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Utah's LGBT Community Finds Support From Wedding Vendors

Logan Walker Photography
Ryan & Tyler share a moment after saying, 'I do" in Utah.

With the legalization of same-sex marriages and the passage of a new law protecting members of the LGBT community from discrimination, Same-sex couples getting married are finding that wedding vendors provide more than a service, they’re also among their biggest supporters. 

Pepper Nix, an award winning wedding photographer out of Sandy said the legalization of same-sex marriage hasn’t affected her business as much as it has the same-sex couples who, before it was legal, were careful in how they spoke to her.

 

“There used to be kind of a tip-toe." Nix said. "With it not being legal it was more of a celebration or recognition of these people and their relationship.”

Nix said she and her colleagues are in it for the same reasons.

“Really, people in the wedding industry are here to celebrate love,” Nix said.

David Wood is the president of the Association of Bridal Consultants and agreed with Nix.  He said the industry started growing before the legalization of same-sex marriage.

“We have been doing commitment ceremonies for many years," Wood said. "So we’re already building major events for couples.”

While vendors may not be feeling the effects of the marriage ruling, Reverend Kamrin Carver in Salt Lake City has a different story to tell.

“I used to have one or two a year for this," Carver said. "And since it passed I’ve had one to two a month.”

Carver spends more time with his couples in preparation for their wedding and said same-sex marriages are about more than vows.

“I find that as they’re shown respect throughout the process, they completely change because of what they’ve been through with all of the vendors." Carver said. "Everybody gets them to the point that they stand with their heads tall by the end of that process.”

Carver has a unique perspective into how the legalization of same-sex marriages has impacted not only his business, but his personal life as well.

He has been in a same-sex relationship for more than ten years, and was legally married in Utah last year. Carver said people couldn’t possibly understand what it means for those like him.

“When I was on the plane home from New York after getting married, I got struck with the biggest pit in my stomach realizing this is going to mean nothing as soon as I leave this airport. It’s not going to mean anything to my federal government, nothing to my state government, why did I just do this? That feeling has existed my whole life," Carver said.

He went on to say that same-sex marriage being acceptable in the eyes of the law  hasn't necessarily changed public perception of the issue.

"Just because the laws are changing doesn’t mean that all of a sudden we magically feel equal and fit into society. It’s such a gradual integration that it takes time for us to even understand what’s happening. It’s just one more step towards not hating myself a little bit less and you know, not feeling like a second class citizen everywhere I go," Carver said.

Bernadette Smith is the president of 14 Stories. She trains vendors on how to work with same-sex couples and said being a vendor requires more than one might expect.

“Marriage equality isn’t the be-all end-all," Smith said. "We need to be advocates for our clients, making sure your client has a really safe experience.”

She said same-sex ceremonies are often more celebratory than those of traditional couples because of how long these couples have been working towards marriage equality.

“One of the most beautiful things is that the weddings are a lot more emotional," Smith said. "Same-sex couples often don’t take their right to marry for granted. There’s a lot more intense emotion and feeling of triumph and jubilation so, I do think it it’s more of a transformative experience for wedding professionals, and that they kind of help wedding professionals re-energize their business and think more creatively about the work that they do.”

Everyone interviewed for this story said people would be surprised to know just how similar traditional and same-sex weddings are. They agree with Nix in that they’re in it to celebrate love, period.