Massachusetts Top Destination for Same-Sex Couples Seeking Marriage

More than 17,000 same-sex couples have been married in Massachusetts since the state legalized sam-sex marriage back in November of 2008, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

 75 percent of the marriages performed are for couples from out of state.

The number of same-sex marriages performed in Massachusetts has risen substantially since Proposition 8, the California ballot proposal restricting marriage to heterosexual couples, passed in the November elections.

Wedding planners have seen gays and lesbians flood the New England region to tie the knot.  The trend will likely continue in Iowa, where Iowa’s Supreme Court found its homosexual-marriage ban unconstitutional, and Vermont, where the Vermont legislature gave same-sex couples the right to marry.  The nation’s capital is not far behind, where the DC City Council will like pass a law legalizing same-sex marriage by Christmas.

Many hotels and resorts in the area that cater to same-sex weddings are reaping the benefits of present circumstances.

Hob Knob in Martha’s Vineyard offers its Escape & Elope package which includes an intimate ceremony, along with Champagne and massages.  The package also includes access to Tulle, a wedding and gown specialist that can accommodate two picky brides.

For those traveling long distances, the Omni New Haven Hotel can accommodate out-of-town couples and their guests with in-house ballrooms, restaurants and a spa.

Anne Stanback, executive director of Love Makes a Family (a pro-gay marriage organization in New Haven, Connecticut) has become an expert on same-sex wedding planning since she arranged her own without the help of bridal magazines.

"We may not see the lesbian version of Modern Bride until a few more states legalize marriage for same-sex couples, but I have no doubt we eventually will," Stanback said.