The $51 Billion Wedding Industry Toasts a Post-DOMA Bump

On June 24, two days before the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act, theknot.com, America’s most-trafficked wedding website, released a glossy, digital gay weddings magazine. It features inspiration pictures (check out Antonio and Jason’s “regal and lush” wedding at the Plaza), an etiquette guide, and Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who has his own line of gay-marriage-supporting bow ties. On the day of the ruling, Banana Republic asked same-sex and heterosexual couples to “celebrate equality and love for all” by sharing their love story on the brand’s Facebook page for an opportunity to win $500 gift cards “perfect for outfitting your upcoming nuptials.” The Marriott hotel chain is launching an LGBT marketing campaign in the DOMA ruling’s wake, and a section of its website is now devoted to same-sex weddings and civil ceremonies.

American weddings are a $51 billion industry that employs nearly 800,000 people, according to the market-research firm IBISWorld. A 2009 study from the University of California at Los Angeles’s Williams Institute estimated that New Jersey would generate $15.1 million in new revenue if the state legalized gay marriage. That same year the New York City Comptroller’s Office estimated that the city would gain more than $200 million in revenue from gay weddings over a three-year span. Jody Hall, owner of Seattle chain Cupcake Royale, says her wedding-related business has doubled since gay marriage was legalized in Washington State in November. Long a supporter of gay marriage initiatives, she now realizes “it’s inadvertently been a great business strategy.”