Some positive gay wedding press (featuring my work colleague)!

This article appeared in the Western Daily Press today.

It features my work colleague Wayne and his partner Rob, and is part of the promotion of a gay wedding fair taking place in Hereford later this month.





Sorry for the big images stretching the page, but they are as small as I could make them while still readable.

The wedding fair is one part of a series of events to celebrate homosexuality in Herefordshire this month, organised by Herefordshire Council. There is some more information here http://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/social_issues/diversity/OutInTheSticks.aspx. For the full diary of events you need to look at the 'Festival Brochure' PDF file on that page.

 

Yes, we are definitely invited to the evening do, and possibly the actual ceremony depending on numbers.

 

With my friends, Wayne is very much the "woman" and Rob the "man". It's how their personalities are, so it seems natural that this is how they are doing their wedding.

Another gay couple I know who married last year were both the grooms and both had a best man etc.

The great thing is that we can choose to do it in the way that suits us best. We don't have to follow any of the "traditional wedding" methods at all if we don't want to. As long as there are the vows and signing of the register at an approved wedding venue, it's a marriage. The rest is up to the couple to do however they want.

 

Another feature from today's Hereford Journal. This one is about the civil partnership fair and the other events on Herefordshire this month, rather than Wayne and Rob, but they are pictured and named in the caption.

We think it's a lovely photo of them.

 

I doubt any of you will be in the area but the Civil Partnership Fair is tomorrow (Sunday) at the Courtyard Theatre, Edgar Street, Hereford between 11am and 4pm. Entry is free.

Wayne and Rob will be in the fashion show and I'll be taking my camera.

It'll be interesting to see how big and how well attended the event is. I'm not expecting much, especially with the lack of local publicity.

 

My photos of the event are here http://www.elizabethreidevents.co.uk/fair/

The first lot are of the "fashion show" and feature quite a few of Wayne and Rob. The lighting was not good for photography and it took too long for the flash in my camera to charge, so most of these were done without the flash. That's why some of these are not very good!

The later ones are of the various stalls at the fair, including a couple of Wayne and Rob looking at rings.

The event was reasonably successful, with a steady trickle of visitors throughout the day. All the stallholders I spoke to were pleased with the day.

I had a chat to the lovely lady on The Chase Hotel stall, who said that about 30% of the weddings they are hosting this year are same-sex civil partnerships. I was surprised it was that high, but of course there is still a lot of catching up going on with partners tying the know now it's legal.

 

Actually Wayne and Rob were the only gay people in the fashion show! Everyone else was straight. I think that's because the organisers didn't know many gay people and it was all arranged in a bit of a rush.

One lesbian couple we were chatting to commented about the lack of ladies' suits in the fashion show. They are planning their civil partnership and neither of them want to wear wedding dresses as it is just not their character and style. Formal but attractive ladies' suits is what they want.

 

It's a copy of a famous Reliant Regal from the "Only Fools and Horses" sitcom. See this pic on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Only_Fools_and_Horses_car.jpg