Jim Craig, Church of the Open Arms past president, and Rob Abiera, webmaster of GayOKC.com have come up with an idea for a "Gay Wedding Expo" here in OKC. the current thinking is that this might take place in November, possibly Saturday, Nov 15. The main goal of this event would be to provide those who may be thinking of having a commitment ceremony with the practical information they need. This would include info on what resources are available here in OKC for gay couples planning a ceremony, from who can perform such a ceremony to where to find all the trimmings such as tuxedos and bridal gowns, wedding rings and wedding cakes. they may even be able to provide info on getting a civil union in Vermont, or how to get a legal "Gay marriage" in another country. And, of course, the all-important question of where to go for the honeymoon!

they envision several seminars and panels where this information can be made available, plus space for vendors to display their products, services and businesses. the panels could feature pastors, lawyers, wedding planners, caterers, couples who have experience with planning a ceremony to share, who knows, maybe even some legislators would like to be involved! in addition, there could be a fashion show featuring same-gender couples wearing the latest tuxedos and bridal gowns!

and after the event, the information could remain available indefinitely, online, in a "Guide to Commitment Ceremonies" on GayOKC.com!

Jim has broached the idea of having this event at the Church of the Open Arms with church officials. This event will be "presented by" GayOKC.com and possibly the Church of the Open Arms, as well, and is sure to be an excellent opportunity for vendors and sponsors to show their support for the GLBT Community and reach potential new customers! they would like to have your input on what could be done at an event like this, and they certainly also would like to hear from potential vendors and sponsors who would like to be involved. in fact, they need to have commitments - at least in principle - from as many as they can before the early part of July before they can decide if this project is going to be financially doable or not. an event like this is going to cost money and they will need to know that they are going to have the financial resources available before they can move forward on this. so please let them hear from you! regardless of how you feel about Gay marriage, holy unions, civil unions, commitment ceremonies or whatever you want to call them, this is an important issue in our community and will surely be an exciting opportunity to show the wider community what same-gender relationships are really all about!

so tell them what you think! would you like to help us organize this event? would you like for your business to be involved in this event? do you have a suggestion or an opinion? what should we call this event? email them at we[email protected]! Help them create an exciting new showcase for Oklahoma City's GLBT Community!