#WeddingWednesdays

I now pronounce you ???..........For International LGBTQ+ month Lets Go Big Tunes blog page is bringing you wedding planning tips for same sex couples on #WeddingWednesdays

'content from https://www.easyweddings.com.au

At heart a wedding is about nothing more than two people in love standing up and declaring their love to be permanent. But it’s not always that straightforward when it comes time for a same-sex couple to plan their nuptials. Here are more ways planning a same-sex wedding can be different.

Parties are yours to personalise

What could be more fun than a bachelorette or hen’s party for a bride? Two bachelorette or hens’ parties for two brides. Or a combined buck’s night for two grooms. Or something entirely different altogether. Perhaps the groom would much rather have a day of pampering than a night out clubbing? Or maybe the brides have so many mutual friends they would prefer to have a joint long lunch than separate festivities. As with anything wedding related – not just for same-sex couples – it’s all about looking at the options, considering how you would like to celebrate your upcoming nuptials with family and friends (and possibly cocktails), and then going from there.

Making sure your LGBT guests will be comfortable?

Whether it’s a destination wedding or one right around the corner you’ll want to spend a little bit of time making sure that your venues – and honeymoon locations – are all genuinely LGBT friendly – not just in what they can do, but in what they will do to create a real sense of welcome and inclusion. A great way to do this is to chat with the managers, the staff and potential vendors, and also look at their testimonials, to find out their background in same-sex weddings and also the pleasure they take in helping to create dream days. This will help to ensure you pick the perfect places and professionals not only for yourself but also for your LGBT guests so that everyone can relax and enjoy the day in a supportive atmosphere.

You can mix up ceremony seating

In a classic Christian ceremony, it’s customary for the bride’s family to sit on the left and the groom’s on the right. But when you have two brides or grooms, that idea of ‘his’ and ‘hers’ could get a little confusing. So, when planning a gay wedding, a simple but clever way around this is to have sides allocated by your names or, like many modern couples do anyway, just work around a theme like this: “Today, two families become one, so please, pick a seat and not a side.”

Gender roles may need re-definition

A traditional straight-sex wedding has myriad roles or moments that are classically defined by gender. For example, a groom may wait at the altar for his bride to walk down the aisle, the best man may be expected to carry the rings, a photographer may pose a bride and groom in a certain way, there may be a garter toss and bouquet toss, or the groom might look to give a speech on behalf of himself and his new wife. So with the breaks from tradition an LGBT wedding can offer, it’s worth nothing that your vendors, MC and other involved parties may welcome some clear and early communication about how you envisage your big day running, especially as it allows for some professional input. For example, in a straight-sex wedding the photographer might focus most of their pre-wedding time on the bride and less on the groom, but with two brides they might suggest using a second snapper to do both women equal justice.

Budgeting might be different

All couples must stick to a budget when planning a wedding (or at least try to), but for a gay couple, it may come together a little differently than the traditional breakdown of expenses. For example, instead of a wedding gown and a rented tuxedo, a gay wedding may feature two grooms who want complementary but not identical designer suits. Or maybe two brides both dream of arriving at the ceremony in a limousine. And maybe there isn’t a groom’s cake at all.  Again, as with anything wedding budget-related, it’s about sitting down from the start, setting a budget, outlining your vision in terms of priority and then working out how to make it happen.

At the end of the day, though, when you put these differences aside, all straight-sex and LGBT weddings share the most important thing of all – the underlying sentiment of two people coming together to pledge undying love. It’s a promise that through it all they will have each other’s backs. And that, no matter who you are, is a beautiful thing.

Join us next week on Lets Go Big Tunes blog page for more LGBT themed wedding advise and ideas.