Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Marriage equality supporters weren’t the only people disappointed last month when idiot California Supreme Court upheld Proposition 8. Joining in the din, all the disappointed planners, seamstresses, jewelers, travel agents and caterers who comprise the massive yet lackluster American wedding industry.
According to Forbes.com, if gay marriage is legalized nationally, the impact to the America wedding industry would be immediate and infuse $9.5 billion into the sagging industry.
There are 781,267 same-sex couples living together in the U.S., according to the 2005-2007 Census Bureau. Forbes multiplied the number of same-sex weddings by 34% of the amount straight couples would spend on such items as wedding planners, engagement and marriage rings, banquet halls, wedding dresses and tuxedos, and honeymoons. It all adds up a staggering $9.5 billion.
Here are some of the details:
• $3.4 billion on gifts
• $1.6 billion on reception and catering
• $694 million on honeymoon
• $554 million on video and photography
• $502 million on wedding rings
• $444 million on engagement rings
• $313 million on music and entertainment
• $302 million on receptions
• $281 million on ceremony
• $268 million on wedding planners
• $257 million on wedding attire
• $197 million on wedding favors
• $176 million on flowers
• $172 million on transportation
• $154 million on invitations and stationary
• $65 million on wedding cakes
• $48 million on pre-wedding spas and beauty treatments
Adds up fast, doesn’t it?
From the Left 
Conservatives who worship business but oppose gay marriage equality must really hate gay people if they’re willing to turn down $9.5 billion to an industry already reeling in this recession. This is an extraordinary amount of money and the rightwing can’t claim the gays invented the figure. It came from their Bible — Forbes Magazine.
Phew, that’s some serious coin! But feminazi is correct. Conservatives despise gays more than they despise the Taliban. If they could, they would kill all of us and then throw a party.
Sorry, Cons, to burst your bubble. That ain’t going to happen.
As you say, this is a staggering sum.
Too bad the wedding industry in the U.S. can’t join in a class action lawsuit and sue the Mormon Church for this loss in potential profits.
What kind of reasoning should you expect from a group of people who go on and on about the sanctity of marriage being only between a man and a women? As if the divorce rate, children being raped, abused, and brutally killed by step-parents, and the amount of single/divorced parents on the public dole wasn’t enough to discount all of that sanctity. Forbes now shows that the hypocritical religious rightwingnuts are costing an entire industry billions.
I wonder if we’ll continue to hear more pooh-poohing from our leaders?
Yes, but…. dang it, Jesus done said that’s a no-no, and that’s all there is to it!
I think that attire figure is coming in a bit low….
Pingback: the numbers of it all… « Brenworld’s Blog
I’m surprised the numbers aren’t higher. I’m friends with two guys who married in Boston. They spend upwards of $35,000 on their ceremony.