Photo by Dylan Todd, Design by Caitlin Sause
MOST UNIQUE VENUE IN FLORIDA
MOST UNIQUE VENUE IN FLORIDA
WEverybody say love!
The Watermark Out News Wedding Guide celebrates your happily ever after
Ryan Williams-Jent
atermark Out News published our first Wedding Guide in May 2015, just four months after marriage equality came to Florida and a month before we welcomed it nationwide.
“We live in a day many of us never imagined,” we shared at the time. “Same-sex couples are able to legally wed their partners. Husbands have husbands. Wives now have wives. And the world is a better place because of it!”
It’s a sentiment we still believe, something that's evident via Creative Designer (and cover model!) Caitlin Sause, who wed her wife
Kalika Perry last year.
Over the last decade we’ve had the privilege of celebrating love by connecting with couples across Central Florida and Tampa Bay. We’ve highlighted your weddings, detailed supportive vendors and more.
It’s a tradition we proudly continue in the pages of this, our 11th Wedding Guide.
That begins with a look at how we got here — and why it matters. Statistics and stories show just how marriage equality has changed our lives, preparing us to write the next great chapter of marital history.
To help you do that, we examine current wedding trends. While your big day is yours to shape, this may help generate some ideas before you say “I Do.”
for your happily ever after.
If you’re looking for even more help, we check in with wedding planners and detail pop-up weddings. These services are available in Central Florida and Tampa Bay — like the offerings found via the advertisers in this Wedding Guide.
Be sure to check them out and drop by our Business Directory. It’s more important than ever to support those that support you — especially as you prepare
Wherever you are on your journey, congratulations on making it your own from all of us at Watermark Out News. We’re proud to be your source for celebrating LGBTQ+ love.
Photo by Dylan Todd
Photo by Dylan Todd
A VENUE AS TIMELESS
I10 Years Later
Studies and stories show how marriage equality has changed our lives
Ryan Williams-Jent
t’s been a decade since same-sex couples across the nation began crafting their own versions of happily ever after. Marriage equality became law of the land on June 26, 2015, affirming nationwide what they had known for decades: love is love.
“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and family,” former Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the U.S. Supreme Court’s
majority opinion on Obergefell v. Hodges.
Same-sex couples were asking for "equal dignity in the eyes of the law," he noted, concluding that the "Constitution grants them that right."
Today, the country has granted more than 823,000 samesex couples that right, and over 591,000 of them have wed since the marriage equality ruling.
The Williams Institute released that data in June 2025, noting that samesex weddings
"generated an economic boost for state and local economies."
An estimated 22.7 million guests attended these weddings, including 7.6 million travelers. "Wedding spending by these couples and their out-of-state guests boosted state and local economies by an estimated $5.9 billion and generated an estimated $432.2 million in state and local sales tax revenue since the Obergefell decision,” researchers noted. That's enough to support over 41,000 jobs.
The Williams Institute also found that $2.3 billion was generated
in the South, $1.7 in the West, $1 billion in the Midwest and $900 million in the Northeast.
Researchers noted that when the Obergefell decision was handed down, 15 states did not allow same-sex couples to marry and 16 had granted samesex couples the right to marry within the year prior, including Florida on Jan. 6, 2015.
One such couple was Michael Scott and Thomas Lawson, who wed in Orlando.
“It’s no longer just about yourself,” Lawson shared in the weeks after. “You make this
Photo by Dylan Todd
Photo by Dylan Todd
lifelong commitment to the person that you love, and you want to make sure you uphold those vows and what you said on that specific day.”
“One of the things our minister told us during our wedding ceremony [was] this is the most important vow you’ll ever take ... and I really feel that it is,” Scott added. “It does feel different and it does feel very good.”
Married couples like them have accounted for the majority of same-sex couples who cohabitate in the U.S. since 2016, according to data from the American Community Survey. Marriage equality has also seen families grow.
“The Obergefell decision emphasized the importance of marriage for protecting the children raised by same-sex couples,” the institute noted. “Hundreds of thousands of children and adults rely on
households headed by married same-sex couples.”
As of 2025, they estimated that 299,000 children under 18 live in these homes and that 17% of married same-sex couples “are raising the householder’s own children — biological, adopted or step — compared to 10% of unmarried same-sex couples.”
