PORTLAND — Portland-based marketing firm, Proactive Resources, recently launched Maine’s first comprehensive, online gay wedding directory, GayWeddingsInMaine.com.
After a soft launch weeks following Election Day and the approval of gay marriage in Maine, hundreds of gay and gay-friendly wedding vendors have expressed interest and are now listed on the website, which has reached more than 275,000 hits.
“The excitement of gay marriage passing in Maine has been strong, and since our website launched three weeks ago, we’ve seen huge interest from the business community wanting synergy with gay couples,” Sid Tripp, CEO of Proactive Resources, said in a news release. “The benefit of our website is three-fold: For gay couples, it takes the guesswork out of whether or not a wedding vendor is supportive of gay marriage; it connects a typically ‘traditional’ wedding industry in a positive way to the gay community; and the revenue generated through connections made by using the website stay within our state. It’s a win-win.”
Gay couples in Maine were able to marry beginning Dec. 29. Over the next 12 months, it is projected that marrying gay couples will generate $5 million in business revenue and an additional $10 million will come from out-of-state gay couples.
GayWeddingsInMaine.com will expand within the next month to include engagement and marriage announcements.
“I am proud of what Maine has accomplished, being the first state to legalize gay marriage by popular vote,” said Tripp. “We expect this website to set a great example of the positive impact of gay marriage for other states heading toward marriage equality.”
Tripp also runs a GLBT business networking group reaching 20,000 supporters each month called The DownEast Pride Alliance. His marketing firm is also a major sponsor of the Southern Maine Pride Parade and Festival, which draws more than 8,000 supporters to Portland each summer.
¦ THE WEBSITE, GayWeddingsInMaine.com, will expand soon to include engagement and marriage announcements.
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