Wedding Businesses Expecting Gay Marriage Bump

Paul Udstrand, whose wedding photography business has been based in St. Louis Park since the early 1990s, said he’s always been a proponent of same-sex marriage.

“I’ve never had any problem with it,” he said. “Why would the government give a rat’s ass?”

For a time, Udstrand advertised on his Paul’s Photography website that he would do same-sex commitment ceremonies. But, after losing a couple jobs from heterosexual couples who reacted negatively to his serving the gay community, he stopped advertising commitment ceremonies (though he didn’t stop photographing them).

“You were kind of taking a risk by putting that out there,” he said. “It’s a tough racket, it’s competitive, and I only did a couple commitment ceremonies since 1994.”

But now, with same-sex legalization going into effect today, Udstrand is expecting an upsurge in business.

Last Friday, he updated his website to include photos of same-sex commitment ceremonies he has photographed in the past.  

He said he’s no longer concerned about a backlash from heterosexual couples.

“Five years ago it was something to think about, but now that it’s legalized, I’m not so worried about that,” he said.

Udstrand is hardly alone in seeing financial benefits to the legalization of same-sex marriage. One wedding planner predicted that the Twin Cities would have an additional 5,000 weddings over the next three years that added as much as $130 million to the local wedding industry.

Amy Zaroff, the owner of an Edina events and design firm, is also hoping to see a boost in business from 5,000 more weddings.

“It is a truly exciting time to be in the wedding industry,” she wrote in a blog post on her website, “because now everyone has the right to make the union of their love legal.”

Today, the first day of legalization, is too early for many businesses to see a difference. Patch talked with churches, invitation stores and other businesses that have yet to see a visible increase.

Kathy Dixon, co-owner of Invitations For Less in Minnetonka, said her business has remained level, partly because of the short time between the governor’s signing of the same-sex marriage bill May 14 and when the new law took effect.

She thinks many couples who are getting legally married now are having their receptions and events later.  Dixon expects to see more of a bump six months to a year from now.

• Same-Sex Marriage, Other Laws Take Effect in Minnesota Aug. 1

• Businesses Say ‘I Do’ to Providing Wedding Services to Same-Sex Couples

• Minnesota Governor Declares Aug. 1 'Freedom to Marry Day'