Gay Weddings
Straight facts about gay weddings
2005’s law change allowing same sex couples to ‘marry’ has opened up another avenue for wedding photographers. Discover how three photographers are reaping the rewards
Unless you’ve been hiding in the darkroom, you’ll know the Civil Partnership Act came into operation in December 2005 and, to quote the website of the Registrar Office, “enables a same-sex couple to register as civil partners of each other legally” – gay marriage by any other name. The registration process is wholly secular – so no quaint church photos – and thus limited to registry offices and approved venues.
Inevitably, canny social and wedding photographers – straight or gay themselves – have spotted a new opportunity to expand their client base, and descriptions such as gay friendly and ‘pink approved’ are starting to crop up on photographers’ websites. This is due in part to the impression given in the media that same-sex couples with no kids will have a high disposable income – the powerful lure of the famed ‘pink pound’. But switching from shooting traditional heterosexual weddings to include civil partnerships may not be as straightforward a money-spinner as the jobbing snapper may hope.
Freelancer Kelvin Brown advertises the fact that his business is “gay owned” on same-sex wedding directory pinkproducts and points out there are several key areas to get right, and several pitfalls to avoid, when trying to attract this new clientele.
“Just before civil partnerships came in, there were a few wedding shows at which I advertised,” Brown recalls. “And one of interesting things that the couples who were hiring me said was that they didn’t use the other photographers who were advertising at the shows because all their marketing material featured straight couples. The gay market’s very sensitive about that. What I’d done that was different was got some friends to stage a mock wedding.”
With it literally paying to be creative, Brown confirms that a lot of people have a stereotypical view of the pink pound and that gay couples will be an easy market.
“But if you slip up, it will cost you business,” he cautions.
“The other thing to remember is, with the straight wedding market the bride will have grown up dreaming of her wedding, and how much she’s going to spend on it to have her wishes come true,” Brown continues. “The expectation is already there that a photographer will charge a lot of money. However most of the gay market probably never expected to have the right to register their relationship, so there’s no precedent for them to measure it against.”
As a result, there is a lot more sensitivity to price. “What I’ve found is that if I go to a gay couple with the same price I charge the straight market, they’ll think it too expensive. If you mention what you’d charge for shooting a straight wedding, say £1500 to £2000, they’ll choke.” As a result Brown admits he will adapt his packages for the different client bases, at times making his packages for gay couples 10 or 15 per cent cheaper.
He hasn't found gay couples will only seek out gay photographers however. “I won’t deny that it probably helps me that I’m gay, but most people I’ve dealt with just want someone who is going to deliver good quality photography. They hire me because of my reportage style, but as long as you make an effort it doesn’t matter who you are. But don’t imagine you can apply the same marketing rules to the gay market as you would the straight market, because you’ll come unstuck.”
Wedding photographer Karen Julia, who’s open about her own lesbianism, does however believe that people can get too hung up on perceived differences. “With both straight and gay weddings you’ve got family and friends, people getting drunk, a couple who love each other, and a family who are supporting them,” she notes. “At the end of the day the only real difference is that they’re the same sex and it’s a civil partnership rather than a marriage.
I don’t tend to do church weddings anyway, but being successful in this market is all about not having preconceived ideas and being open, honest and transparent.”
