Business & Tech

Syosset Businesses Ready for Gay Weddings

Local businesses said same-sex couples will be met with open arms.

With the in New York this past weekend, an already busy wedding season is set to get even more hectic. And a number of Syosset businesses say they are ready.

“I hope we get the business,” said Amanda Pierce, head of wedding planning at Woodbury's Perfect Wedding Planner. “We’ve worked with two same-sex couples in the past for events and I believe we’ll see a lot of them for weddings now.”

The Perfect Wedding Planner is owned and operated by the Scotto family, who also run the a popular desination for weddings. With a new showroom opening this month as well as a new wedding venue called “The Somerly,” the team is looking forward to a busy season.

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Pierce said a number of changes will have to be made to the services currently offered, but had no problem working with couples to ensure their needs are met. That's what she does already.

“We will probably have to change the invitation favors, make some etiquette changes, since it’s not the typical bride and groom," Pierce said.

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An engaged couple usually gives the team about six to eight months to plan their big day, but Pierce said they are fine with same-sex couples wanting to accelerate the process.

“It’s understandable – they might have been waiting for a while,” Pierce said. “We could do three months or sooner.”

, owner of on Jackson Avenue, does special orders for weddings, including flower centerpieces, personal flowers and church flowers. He said he was more than happy to find out about the passage of the new state law.

“They are humans,” Dimatos said of gay couples. “I’m more than glad it happened. We’re ready for it. We welcome anyone here.”

Dimatos said he needs to have at least 30-45 days advance notice for orders “to get what we need.” Prices can range anywhere from $500 to $5,000, depending on the size of the order.

At on Jackson Avenue, the new law will hardly be a headache for business.

“We print the invitations manually, so the customer can put whatever they want on it,” an employee at the store said. “It won’t be a problem to include 'groom and groom' on wedding invitations at all  – or anything like that.”

The worker said they’ve already had a couple of same-sex wedding orders for out of state marriages in the past, and estimates that 25 percent of the business is from wedding invites. Prices vary depending on the size of the order, and can range anywhere from $500 to $3,000. Orders are requested three to four months before the wedding, but that depends on the catering hall.

One business hoping for boost is on Jackson Avenue. Lanza said a combination of factors – from a sluggish economy to much higher gold prices – has pushed the price of wedding rings up. So business has been slow.  

“It’s been slow," Lanza said. "But we’re definitely welcoming the new business, of course."


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