Cutest Couple Contest Open!

Okay, now it's time to cast your vote for our cutest couple.  The lucky couple will win 6 yummy lollipop brownies courtesy of Say I Do! and The Lollipop Chef!  Vote now and vote often.

Check out our "Cutest Couples" tab to see our couples and cast your vote!

This is a fun contest so feel free to tell your friends and post to your social networking sites!

8.27.10 Diary: Wedding Colors, Invitations and All That Jazz...

Love this idea for
the ceremony!

Not exactly sure how many months we've been "wedding planning" but there's just one thing we have come to a definitive conclusion about, our wedding colors.  Pink, platinum and black.  I'm a pink fan and my gf is a blue fan.  We both decided that pink and blue may be a hard sell for a wedding.  A baby shower, it could work.  But not for our wedding at least.  So, since Tee's second favorite color is black we went with that.  Platinum is a neutral ground for both of us.  I envision those colors working very well together.  So I am excited!

In my conversation today, I told Tee that we could "minimize" the black in the color scheme.  Oh, why did I say that? LOL.  She's not a fan of that idea at all. She went on about how I'm trying to minimize her part in the wedding planning and that leave it to me it will be an all pink wedding. Smh.  Women!  Now, by no means am I seeking to minimize her contribution or ideas; I think that the 3 colors are beautiful together, but they all have a specific role to play.  Too much black and it looks like a funeral, too much pink a baby or bridal shower.  But Tee wasn't trying to hear it.  So, we decided to start looking at inspiration to show us how the 3 colors will play together so we both are happy with the end result.

Compromise is a lot of work!  But worth it.  Here are few pictures I snagged online that have the pink/black/platinum theme:

Pictures courtesy of weddingwire.com, partywarehouse.co.nz and projectwedding.com

We will be heading over to the Dandelion Patch on Saturday to get some ideas for invitations.  The Dandelion Patch participated in the June 6th, Say I Do! LGBT Wedding Expo we hosted so we will support their business and we invite you to do the same.  They have two locations one in Reston, Va and the other in Vienna.  If you are not nearby I believe you can order online as well.


Since we have a 2012 wedding, I'm thinking that we may start with a "save the date", doesn't make sense sending out invites this year or next.  My resolve is to make this process fun and exciting.  I hate to see when people get all stressed over wedding planning, I don't think that's fair to them or their partner.  It's a celebration after all! 

I'm looking forward to visiting the Dandelion Patch tomorrow!

Thursday Blog Round-Up

Each Thursday, I will "round-up" the best blogs that are relevant to same-sex marriage in hopes that you will check the blogs out too!

Religion, Marriage and Equal Protection Under the Law
via Star Jones Blog
Ms. Star Jones, attorney and TV personality sums up very simply the divide between religious marital institutions and civil law.  It's a short blog but a good read nonetheless!
Link: http://positivelystar.blogspot.com/2010/08/religion-same-sex-marriage-equal.html

Road Trip via Equally Wed
I've always said that the commitment begins in the heart and the ceremony is simply the public proclamation of the commitment already sowed. Which is why I love the story of Beth Anne and Jennifer so much, they were together 10 years before officially walking down the aisle.  It's a heart warming story, and their children are just adorable!
Link: http://equallywed.com/real-weddings-main/real-weddings-jennifer-and-beth-anne.html


Creating a Heart-Centered Commitment Ceremony, Part 2 via 10,000 Couples.
What moved me about this blog were simply these words "Don't choose people out of obligation (to be in your wedding party)...consider those people who are a deep and important part of the fabric of your life..."  How many of us have family who are not supportive that we are trying to fit into our wedding?  Isn't that more of a headache than a joy?  My new motto is, if they don't like it, I don't need them (at least not be a part of my wedding that is). Weddings are joyous times!
Link: http://10thousandcouples.com/issue/august-2010/article/creating-a-heart-centered-commitment-ceremony-part-2

Oh, and as for the seemingly unrelated picture of Carrie from Sex In The City...I really like her dress.  AND good news you can actually snag a similar version from Net-A-Porter. The bad news is the price tag is a bit over $9,000.  *Sigh* But a gal can dream...

Are You Gay-Friendly? His and Hers, Hers and Hers or His and His...

