Back in 1999, everyone thought my mom was crazy when she told them about the business she wanted to start -- online boutiques for same sex weddings. A few years later, people still thought she was crazy. Now, 6 years later, TwoBrides.com & TwoGrooms.com are thriving "little engines that could" and my mom (Gretchen) is ready to be a National SpokesMom for marriage equality.
How cool is that?!?
I was thinking back on one of my favorite articles written about my mom. In 2000, a journalist named Karen Dale Wolman of LesbiaNation spent some time talking to my mom and getting to know her. By the end of the interview, she had dubbed her "TwoBrides.Mom." Clever, don't you think?!
Here's what my mom had to say about finding and offering products all the way back in 2000, when the doors to our stores -- the first ever of their kind -- opened:
But finding good products, often any products at all, quickly became an obstacle. "We either have to create them or be pretty creative," she notes. "There's [not much out there] and the things that are there are just not as nice as I want to offer."
"I had an artist design wedding certificates. They're just beautiful, and they allow a couple to celebrate the significance of what they're undertaking. This was my daughter's idea. We designed one specifically for Vermont civil unions. It was really great to put 'legally binding' on it." TwoBrides.com also offers guest books and wedding albums, many of them handmade.
She also found that cake toppers with two brides, were only offered in very limited selections. "The requests I’ve had is for them to be more personalized. If you have a woman who wants to wear a tuxedo, does she have short hair or long hair? There are different hair colors, different skin colors. My daughters wore formal gowns. I never thought about so much variety and preferences with one community in the traditional wedding deal. There are so many different combinations."
The self-proclaimed "mother-approved web site for alternative weddings" now offers services and products for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community. Engaged couples and their families can purchase The Essential Guide to Lesbian and Gay weddings, toasting flutes, invitations, party napkins, even a bar of clear soap with two little brides inside it. Visitors can also browse through the TwoBrides Wedding Album, a photo gallery that features a myriad of couples on the day of their nuptials.
Nowadays, we're watching other stores join us in the market, as more and more vendors are wanting to serve the gay and lesbian community. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, right? Or, perhaps we can think about it like this: "Imitation is the surest sign we're moving toward equality!"
We're still proud to be the only source that offers "mother-approved shopping for same sex weddings" and look forward to helping you with your wedding needs.
Want to read more of the story, TwoBrides.Mom? Click here.