Tag: revenue increase

Gay Marriage: A $284 Million Stimulus For New York?

The New York City wedding-industrial complex is downright giddy about the recent legalization of same sex marriage. The Independent Economic Conference estimates that the increased tourism and wedding services (cakes! jewelers! DJs! retail registries) will bring in an extra $284 million a year.

Bill White, the former president of the Intrepid Museum, has reserved the main ballroom at the Four Seasons in New York, for what he claims will be the first gay marriage held at the iconic hotel. “We’re going to have something very simple, but masculine,” he said, according to the The New York Post.

The city has already launched its “NYC I Do” advertising campaign, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg invited gay couples — who don’t need residency in the state to marry — to visit: “Buy flowers, clothes, meals or whatever,” he said. “It’s good for the economy.”