While looking through some listings on the Purple Unions site (which I love btw), I found a stunning Bed and Breakfast in Maryland (not too far from me).  The rooms are regally appointed, perfect for a honeymoon.  It was love at first site AND since they were listed on the Purple Unions site double bonus....gay friendly!

Not so fast...

As I was reading through the site, I noticed the reference to his and hers vanities.  Which I realize is a common term when referring to a double vanity.  But, shouldn't a gay-friendly business know that all their guests (or at least the people they are targeting) will not be straight couples?  I am assuming that when you advertise on a site promoting gay-friendly vendors you are actually gay-friendly and seeking to tap into the gay market. It's not enough to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk.

Makes me wonder, which businesses are truly gay-friendly?  Certainly, it's a faux-pas to apply hetero-normative anything to the gay market, especially when there are other gay-friendly terms that can be used.  Which means that assuming you have a straight webmaster, the word didn't get to them that you are looking to tap into the gay market.  Nor, did the owner or any of the staff "catch" the "his and hers vanity" or any other reference that specifically refers to straight couples.

You may be saying; Tammy, whats the big deal?

Well, I think it kinda is a big deal.  There are several issues at play here such as:

1. It's Misleading!  Everyone who claims they are gay-friendly are really not.  It's easy to pay for an ad on a gay site and put a rainbow sticker on it. But if your don't train your staff, if your business marketing (brochures, websites, etc...) don't convey it, what's the point?
   
2. Make The Investment!  If a business is seeking to attract the LGBT community, then they have to put their money where their mouth is. Staff needs to be trained and the brand needs to reflect who the business says they are and what they are about.  Bernadette Smith who owns 14 stories and who has been planning gay weddings since before it was cool offers training specifically for this.  Now, I haven't sat through the training; however, Bernadette has a positive reputation and you can't get that by not being good.  If businesses want to be gay-friendly, they simply must make the investment.  If they can't train their staff in-house, then they should find someone who can.  It's that simple.
   
3. You Never Know What You're Gonna Get!  Forrest said it best!  The bed and breakfast in question here is without a doubt stunning, damn near perfect.  I know they will take my money but are they truly gay inclusive? I don't know.  Maybe, maybe not.  When it comes to my wedding, I don't want any question marks or any surprises. I would love to consider this facility to play apart in my festivities but really I'm back to square one.  I don't know what I am going to get when I show up.  Sure the place is beautiful, but will staff greet me and my partner with open arms or will be merely be tolerated?

 So what now?

Well, I am lucky I am in the business I am.  It's time for me to get to the bottom of this and see what's really go on.  Maybe they don't know the err of their ways...we shall see!

How about you? Have you ever crossed a business off your list for not being truly gay-friendly?

INSPIRATION: How Can You NOT Love This?

I love information.  I mean magazines, books, websites, you name it...I'm absorbing the information like a sponge!  I like to gather a lot of information, concepts, ideas analyze it and then make a decision.  Which is why I will post a lot of pictures and things that inspire me.  So when I saw this, I couldn't help but to post!

Ladies and gentlemen. This is truly art.  Art invokes emotion and even though some styles don't suit me I can still appreciate the beauty and work that went into creating them.  All of the pictures above are from kio creations, an event planning company in Naperville, IL.  Kio Kreations is a creative services company specializing in floral design, graphic design and out-of-the-box thinking.  They do so much more you just have to check out their website and learn more about them!

I wonder what the market is for same-sex weddings in IL?  It would be great to chat with the brain behind kio creations and learn more about what they do and their experience with same-sex weddings.  An interview coming soon?

And So It Begins!

Welcome to the first of many posts on this blog!  I'm Tammy, Founder of Say I Do! LGBT Expo and Events which is owned by my company, Pink Dot Concepts. But more than all that, I am a bride, well, a bride-to-be.  Say I Do! was founded out of my frustration in locating vendors that could help bring my big day from a dream to reality.  Feel free to read my entire story on our site www.sayidoexpo.com.

This blog will chronicle my wedding planning adventures.Everything. The highs and lows and I promise to even blog the moments that are embarrassing.  After all, sometimes embarrassing stories make the best read!  You can also find a round-up of best gay and lesbian wedding sites and articles here as well, there are so many great resources on the web!

Be sure to bookmark this site, add us to your readers, do whatever you need to do to make sure you don't miss a beat!

Tammy :-)