Same-sex wedding expo

Kansas’ first wedding expo aimed at same-sex couples took place Sunday afternoon at the Maner Conference Center at the Kansas Expocentre.

The equality wedding expo included about 50 vendors providing a variety of services including photography, tuxedo rental, makeup artistry and catering.

The event was co-sponsored by Visit Topeka and Topeka Pride.

Ted English, public service specialist with Visit Topeka, said the event supports inclusiveness and people from all walks of life.

“I think it’s great,” he said.

The expo included two fashion shows, one at noon and another at 3 p.m.

wedding dresses online australia and tuxedos were provided by Happily Ever After and Men’s Wearhouse.

Katrina Fraise-Fluellen, owner of Happily Ever After, said she wanted to be involved in the expo to show support to the LGBT community and to let people know there are vendors in Topeka who are happy to serve them.

“Everybody deserves a happily ever after,” she said.

Visit Topeka’s tourism development manager Rosa Cavazos said Visit Topeka was motivated to organize the first equality wedding expo in the state, especially since same-sex marriage became legal this year.

She also said there was a line of people to get in before the expo opened and that people came from across the state, including Wichita, Salina and Kansas City. Some of the out-of-town visitors told Cavazos they hoped their own cities would support a similar event.

Stewart Wallace, with Oklahomans for Equality, based in Tulsa, wanted to participate after finding out about the event. As a vendor, he was selling merchandise from the Pride Store Roadshow.

“I have never done an equality bridal show,” said vendor Carmen Hocking, from A Beautiful Wedding, a wedding planning company. “I just wanted to get my company out there. Everyone is entitled to love whoever they want to love, and I don’t judge.”

Businesses that didn’t participate as vendors but wanted to display their support for same-sex weddings could get a window cling to put in their storefronts.

Source: www.sheindressau.com