Tampa Bay’s Tommy and Nathan Whitehead are among the married couples with a child. In fact, it helped bring them together.
Reflecting on when he knew his husband was the right one, Nathan told Watermark Out News “I think it was the first time Tommy introduced me to his son" after they married in 2018. “He seemed like a great father and I knew I wanted to be with him.”
Gallup also shows record support for marriage equality. The global analytics company, has tracked public perception of same-sex marriage in the U.S.
since 1996, when there was just 27% favorability.
They revealed in 2025 that “a steady 68% of Americans support it.”
“By 2004, 42% were in favor, and in 2011, support reached the majority level for the first time, where it has remained since late 2012," Gallup noted. "A year after the Obergefell decision, in 2016, public support increased to 61%, and it has been above that level since."
Gallup noted, however, that 10 years after marriage equality there is a record party divide. Republican support has dropped 14 points since 2022.
“Since 2021, the percentage of U.S. adults who think marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized with the same rights as traditional marriages has ranged from 68% to 71%,” Gallup shared. “Yet, this stability in Americans’ backing for samesex marriage masks shifts in partisans’ views over the same period.
“Democrats’ support has risen to 88%, the record high ... Independents’ backing for samesex marriage has been relatively stable in recent years and currently stands at 76% ... [and] Republicans’ support, which peaked at 55% in 2021 and 2022, has gradually edged down to 41%, the lowest point since 2016,” they concluded.
Findings like these haven’t deterred couples in Central
Photo courtesy Bill Stevens
Florida, Tampa Bay and beyond from finding and celebrating their love, however, though it has caused some concern.
Some have even questioned if the current SCOTUS, which now has a 6-3 conservative majority, might work to overturn marriage equality.
The body overturned nearly five decades of precedent in 2022 when they reversed Roe v. Wade, which previously protected an American’s right to have an abortion. Some of its members have also expressed an interest in revisiting Obergefell and shared skepticism over legal precedent.
With this in mind and a growing number of policies targeting LGBTQ+ Americans across the U.S., multiple married couples shared their fears and hopes with Watermark Out News around the 10-year mark of marriage equality in Florida.
They included Orange County’s Bill Stevens and Robert Brings, the first same-sex couple to be wed there in 2015.
“I don’t think there's anything off the table, and it’s unfortunate to feel that way,” Stevens said after his anniversary. He cited modern politics, noting that “it’s just changed everything.”
Gail Foreman and Pat Cummins, Sarasota-based wives who were also wed on Jan. 6, 2015, echoed his concerns.
“We marched, we did all of the standard old dog protest stuff, we fought for the rights that we all enjoy now,” Foreman explained. “To see it being more widely accepted, and then all of a sudden, there’s a shift in political viewpoints I equate it to history repeating itself.”
Concern over conservative pushback also led to the Respect for Marriage Act, which former
President Joe Biden signed into law three years before Obergefell’s 10-year mark.
The bipartisan effort officially repealed the Defense of Marriage Act, which banned federal recognition of same-sex marriage in 1996, and now requires the federal government and all U.S. states and territories to recognize same-sex and interracial marriages in the country.
This legal protection ushered in another layer of support for marriage equality in the U.S., advocates have shared, strengthening it before and after Obergefell’s 10-year mark.
“I’m 60 now, so I’ve seen a lot of things happen and change, and there are things like gay marriage that when I was growing up, I thought would never, ever be a possibility,” Stevens advised. “I think this is just, unfortunately, a horrible speed bump in time.”
When it comes to securing the next 10 years of marriage equality in the U.S., Foreman noted, it’s something same-sex couples can ensure happens. The key is to make sure the next generation of LGBTQ+ Americans understand “they can make change.”
“They don’t have to sit back and accept whatever is thrown at them,” she shared. “We have to raise [youth] well, and we have to teach them how to be independent and autonomous and to go out there and fight for what you believe in. That’s our job. That’s our legacy.”
Stratton Pollitzer — who cofounded Equality Florida, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization which fought for marriage equality in the state leading up to the 2015 victory — agrees. He pointed toward record American support for samesex marriage and reflected on
securing the right to begin with.
