Only 15 miles from Downtown Pittsburgh, Old Economy Village’s beautiful nineteenthcentury formal gardens offer a couple a unique and beautiful wedding experience.
724.266.4500, ext. 120
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www.oldeconomyvillage.org
“Make Event Dreams into Dream Events” Travis Hunt and Stephen Simpson
Accredited Wedding Consultant
SHOPPING AROUND
For same-sex couples, not all wedding vendors are created equal {BY ALEX ZIMMERMAN}
412-436-0337 DivineCelebrations-Events.com
THE FIRST TIME Travis Hunt and Stephen Simpson planned their wedding, they settled on having the celebration in Maryland, the closest state at the time that allowed same-sex marriage. But a federal judge’s decision last May to strike down Pennsylvania’s ban threw an unexpected wrench into the couple’s plans. “When it became legal [in Pennsylvania], we just canceled everything,” says Hunt, noting that the couple and many family members live in Pennsylvania. They began planning their upcoming May wedding essentially from scratch, finding new venues and vendors closer to their home just east of the city. Though Hunt, 32, and Simpson, 42, were excited at the opportunity to become legally married in their home state, they planned their wedding to ensure that vendors wouldn’t be surprised to find a gay couple. Because even as same-sex marriage gains traction in the courts of law and public opinion, most Pennsylvanians who don’t live in Allegheny or Philadelphia counties still don’t enjoy protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
“The whole process is just coming out of the closet every single time,” Hunt says of the conversations he’s had with vendors. He explains that on first contact, he hopes to leave a voicemail explaining what they’re looking for, and that they’re a gay couple. That way “if they don’t get back to us […] we just move on to the next name on the list. “The good thing about living in Pittsburgh is that it’s actually a pretty gayfriendly city.” Many in the local wedding industry say the vast majority of businesses are happy to work for same-sex couples. Still, “there are some vendors who just don’t want to deal with it,” says Erin Calvimontes, a wedding planner and owner of Divine Celebrations who helped plan Hunt and Simpson’s wedding. Her website lists her as a “Certified Gay Wedding Specialist,” a certification that came through an online course designed to promote tolerance in the wedding-planning process. Calvimontes says she vets the businesses she works with “so [couples] don’t have to come out of the closet every time they talk to a vendor.”
“THE GOOD THING ABOUT LIVING IN PITTSBURGH IS THAT IT’S ACTUALLY A PRETTY GAYFRIENDLY CITY.”
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CP WEDDING ISSUE 2015