partnership back in 2004. 3. Florida, too. On January 6th, it became the 36th US state to legalise same-sex marriage when the judicial bar that denied couples the right to marry, expired. 4. Cast your mind back before Christmas and you might remember that Elton John married his long-term partner David Furnish. Taking advantage of changes to the law, the couple conver...

Congratulations, Scotland! Gay marriage is now legal.  It brings Scotland into line with England and Wales and means that we should see the first Scottish same-sex marriages on December 31st 2014 (there's a 15 day notice period). Scottish couples already in a civil partnership will be able to convert to marriage from today, too. And the process will be free until December 2015. We should be congratulating Luxembourg , too. The small, landlocked European nation is due to legalise same-sex marriages on January 1st 2015. So slowly , we are getting there. Scotland (2014) England and Wales (2013) February 2014. Brazil (2013) France (2013) New Zealand (2013) Uruguay (2013) Denmark (2012) Argentina (2010) Portugal (2010) Iceland (2010) Sweden (2009) Norway (2009) South Africa (2006) Spain (2005) Canada (2005) Belgium (2003) The Netherlands (2000) We'd like to send our best wishes to all the couples north of the border. If you're planning a weddin...

It's been over 8 months now since we celebrated the first gay weddings in England and Wales . March 29th might be a way behind us now, but it isn't the only landmark that we'll be celebrating in 2014.  From tomorrow (December 10th 2014), gay couples in England and Wales will be able convert their civil partnerships to marriage. We've gathered together a set of FAQs to help explain exactly what you can expect during the process. When can we convert our civil partnership to marriage? Conversions can take place anytime after Wednesday December 10th 2014 . If you haven't already, you'll need to book an appointment with a registrar. How much will a conversion cost? Conversions will cost £45 . However, if  your civil partnership took place before March 29th 2014 then you'll have until December 9th 2015 to convert it to marriage for free .  Why is it free for some couples? Civil partnerships have been legal in the UK since 2005 , bu...

On Friday November 28th , Finland became the last Nordic country to legalise gay marriage. It means that Finland is now the twelfth European country to accept that marriage should not be gender specific. Considering how progressive the rest of Scandinavia has been on the issue it's come as a surprise to some that Finland has taken this long. Sweden, Norway and Denmark are years ahead (legal since 2009 and 2012 respectively), and campaigners are eager to bring Finland into line with their neighbours. However, you may want to hold off buying a hat just yet; it's unlikely that we'll see any same-sex weddings in Finland until at least 2016 .  What will be worth waiting for however, is the law change for adoption as gay married couples will be allowed to adopt children. When the result was announced there were jubilant scenes outside the Parliament, but there's still much work for campaigners to do. Victory was slim: 105 members voted in favour, but 92 voted aga...

The Welsh National Wedding Awards: Chateau Rhianfa 2014 Venue Winners for North Wales Chateau Rhianfa – fantasy meets reality, a glorious grade II listed waterside venue in North Wales, a stone’s throw from Snowdonia and the Menai Strait. A history of romance.  Get married at Chateau Rhianfa and continue an age-old love story. Congratulations to everyone at Chateau Rhianfa . This superb venue is available for weddings all year round, and its latest accolade is very well deserved. Wedding planning is never easy but with a venue like this, it's hard to see where you could go wrong. If you'd like to find out more about Chateau Rhianfa, then you'll find them in our directory here