All have the opportunity to observe and share the ideal wedding reception with their families, relatives, and unique loved ones. Even though LGBTQ+ weddings are identical to traditional weddings, LGBTQ+ couples are increasingly opting to forego ancient rituals and traditional wedding roles to establish their own customs and keep the event special.
Before I highlight a few key shifts in lesbian and gay wedding trends, it’s important to note that this analysis draws primarily the Trends & Traditions Surveys, which offer a direct year-over-year comparison of questions.
Big Changes for LGBTQ+ Couples
#1 Parents are taking the initiative and providing assistance.
Same-sex couples are seeking financial assistance for their marriages in greater numbers than ever before. In 2013, a large majority of same-sex couples (79 per cent) said they paid for all or part of their wedding themselves, compared to 59 per cent in 2017. This change indicates that more parents (and extended family) are attending and endorsing their children’s LGBTQ weddings, resulting in increased total wedding spending as more vendors are engaged. More guests are invited. LGBTQ couples have moved away from realistic and frequently hastily arranged legal elopements to a more traditional engagement and wedding planning procedure.
This also suggests that defining the decision-maker in the booking process could be changing so that a couple’s parents may have a greater financial stake in the wedding and, as a result, a higher expectation around decision-making.
#2 The guestlist is growing.
More gay and lesbian couples are coming out, opting to marry, and feeling happy celebrating in a larger group of family, friends, and coworkers, which has resulted in an increase in the number of guests at gay and lesbian weddings. It’s also a result of being lawfully married in one’s home state and being able to prepare ahead of time.
In conclusion, for most same-sex partners, holding both a wedding and a celebration is a comparatively recent trend that represents a significant change with strong planning and budgeting consequences and has had a direct effect on the increase in the scale of the average guestlist.
#3 Wedding Party with a Diverse group Of people
The wedding party is probably the best example of a wedding custom to show the disparity in the ability of same-sex couples to break from convention and how gay marriages have affected straight weddings.
Same-sex partners have traditionally blended their wedding celebrations, inviting their dearest friends and family to join them, regardless of gender or clothing (e.g. women wearing pants and dresses to suit). What’s most fascinating is seeing how this reimagined idea of a wedding party for same-sex partners has affected opposite-sex couples’ decisions.
