Wedding planners tied up with same-sex couples tying the knot

Richard Cadieux has helped plan 800 straight and gay weddings to date. From now on, he wants to focus only on same-sex marriages.

“I know a lot of the people getting married are between 55 and 70, and they feel different. I think I have the skill to be able to help them bring their love and affection forward. When that happens during a ceremony, they share that with family and friends,” Richard Cadieux said.

With gay marriage legal again, it’s suddenly wedding season.

“You can see behind me I have a Macbook, an iPad, an iphone, a computer. I’m doing research on one, talking on the phone on the other. I have someone on Skype in Australia. I’m getting an immense number of inquiries. People coming from Arizona, Italy,” Cadieux said.

Richard predicts a 300 percent increase in his business within the next 12 months.

Couples are eager to say ‘I do’ at the Metropolitan Community Church in Cathedral City.

“He said he already has six weddings set up, and we expect that to continue. We expect an influx of people wanting to get married. Not just from outside, but people who live here,” Mary Lou Suter, a member of Metropolitan Community Church, said.

The celebrations ahead are a long time coming.

“I spoke with two gentleman on Sunday who have been together 30 years. They said it’s about time they can feel comfortable,” Suter said.

For some, it’s about time for a big wedding.

“Relief. I think people will have a sense of relief. There is still a long way to go with equality, but a major one went down,” Cadieux said.

Fortunately for Richard, that’s call for celebration.