“We kept losing; we lost in 26 states, one after the next, after the next, after the next,” he told Watermark Out News. “Then, we figured out that we had the secret weapon, the secret tool in our toolbox all along, and that tool is love. We started talking about our love stories, about our families — something we had tried to hide during the fight.”
As conservatives target LGBTQ+ equality, he noted, “this has to be the moment that we tell stories about the real impacts of [anti-LGBTQ+] laws, about the good people out there in the world who aren’t being heard and bring their stories and humanity forward.”
With new marriages every day, that’s easier to do than ever before — especially with help from LGBTQ+-focused vendors like those detailed in these pages. Don’t forget to check them out along with other tips found in this guide before saying your “I Do.”
Photo by Dylan Todd
Authentic Atmospheres
LGBTQ+ wedding trends to consider before saying “I Do”
Bellanee Plaza
When it comes to their weddings, LGBTQ+ couples throughout Central Florida and Tampa Bay have been reimagining traditional trends for over 10 years now. Changing gender-specific titles, embracing authenticity and creating deeply personal experiences have allowed couples to add another layer of individuality to their special day. There aren’t one size fits all formulas to follow when it comes to shaping LGBTQ+ celebrations of love, but here are some ongoing trends that couples can use to help create their unique weddings.
Pre-ceremony Switch-Ups
Some couples are changing up their pre-ceremony routines, something that might start with bachelor/ bachelorette/prewedding parties. They may celebrate the occasion together with their friends and family,
as opposed to multiple outings.
For some, staying together extends to their big day as they ditch using separate suites to get ready. This allows them to unite their entire wedding party, friends and/or families to set the tone.
Hometown Affairs
Another movement has been to hold ceremonies in hometown venues or even host weddings at home. Hosting a ceremony together in a backyard can make memories and create new ones in a sacred space. It can be as simple as a greenhouse or patio, uniting family — chosen and not — to celebrate your happily ever after.
The end result, for some, is a more manageable ceremony without sacrificing style.
Using Inclusive Language
More invitations are ditching labels like “bride/groom” and
“bridal party” to use “partners” and “wedding party” instead. Inclusive phrasing is a core element, something that will also impact what the wedding’s officiant reads.
Proper titles and pronouns are a must to create a safe space for all. The most common way to use genderneutral language is by incorporating they/ them pronouns into your message.
Embracing Gender-Expansive Attire
Queer fashion has grown over the years and truly offers something for everyone. Couples can mix and match with tailored suits, jumpsuits, capes, corsetry and so much more. Some go for bold colors, stick with classic black-and-white or mix it up with heels or flats. Feeling like the most authentic version of yourself on the wedding day is crucial.
Highlighting
Chosen Families
For many LGBTQ+ couples, chosen families play a key role in their lives and can be vital lifelines. Elevating these chosen families during a ceremony reflect the couple’s support network and honors the importance of these relationships. This element shows that bonds and love go beyond biological ties. For these couples, family becomes a group of supportive people.
Before You Say “I Do”
Before you celebrate your big day, and whatever trends you’re watching, it’s important to know that the biggest trend in LGBTQ+ weddings is simple. They’re authentic. It’s all about creating a special day that feels honest and authentic to who you are, reshaping what happily ever after means for you.
LIn the Details
Highlighting inclusivity for a perfectly planned wedding
Bellanee Plaza
GBTQ+ wedding planning should feel affirming and true to the couple getting married. With inclusive vendors like the ones found in these pages, gender-neutral language and trust, the day can be filled with support and open arms.
Inclusive wedding planning makes every guest feel seen, which makes every wedding better. In a day where everything is planned out, guests can be included in the experience of inclusivity. The day should feel comfortable and joyful. For LGBTQ+ couples, a few extra touches set expectations for the day to be exactly
what they want. Communicating with vendors and creating those relationships will open the possibilities of creating an inclusive wedding. The trust is key, in the vendors, support network and in the couples right to create a day perfect to them.
With four years of experience, Yasmine Colon-Maldonado, owner of Perfectly Planned by Yas, says she sees her clients without labels and caters each couple’s needs to their comfortability.
to work with LGBTQ+ couples and create a day that in surrounded by love and support.
