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and stylish ceremonies, conducted by brighton and Hove
register office – a religious ceremony by Debbie gaston from
the mCC church, civil ceremonies and belinda Chapman.
it was a step away from the norm. exhibitors came
bounding out from behind their stands and interacted with
couples. The chocolate fountain teased guests to dip treats into
smooth-running chocolate. There were flower displays like no
other, a games mistress with horse races, fortune-tellers, and a
vogue-style fashion show made the whole event come alive.
The day was electrifying and felt like history in the
making. We created a show where exhibitors and couples
could interact in a relaxed, friendly and, above all, fun
environment. The team and i were on hand to offer advice and
information about the Civil Partnership bill and what the
future would hold for same-sex couples when the bill was – as
we hoped – passed.
This first gay Wedding show was only the beginning. Pink
Weddings had already started plans to make the show
national in 2005, knowing that the Civil Partner bill would
become live that very year. so the team took the gay Wedding
show to belfast, Cardiff, and manchester, then down to
brighton for the grand finale.
so 4 December became one of the most talked about
events in the Uk, as the official gay Wedding show exploded
from one end of brighton to the other. That day was jam-
packed with events by Pink Weddings from the show at the
Hilton metropole, to the Civil Partnership Party, and the Uk 's
first ever gay Wedding awards at the seattle Hotel on
brighton marina.
as crowds looked on, the show opened with the cutting of
the ribbon by the mayor of the City of brighton and Hove,
Councillor bob Carden, followed by an opening speech by ben
summerskill, chief executive of stonewall. Visitors saw more
than 60 suppliers in the ‘pink city’, including those offering
legal guidance, and watched four example ceremonies
showing couples the many options available to them when
creating their civil partnership. The house rocked to the
sounds of some great music, including the Jonathon ross’s
fabulous four Poofs and a Piano.
all day the media packed the halls to get footage of
history being made and the gay Wedding show become
known globally with interviews held by myself and the team
with the likes of Cnn, abC, msnbC, bbC, iTV, Channel 5,
Channel 4, all major and local radio stations – and to our
surprise, sky news filmed on the day, with the words ‘sky
news, coming to you live at the gay Wedding show, on the
hour every hour’. The world’s media did the gay community
proud and coverage was at the highest we have ever seen as
we stood back and saw it unfold in front of our very eyes.
it was a truly amazing event. everyone was blown away by
the efforts made by the exhibitors on the day and to see more
than 1,500 visitors walk through the doors was a sure sign that
brighton is most certainly the gay Capital of the Uk.
out of all this excitement, one thing was for sure.
Homophobia was rising in the wedding world and around 35
per cent of wedding suppliers and venues were against the
Civil Partnership act. so we realised quickly that our work had
not finished, but just begun.
The team came up with a concept called Pinkapproved,
which was our own personal recommendation of suppliers
and venues in the Uk and around the globe – those that
openly wanted to help support and offer their services to
same sex couples without discrimination.
attention to detail was vital, as only the very best service
would do. The team carefully selected partners and hotels to
ensure couples got the very best when booking their
ceremony, celebration, event or simply a vacation. Those on
our websites are truly passionate about offering their services
to LgbT individuals, their family, friends, groups and
associations across the globe. What more could we ask for?
The mission was a simple one – our passion for diversity
and the commitment to ensure equality, combined with the
ability to present services globally made our partners unique
and special. We continued our drive to eradicate
discrimination of any form across the globe, ensuring quality
and reliability. most important was the assurance that for
every supplier, vendor, airline or hotel that couples were
introduced to, they would be genuinely made to feel welcome,
regardless of their sexual orientation.
In our next issue: Gino con nues the journey to the first
civil partnerships
pink weddings magazine » 9
Ten years of making iT beTTer
‘Homophobia was rising in
the wedding world and
around 35 per cent of
wedding suppliers and
venues were against the
Civil Partnership Act. So we
realised quickly that our
work had not finished,
but just begun.’