Same-sex couples expected to boost wedding industry

Frank F. Chiera Jr. 42, and his fiancé can get married anytime they want in Salem, N.H., where they make their home. But instead, they are tying the knot in the Greater Newport area on Labor Day weekend in 2014.
A nautical theme is part of the attraction, as are the grounds at Glen Manor House in Portsmouth, said Chiera, whose partner, Christopher S. Beckwith, 26, enjoys yachting. They considered Maine and Cape Cod, but wanted to have the ceremony and reception all in one place, Chiera said.
“We wanted to have it all together so it is more like a traditional wedding,” he said. “We didn’t want to do vows in one state and the reception in another. We wanted to be like any other heterosexual couple.”
Scenic and vibrant, Newport and eight surrounding towns long have been a destination for weddings. But now that same-sex marriages have been legalized, effective Aug. 1, in Rhode Island, tourist destinations and hotels in surrounding Newport and Bristol counties are hoping to benefit.
“There’s a difference [compared with] being known as a predominantly gay destination like Provincetown,” said Katie Wilkinson, event manager at Glen Manor. “We want to have an environment where everyone is comfortable celebrating travel and the unity of marriage. That is about balance. We don’t want to be known only as a gay-travel destination but as a place that celebrates all.”
Cheapflights.com, a discount-airfare website, touted Newport proper in June as one of the top 10 wedding destinations for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender couples, based on annual research blog author and site editor Melisse Hinkle conducts to coincide with gay-pride celebrations, typically held in June.
Discover Newport, which projects 10 percent growth in the wedding industry in Newport and Bristol counties as a result of the addition of same-sex weddings, welcomed the news, says Evan Smith, president and CEO of the agency. The region typically sees about 1,500 weddings and receptions a year, he said. Last year, Newport alone saw 826 marriage licenses granted, said City Clerk Kathleen M. Silvia.
“The significance of that accolade is that it gives us a great start to launching our marketing campaign for same-sex marriages,” said Smith. “We weren’t out in the market before looking for same-sex marriages. … What’s appealing for the opposite-sex is appealing for same-sex marriage.” The tourism industry as a whole counts eight other towns in Newport and Bristol counties in the mix: Jamestown, Little Compton, Middletown, Portsmouth and Tiverton in Newport County and Barrington, Bristol and Warren in Bristol County.
“A lot of what makes each town tick is the radiant energy of Newport,” Smith said.
As the head of the last New England state to legalize same-sex marriage, Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee welcomed the gay community this month. Even before it was official, Chafee advocated for marriage equality as not only a right but also as a change that could help boost the economy by attracting same-sex couples to the wedding and travel industry here.
There’s hardly been an influx of same-sex marriages in Newport just yet, with four couples getting marriage licenses in the first week it was legal, and one civil union merging into a marriage, said Silvia, the city clerk.
But the potential for an increase in business is there, say Smith and Cindy Sproul, co-owner of the Asheville, N.C.-based Rainbow Wedding Network.
Rainbow on Aug. 4 held a same-sex wedding expo at the Marriott Providence Downtown.
In 2004, Forbes estimated the impact on legalization of gay marriage across the country to the wedding industry would be $24.6 billion a year, Sproul said.
While she has not seen studies like that come out since then, Sproul noted that about 250 people came to the expo on Aug. 4, which featured 32 business exhibitors.
“If the average gay couple is spending $25,000 on their wedding, and we have 125 couples coming through one of our expos, that’s a fair amount of money being passed around – [approximately] $3.1 million,” she said.
“With more and more states offering marriage equality, it’s legitimizing for people to get married, and even if they’re coming into Rhode Island from out of state, they would spend money on hotels and transportation.”
Chiera and Beckwith are spending “north of” $25,000, Chiera said. About 100 family and friends will be joining them, staying at hotels in the Newport/Bristol area. Chiera is vice president of marketing and advertising for CCA Global Partners in Manchester, N.H. Beckwith is a front-end and back-end Web developer and president of heavymark LLC.
Spending that much money is never easy, Chiera said, but, “like any heterosexual couple, it is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, so we want it to be special for our family and friends. It’s just as much about them having a good time as us celebrating.” Some hotels are sensing interest. Brian Young, managing director of the Castle Hill Inn in Newport, says the secluded, 35-room inn on 40 acres has received as many as 36 inquiries, an increase of about 15 percent, since the new law passed.
“We’ve also had our first ceremony and reception, so we’re delighted with the fact we can now cater to anyone who wants to be married in a setting such as ours,” he said.
Emily Fisher, head of North American Communications for cheapflights.com, said that the gay community is a fairly active travel community and with legalization of marriage in Rhode Island, the state can expect pent-up demand to translate into more same-sex weddings in the Newport area.
“People are looking for places where they can have a wedding and have their marriage acknowledged,” she said.
The lead House sponsor for the new Rhode Island law, Rep. Frank G. Ferri, D-Warwick, who married his life partner, Tony Caparco, on Aug 1. at Harbor Lights in Warwick, predicted Greater Newport will be a busier place for same-sex weddings.
“I think it will be a destination just because of the resort atmosphere and being near the water,” he said. “There’s something about being married near the water that is appealing.”
The Hampton Inn & Suites in Newport/Middletown sees value in online marketing to same-sex couples, said Kate Smith, director of sales. The Hyatt Regency Newport Hotel and Spa is another, according to Cassandra Earle, regional marketing manager. Equallywed.com is one website The Hyatt is working with to add exposure, she said.
On Saturday, Aug. 10, John Clarke and his partner, Santiago Baez, of Grandview-on-Hudson, N.Y., finally celebrated their December marriage in Manhattan with a reception in the piazza at the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum in Newport. They shared cocktails, croquet and dinner with more than 100 guests. Life complications prevented them from holding the reception sooner.
At the time they wed, Clarke and Baez weren’t aware that same-sex marriages would be legalized in Rhode Island by summer.
“Had we known this would be the situation,” Clarke said, “we would have waited to get married and have the reception all at once” in Newport. •

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