“When I reach out to vendors I make sure that they're aware that it's a same-sex couple that is coming to your space to use your services so that they are included and they are aware, because if they're not accepted there, then unfortunately we will take our business somewhere else,” ColonMaldonado shares.
Maldonado does the research to find the businesses she wants to work with who explicitly state their support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Its key for ColonMaldonado to make the couples as comfortable as possible. She also works on making everything as “perfect as possible.”
As a Latinaowned wedding and event planning company based in Orlando, ColonMaldonado goes the extra mile
In a space created for inclusion, ColonMaldonado looks to curate her team to meet the couples’ needs. She notes that LGBTQ+ couples should have a day that is just as special as everyone else's because they deserve it.
From finding LGBTQ+-friendly vendors to celebrating with meaningful traditions, Colon-
With a passion for detail and a personalized approach, the team transforms every vision into a seamless experience from intimate gatherings to large-scale productions. They believe that every event should tell a story and is dedicated to designing moments that reflect couples’ style, dreams and values.
Perfectly Planned by Yas is made up of a team of three, ColonMaldonado, Alexia
Photo courtesy Yasmine Colon-Maldonado
Photo courtesy Yasmine Colon-Maldonado
Every love story deserves a beautiful beginning.
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Clark and Amy Phung. She says the work she does is rewarding to the point that if she could do it for free, she would.
“I am so passionate about what I do,” Colon-Maldonado shares. “I love to make people smile. I love to make people laugh. It's just the greatest feeling and so extraordinary, seeing my couples' faces light up when their vision board that they pinned to Pinterest comes to life.”
Perfectly Planned by Yas looks to reach more event planning with birthdays, personal celebrations and corporate events. Colon-Maldonado says there’s always a reason to celebrate.
Inclusive language is everything to Janay Rivera and Daniela Yepes, founders of Janay Evalisce Photography.
As a queer and Hispanic couple, they say informing and educating their clients and vendors in any area possible is a goal as they want everyone to be more open-minded. With LGBTQ+ weddings, Rivera knows it’s hard when some family members choose to not attend, especially those of immediate family and says she will step in to help. Even though it’s not her “job,” she will step up
to support her clients because “you take care of your people, you take care of the ones that don't have.”
“It's more than our job description, but I'll step in a little bit,” Rivera shares. “Like, no, you do look really good. It makes it a little less sad that their sister or their aunt or their dad isn't there because we get it.”
Yepes says they noticed the need for catering to LGBTQ+ couples and wanted to be a part of the solution. She notes that the education side of it is important but helping work to a solution is the goal.
“What we did for Pride month in June, we offered free photo shoots to LGBTQ couples,” Yepes shares. “And we always try to do something like that. One, to make them feel loved — because oftentimes it can be difficult but two, also just to challenge us to put that on the forefront of what we want to photograph as well.”
With over six years of experience, Yepes is proud to see that Janay Evalisce Photography is representing and is aligned with what the couple believes in. The couple says clients will tell them they want to work together because of the queer representation.
They have heard from
clients that they had different experiences with photographers who weren’t as accepting as Rivera and Yepes. They say that gives them a mix of emotions as they want every couple treated the same no matter their sexuality.
“Honestly, at some times it makes us want to do strictly only LGBTQ+ weddings because there's a gap,” Rivera explains. “It means so much to us but at first it does upset me ... We welcome everyone.”
For couples getting married, wedding vendors are an essential part. Rivera says that is where the couple will start their forever. For all vendors, Rivera notes that there is so much more that can be done to make clients feel comfortable.
“I think just seeing that growth already, it makes me so emotional all the time because years ago people were hiding, getting married, hiding their relationships, all these things,” Rivera says. “And now with the help of vendors and people in the wedding industry being bold and being inclusive and loving, these couples are now feeling more confident to go home and tell their
families.”
Rivera knows there are still a lot of vendors and venues that openly say they won’t work with any LGBTQ+ couples.
Rivera and Yepes are getting married soon and have already gone through many vendors to find ones accepting of their love. Perfectly Planned by Yas will be planning Rivera and Yepes wedding in Columbia and they have already started the planning process.
