FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Wedding industry experts predict South Florida could now become a destination wedding location for same-sex couples, boosting tourism and sales tax dollars.
"I think as a whole it is something we've been waiting for, something we are excited about, but I think the biggest part about it is the financial impact," said wedding specialist Bobby Kyser, with Panache Style.
"I think the impact to the local community is understated," said Marylouise Fitzgibbon, the general manager for the W in Fort Lauderdale..
Wedding specialists like Kyser are gearing up for what is expected to be a boom for the local economy.
"It is a whole new market segment," Kyser said. "We are seeing people call to make plans for future events in 2015."
"We found a lot of interest in same-sex couples that are coming here and they want to have a beach destination," Fitzgibbon said. "We've already hosted dozens of gay weddings here and now we are just excited that it is going to be legal."
"I do think it is going to help with tourism," said Andi Dyal, a wedding specialist with Anje Soirees.
Dyal said half of her current wedding clients are from out of state, and she expects the legalization of same-sex marriage will attract countless couples from across the country to South Florida.
"Get out of the cold, have a destination wedding on the beach," she said.
And venues ready to capture new wedding planning dollars are rolling out the red carpet.
"One of the things that I am really excited about is that the W in Fort Lauderdale has rolled out our 'Love is Love Package,'" Fitzgibbon said.
Dyal and her business partner, Jennifer Schwartz, are launching a contest, offering free wedding-planning services to one lucky same-sex couple.
"We are just excited to be part of history," Dyal said.
Kyser and Fitzgibbon are also prepared for a busy 2015.
"From beach-side ceremonies to the events that we can create, it really is an amazing time for us to show our support for this community that has been so supportive of us all these years," they said.
One study estimates total spending on wedding arrangements and tourism by same-sex couples and their guests could add more than $182 million to the state and local economy over three years and $12.1 million in sales tax revenue to state and local coffers.
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