Reply #4: Pink pound boom as companies cash in on gay weddings (in Britain)

[Thom Little]

Thousands of gay couples will publish their "wedding bans" today as the long-awaited Civil Partnership Act comes into force. Same-sex couples who register their names with local councils today will be able to marry from 21 December, after an obligatory 15-day "cooling off" period.

The legalisation of gay marriage is expected to generate a multimillion-pound economy in wedding ceremonies, receptions and gifts, with businesses keen to cash in on the market. With some couples having waited more than 40 years for the right to marry, industry observers say the power of the "pink pound" is likely to soar.

The Act gives gay couples the same inheritance, pension, tax and benefit rights as married heterosexuals.

They will also have legal "next of kin" status and, in the event of separation, will have rights over each other's assets and access arrangements to any children from the relationship.


http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article331215.ece