For more information on Perfectly Planned by Yas, visit PerfectlyPlannedByYas.com
For more information on Janay Evalisce Photography, visit JanayEvaliscePhotography.com.
Photo courtesy Janay Evalisce Photography
Authentic Alternatives
Pop-up weddings offer a unique wedding experience
Aidan Carmody and Ryan Williams-Jent
For a variety of reasons, LGBTQ+ couples may look for unconventional ways to tie the knot.
One option may be pop-up weddings.
“These are small, pre-arranged wedding ceremonies — usually planned and set up by a professional team — where a couple shows up, gets married and enjoys a beautiful, stress-free experience,” Marriage.com advises.
The LGBTQ+-inclusive site exists to cultivate healthier, happier relationships and says pop-up weddings let couples express themselves in new ways.
“If the thought of planning a big traditional wedding stresses you out, you’re not alone,” they note.
“Pop-up weddings are growing in popularity — and for good reason. They’re designed for couples who want something meaningful without all the chaos. Whether you’re after something budgetfriendly, intimate, or simply different, a popup wedding might be
exactly what you need.”
Some businesses like Central Florida’s Moonstruck Market Bookstore have begun offering options like these. Owner Connor Bryan and their wife August founded the business to create a safe space for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC people.
They say they’ve received “overwhelming support” in their endeavors, leading them to begin offering free pop-up weddings for groups of queer couples.
It’s a model that can be replicated statewide.
The idea for pop-up weddings took shape against the backdrop of the conservative U.S. Supreme Court, Bryan notes. "We knew that a reversal of the decision of Obergefell v. Hodges is a very real possibility," they explain. "We also knew that being married has been the most meaningful and
beautiful thing my wife and I have ever done ... we want to make that happen for as many queer people as we can."
LGBTQ+ community members can also participate in these weddings by volunteering to be stand-in parents, wedding party members, wedding vendors and supportive guests, and donations to businesses that perform them like Moonstruck Chapel can help fund the endeavors.
"We're so humbled by the support we've received from our community and around the state," Bryan shares. "We are so excited to provide a beautiful wedding day to couples from around Florida!
"The Moonstruck Chapel is our way of helping spread joy and love in our community in a time of great uncertainty," Bryan also notes. Participating
couples are provided photos and wedding cupcakes. Newlyweds are required to file their marriage certificates the following day to make it official.
"There are so many allies in places you might not realize,” Bryan says, “and so many good people are fighting to make the world a better place.” They note that includes anyone who’s living authentically — especially on their wedding day.
For more information about Moon Struck Market and
LGBT Q + Friendly Vendors
CEREMONY & RECEPTION
LOCATIONS:
ART AND HISTORY MUSEUMSMAITLAND
407-539-2181
ArtAndHistory.org
FLORIDARAMA
727-210-5450
Floridarama.art/weddings
MAXWELL C. KING CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
321-422-5823
KingCenter.com/About/ Venue-Rental
ORANGE COUNTY
REGIONAL HISTORY CENTER
407-836-8500
TheHistoryCenter.org
ORLANDO SCIENCE CENTER
407-514-2290 OSC.org/Weddings
PALM ISLAND RESORT
941-697-4800
PalmIsland.com
THE BODY ELECTRIC YOGA COMPANY
727-490-9361
TheBodyElectricYoga.com
THE JAMES MUSEUM
727-892-4200
TheJamesMuseum.org/HostAn-Event
WALT DISNEY WORLD SWAN AND DOLPHIN
407-934-183
SwanDolphin.com/Weddings
EVENT MANAGEMENT: ALLEGRO EVENTS
407-706-7016 Allegro.events
FINANCIAL PLANNING:
SECURITY FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT –DANIEL COURSON, WEALTH ADVISOR 407-644-4686
SFMAdvisorGroup.com
PHOTOGRAPHY:
DYLAN TODD PHOTOGRAPHY 727-310-1212
DylanToddPhotography.com
TRAVEL AND TOURISM: ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT/MCO 407-825-2001
OrlandoAirports.net
WEDDING OFFICIANT:
REV. DR. ANGELA WELLS-BEAN SeniorPastor@PAGchurch.org PAGchurch.org WEIGHT LOSS AND WELLNESS:
Québec City