[ad_1]
For many years, same sex couples have wanted to get married but were denied by the laws of the land. Until recently, there was no where in the USA that a gay couple could wed. There are now five states that have passed new laws allowing couples of the same sex to wed legally. Until then, and even now in many states, gay couples instead chose to hold commitment ceremonies to at least make a public affirmation of their love for each other and their intention to live like man and wife.
A commitment ceremony is just that, a public affirmation. It is a beautiful ceremony in which to gay people announce publicly that they consider themselves married. This ceremony may be traditional, or very loosely interpreted, religious or secular and there are not set rules as to how you plan it. That is part of what makes a commitment ceremony so beautiful as it can be orchestrated as creatively as the couple would like it to be.
The commitment ceremony is presided over by an officiant who will act as if in an official manner. He or she will speak over the couple and usually talks about their love for each other and what a commitment of this nature would involve. The couple would then exchange vows, often writing something poetic or personal to each other avowing their love. After which, the officiant will pronounce the as a couple and a big party will usually ensue.
After the commitment ceremony, the new couple will have a reception just like a married couple and with family and friends, celebrate their union with good food and music. In many instances, the commitment ceremony is just like a wedding with wedding favors and unique wedding favors for the closest of family. They will even have a wedding cake and have their picture taken while cutting the cake. All in all it is a wedding and the only thing that is missing is the documentation that makes it legal.
Very soon, the need for the commitment ceremony will be eliminated as more states jump on the bandwagon and legalize same sex marriages. To date, there are five states in which gay or same sex couples can be legally married. Vermont, Massachusetts, Iowa, Connecticut, and New Hampshire have all passed new laws which allow same sex marriages. The wedding planner business has taken full advantage of this by advertising their specialized services and proclaiming to use gay friendly vendors and caterers. The number of churches and religions that are catering to this event is growing as well and overall, acceptance of same sex married couples is growing as more and more couples are purchasing their licenses and tying the knot.
There are a growing number of websites on the World Wide Web that not only cater to same sex weddings but also couples who want to tell the world of their love are setting up shop on the internet with wedding albums and announcements. Many of these websites have a guest book that you can sign to let the couple know that you entered the site or wish them well as they embark on the married journey through life. You can also ask questions and many sites will send you an email and are very cooperative and quick to provide any answers to questions that are of a sincere and non threatening nature.
