As part of a promotion for Richmond tourism, one same-sex couple will win the wedding of a lifetime to be held March 7 at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, a 50-acre stretch of land located in the northern part of the city, reports the Richmond Times-Dispatch. According to the article, “Sponsors are covering the cost of the Lewis Ginter wedding for the promotional event, which is being organized by Richmond Region Tourism’s OutRVA program and Say I Do!, a Northern Virginia-based business that introduces gay couples to vendors friendly to LGBT — lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender — visitors.”
As part of the winnings, the couple will be treated to wardrobe and styling, a custom wedding cake, floral arrangements, an overnight stay at the Linden Row Inn, including a suite on the day of the wedding for preparation. The winning couple will say “I do” in a ceremony coordinated by event designer and floral artist Casey Godlove of Strawberry Fields Flowers & Finds and marriage concierge Ayana Obika of All About The Journey, and enjoy a post-wedding brunch at the downtown Hilton Garden Inn the following day. As part of the package, professional photographers will document the wedding at the garden, and the event will be featured in upcoming tourism marketing according to RichmondIsOut.com.
In addition, the couple will be allowed to invite 50 guests. Participants must live in Virginia and register at the RichmondIsOut.com portal by Jan. 31.
Same-sex weddings have been used to drum up support for the legalization of same-sex marriage in many states as a notable economic stimulus. A typical wedding can cost upwards of $25,000. And according to the Gay Marriage Institute, almost 130,000 same-sex couples have tied the knot in states where same-sex marriage is allowed. Those figures do not include travel or accommodations or money spent on the local economy. Further, Richmond is estimated to have seven million tourist a year pumping almost $2 billion into the local economy and generating close to 22,000 jobs, statistics that can be contributed, in part, on LGBT dollars.
“It’s wonderful,” said Bill Harrison, executive director of the Richmond Gay Community Foundation. “Same-sex marriage in Virginia will have a positive effect on the economy because weddings can be quite expensive.”
