BOSTON, MA. – February 24,
2011 – A year ago, 14 Stories,
the first wedding planning firm in the U.S. to specialize in same-sex
weddings,
opened the 14 Stories Gay Wedding
Institute (GWI). The GWI is now
proud to introduce the world’s first gay wedding certification course
for those
in the hospitality industry. This three
week webinar course begins on March 9.
Several
hundred wedding professionals from around the country have already
heard 14
Stories GWI President Bernadette Coveney Smith speak at national events
such as
Engage! and The Special Event Show. This
new certification course is open to everyone in the industry – and
attendees
can participate directly from their office.
The
certification course digs deep in the world of LGBT weddings and
explores data, trends, traditions, laws, marketing and more.
Participants
will receive homework, a resource guide and quizzes. Upon
completion,
participants will receive a certificate, a Gay
Wedding Institute certification badge for their materials and
promotion on
the GWI website.
In 2004, Forbes Magazine
reported that legalizing same-sex marriage would
boost the wedding market by $16.8 billion per year. With the number of
LGBT
weddings set to skyrocket over the next decade, there are many ways for
companies to generate
revenue
from this market segment.
It’s critical to understand the lucrative, emerging same-sex wedding
market. No matter your political position - gay
weddings are good for
business.
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Closed Circle
Photography |
14
Stories is led by President Bernadette Coveney Smith. Bernadette
is a nationwide gay wedding expert
and producer of hundreds of same-sex weddings.
The 14 Stories Gay Wedding
Institute is the nation’s first same-sex wedding research
institute and
think tank. Bernadette is also author of a new book for engaged LGBT
couples, Gay
Wedding Confidential.