Push to Bring Gay Weddings to the Area

The lure of the emerging gay-wedding market brought several leaders together at Friday.

Last week’s passage of the granting same-sex couples the right to wed has sent many Long Island businesses on a quest to persuade gay couples to marry on Long Island.

U.S. Rep. Steve Israel, D-Huntington, and representatives of gay and business organizations Friday announced plans to promote Long Island as a gay-wedding destination.

“We are ready to compete for that business,” Israel said, who said he was particularly proud of the vote to grant marriage equality and pleased by the possible economic benefits, which have been estimated as high as $400 million for the state. “We can’t sit back and wait for this to happen.” He cited Oheka Castle and in Huntington as two major venues for weddings that would attract couples.

Israel listed the many businesses that could benefit from an increase in weddings, including catering sites, photographers, florists, hotels and even municipalities because of more revenue from marriage licenses.

Moke McGowan, president of the Long Island Convention & Visitors Bureau, and David Kilmnick, CEO of  the Long Island GLBT Services Network,  said they plan to work together to take advantage of Long Island’s natural beauty and reputation as an established and popular wedding destination. McGowan said as many as 66,000 same-sex couples could wed in New York in the coming years, with many coming from out of state because of the lack of a residency requirement.

Kilmnick’s organization has put together a website listing vendors for all aspects of wedding plans, with an emphasis on businesses that have been supportive of the gay community.

He said the group plans a meeting in Bay Shore Wednesday to explain the rules for getting married in New York and has invited several town clerks who issue marriage licenses to participate.