Marriage equality became law in Australia on 9 December 2017 after the then federal government spent more than $80 million asking eligible voters to vote on whether the definition of marriage should be changed. Of eligible voters, 61.6% said ‘yes’ and 38.4% voted ‘no’ when they were asked in a postal survey undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Statistics whether marriage should be defined as being between ‘two people’ rather than the then existing ‘a man and a woman’. Since its inception, the Marriage Act 1961 had been silent on the definition of marriage. That is, it didn’t define wh ..read more

Gay-Friendly Wedding Venues in Melbourne 1 – SigloBar, 2/161  Spring Street, Melbourne 2 – QT Hotel, 133 Russell Street, Melbourne 3 – Cromwell  Streat, 66 Cromwell Street, Collingwood 4 – The Hotel Windsor, 111 Spring Street, Melbourne 5 – Airbnb 6 – Parks and Public Gardens in Melbourne During the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been a noticeable shift in the types of venues LGBTIQ+ couples are getting married, in Melbourne. That’s because the thinking about weddings has changed. Prior to COVID, some rainbow couples were being enticed by the traditional wedding venues that hav ..read more

You’ve finally decided to marry your soulmate after overcoming all the odds. Woohoo! It’s a proud moment because here’s another LGBTIQ+ wedding-ready to go! You’ve chosen not to be pressured by societal norms or expectations and you’ve proven that love has no boundaries. It’s never been easy for LGBTIQ+ couples to celebrate their love because of the associated societal taboo, but you’ve proudly chosen to say, “I do” and you’re ready to share your life with your partner forever! Since it’s your BIG DAY, make sure you don’t stick to the ordinary when picking out your wedding rings. To make your ..read more

One of the most significant days in the international LGBTIQ+ calendar is 17 May. Each year, on this day, the LGBTIQ+ community around the world celebrates the International Day Against Homophobia Biphobia Interphobia and Transphobia – IDAHOBIT. It was on this day in 1990 that the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from the classification of diseases and health problems. View this post on Instagram A post shared by City of Folks (@cityoffolks) That was an enormous step. For those in the LGBTIQ+ community who had been told all their lives by the rest of society that they w ..read more

Same-Sex Wedding Ideas 1 – Include a political statement in your ceremony 2 – Let your guests create a snail shape rather than an aisle 3 – Get married in a restaurant while waiting for your meal 4 – Build a chapel inside your home 5 – Exchange jewellery or watches rather than rings 6 – Surprise – you thought you were coming to a birthday party? 7 – Adapt an old Jewish tradition – make small rainbow cushions for smashing the glass 8 – Both be seated for the entire ceremony 9 – Signing on your backs 10 – Invite a drag queen to introduce the ceremony 11 – Have bite sized desserts ins ..read more

Are you getting married but are looking for a ring that’s outside the box? Nowadays people are less bound by traditional ideas of seeking out a ring that fits into the wedding or engagement ring category, but rather a piece that suits their personality. In the past, it was rare to see couples shopping for wedding or engagement rings together, but now it’s fairly common. Couples who shop together can choose to have something custom made to reflect their personal taste or select a ring that is ready-made. Whatever you decide to do, the ring is a celebration of your love and commitment to each o ..read more

Get free same-sex wedding rituals & traditions eBook today! Sign up to download the whole list of 39 same-sex rituals and traditions as an eBook  in printable PDF format. [contact-form-7] Let’s talk straight. Or perhaps not! Let’s talk queer! The rituals and traditions associated with weddings are highly gendered and extremely heteronormative – or straight. Those rituals and traditions have evolved based on the gendered relationship that has traditionally existed between a man and a woman. And although the institution of marriage and the wedding industry have both changed slow ..read more

The impacts of the COVID-19 restrictions on weddings and funerals have been significant. Wedding plans have been thrown into disarray, shattering many couples’ dreams of the wedding they’d envisaged for years. At the height of the Stage 4 restrictions, weddings have been banned in Metropolitan Melbourne, unless the Department of Health and Human Services rules that there are compassionate grounds (ie that one or both parties to the wedding are at the end of life or will be deported from Australia unless they get married). It seems unlikely that weddings with large numbers of guest ..read more

The journey to become a parent is not always easy for any couple. Increasingly, in Australia, surrogacy is a journey that more and more people – both couples and single people – are choosing to embark on. And opportunities for queer people to become parents through surrogacy are real and present. In this very personal blog, Stephen Page, one of Australia’s leading family and fertility lawyers – and a dad by surrogacy himself – tell us of his own surrogacy journey. Stephen is a principal of Page Provan, family and fertility lawyers, Brisbane. Stephen is a Fellow of the International Academy o ..read more