Gay Weddings Could Boost N.H.
Seacoastonline.com
By Deborah McDermott
June 18, 2009

3-year revenue forecast is $55M

A study by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law in California estimates a gay wedding-related economic windfall to the state of New Hampshire of as much as $54.7 million in the three years after the state's gay marriage law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2010.

The institute, which has conducted similar studies on the other New England states that adopted gay marriage laws, said New Hampshire's portion is part of an estimated $391 million regionally that could be spent on wedding-related services.

According to Lee Badgett, research director of the institute and professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts, New Hampshire specifically, but all of New England, is primed to be a wedding destination for gay couples from across the United States — particularly those from states like New York that recognize gay marriages but don't have a law permitting them.

"There aren't a whole lot of other options," she said. "People can go to Canada or they can go to Iowa, but it's not close to major metropolitan areas. New England is on the East Coast and it's a nice place to visit. With both tourist appeal and legal status, it will make a great destination for same-sex couples."

All New England states except Rhode Island have passed gay marriage legislation. In Maine, a citizens' petition seeking to repeal the law will be on the ballot in November.

Badgett said the institute developed a model to estimate spending in New Hampshire and the other New England states. She said the American Community Survey, compiled annually by the U.S. Census Bureau, listed 4,703 Granite Staters who identified as same-sex couples in 2008. The institute figured roughly half of them would marry in the state in the first three years after passage of the law. It also pegged in-state spending for a wedding at one-quarter of average wedding spending in the state, or around $6,600 per couple.

"Some may have already had commitment ceremonies and so may not want another enormous celebration," Badgett said. "A lot will be older and family may not be around anymore. And some may not have support of their families."

As for out-of-state couples, estimated to be 13,400 in New Hampshire and 75,000 New England-wide in the next three years, the institute tapped spending at $3,000 per couple, as most will be flying in for ceremonies and will likely not have a huge wedding extravaganza. Based on these figures, spending is expected to be $40.2 million in New Hampshire and $228,000 in New England.

Cindy Sproul, co-owner of the Rainbow Wedding Network of Asheville, N.C., said she thinks figures cited in the study could be low. Her company, which includes a gay wedding magazine, online gift registry and gay-friendly business listings, held an expo in Portsmouth two years ago after the civil union law passed. Next January, it's holding one in Manchester because no place locally is big enough to accommodate the businesses that have shown interest.

She said anecdotal information garnered from interviewing same-sex couples in the magazine indicate a spending level nationwide of $15,000 to $17,000 for a commitment ceremony and $20,000 to $40,000 for a wedding, comparable to heterosexual weddings.

"To be fair, there's also the wedding in the back yard that costs a couple of thousand dollars," she said. "But even those who come into a state for a commitment ceremony are going to spend money."

She said many will get married "for the paperwork. It's another piece of paper, along with the wills and the power of attorney, especially if you have children, that is going to prove your commitment. So couples will get married for that paper. And we're already reading online, 'What a better place to go than New Hampshire?'"

Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce President Doug Bates said, as of now, no concerted effort has been made to attract the gay marriage business to the Seacoast. But at least one local business is already on board. George Soderberg, general manager of the Sheraton Harborside in Portsmouth, said the upscale hotel "is definitely reaching out" to the gay and lesbian community. "We do feel it's coming and, clearly, it's going to be a great source of future revenue, for sure," he said. "We've already had a couple of receptions here, and we hope that continues to grow."