Pink Wedding Days | Gay Marriage and Civil Partnerships Blog

Two months from now, The Republic of Ireland will hold a referendum on gay marriage. No other country in the world has taken the issue to a popular vote before. Irish LGBT groups have been tireless in their attempts to bring equal marriage into the mainstream. It hasn't been easy. Homosexuality was only decriminalised in Ireland in 1993, and that's four years after Denmark first legalised civil partnerships. Of course, Ireland has had to balance its increasing acceptance of homosexuality with its traditional and deeply rooted devotion to the Catholic faith . For those campaigning in favour of equality in Ireland, it's been about normalising homosexuality and championing equal marriage as something that strengthens romantic unions, rather than undermine them. Whatever they've been doing, it appears to be working. Earlier this week PinkNews.co.uk reported that the 'yes' campaign looked to be ahead:  75% of people surveyed saying that they would vote ...

It must be an election year. The Government is to reward married couples with a tax-break.  Not all couples, however, and not with life-changing amounts, but it's better than nothing. From April 2015 , spouses and civil partners who earn less than £10,600 per year can transfer a portion of their tax-free allocation to their partner if their partner pays basic-rate tax. For example Judy earns £25,000 per year. Her partner, Jane, earns £5,500 per year. Judy is a basic tax rate payer.  Jane does not pay tax and does not use £5,100 of her tax-free allocation.  Therefore, she can give some of the remaining £5,100 of her allocation over to Judy .  It could save couples up to £212 each year on their tax bill. Who qualifies? - Couples in a marriage or a civil partnership where both partners were born after 1948 . and - Where one partner pays basic tax (earns between £10,600 and £31,785) whilst the other does not (earns below...

"Here comes the bride da da da daaaa." We all know how the tune goes. Whether it comes from the clunky key changes of a church organ or from the hissing crackle of a CD player, it's about as traditional as wedding traditions get. But what if you don't want traditional? Or what if you want something more than the musical equivalent of brown bread. And what if there's no bride? If you're planning a relaxed summertime wedding, then wouldn't it be better to have something a little bit more upbeat? As we're heading towards the summer months (yes, we know it's only March, but summer is technically ahead of us, so we're sticking with that ). We thought we'd select 10 songs that could work at your wedding. We've chosen some upbeat, light and airy songs to counterbalance the plodding beat of the wedding march. If you had something different for your wedding, then please let us know. We'd love to hear your suggestions. You c...

Couples in The North West of England are blessed with an impressive host of wedding venues in a range of stunning locations. For most people, the venue is the foundation upon which the wedding will be built, so it's important to choose a venue that works well both on an emotional and financial level. We say emotional because most couples recognise their perfect venue by the way it feels to them. It isn't the same as picking out a new carpet for the hallway or deciding on which takeaway to have. It's a cliche, but the venue has to feel right to the couple.  Finding that perfect space, however, is  not always easy , so we've raided our directory to showcase some of our favourites. For more North West venues keep an eye out for Part II   The text and pictures below have been taken from our directory but have been written by the venues themselves.The pictures are the hotels own, too. You can find contact information by clicking the link at the bottom of e...

It's funny. Weddings are often so  similar.   It's almost as if we're all just using the same template: get married on a Saturday; have a wedding cake, have wedding cars, have a wedding breakfast with a champagne toast, have an evening reception with a buffet... And that's fine. The tried-and-tested route works precisely because it's been tried-and-tested. Most people don't want to deviate too far from the norm. What it does mean, however, is that you're likely to pay more for certain "staples". Of course, beside the registrar, the witnesses and the vows, there are no other genuine staples. Everything else is tacked on and labelled as traditional. Well, traditions cost.  So we've found some  painless ways to cut the cost of your wedding without compromising the overall vision for your big day. Have Your Ceremony Later In The Day This will help you in two ways. Firstly, your guests won't be hanging around all day getting bor...

We don't want to take the sparkle out of your engagement, but when you're planning a wedding it's important to remember that the wedding industry is just like any other industry. It's designed to make money . Every venue, every service provider and every small business in between will be promising you the sun, the moon and everything else in our solar system. Just remember, you're paying them for the privilege of it. The vast majority of those in the wedding industry do have a genuine desire to make your day the best that it can be, but, again, you're paying them to do it. This makes planning a wedding as much of a business arrangement as buying a car, booking a holiday or fitting a new kitchen, and it's important to keep your emotional attachments (those decisions that you make with your heart rather than your head) in check. . Over the coming weeks, we're going to be running a feature about how you can keep your wedding on track. So that y...

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...