The Essential Guide to Gay and Lesbian Weddings

Tess Ayers, Paul Brown

The Experiment, May 8, 2012 - Reference - 288 pages

This updated edition to the classic planner is “a chatty, humorous compendium of traditions, advice, and wedding details geared for same-sex couples” (Publishers Weekly).
 
Wedding planning is never easy—but for gay and lesbian couples, it presents unique challenges. On top of watching the budget and wrangling your family, you may be wondering: How should we word the invitations? Who can perform the ceremony? What should we say to those who ask, “ . . . why?”
 
This trusty guide—first published when legal same-sex marriage was just a dream—tackles all that and more. Here are tips on finding the perfect venue, vows, outfits, cake, kit, and caboodle, as well as:
 

• Creative workarounds (Have you considered a home wedding?)
• Budget-friendly shortcuts (Supplement the tiered cake with a sheet cake.)
• The latest trends (How to buck the traditions that don’t work for you.)
• And sage wisdom, with a wink! (Rule #1: If you invite them, they may come!)

 
If you’d rather stay crazy about each other than go crazy, The Essential Guide to Gay and Lesbian Weddings—filled with “witty, wise, and practical advice”—is for you (Library Journal).
 
“All you need is love—and this book—to have a great wedding.” —Melissa Etheridge, musician and LGBT activist

About the author

Tess Ayershas worked in advertising and graphic design, written for game shows, and was a producer on a number of television talk shows. When she and her partner Jane Anderson decided to have a wedding ceremony in 1992, they were unable to find a proper guide for gays and lesbians, and The Essential Guide to Gay and Lesbian Weddings was conceived and born two years later. In the years since then, Ayers has been busy raising their son, and works on the boards of several not-for-profit organizations. The family of three happily divide their time between Los Angeles and Marin County.

Paul Brown has a BA in theater arts from Harpur College, Binghamton University. Over the years he has worked in theater (treasured every moment), a bit in television (not so much), and a stint in “celebrity journalism” (seemed like a good idea at the time). For the past fifteen years, Brown has taught Special Education in Los Angeles. He met Tess Ayers several months before her wedding over two decades ago (then called a “commitment ceremony”). When the honeymoon was over, they collaborated on the first version of The Essential Guide to Gay and Lesbian Weddings. Currently, Brown is working on a vocabulary and reading comprehension program for students with learning differences. He has never been married himself but he sure knows how to plan a wedding.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Essential Guide to Gay and Lesbian Weddings
• Authors: Tess Ayers, Paul Brown
• Edition: revised
• Publisher: The Experiment, 2012
• ISBN: 1615191518, 9781615191512
• Length: 288 pages
• Subjects: Reference / Event Planning; Reference / Weddings; Social Science / LGBTQ+ Studies / General