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Created: August 07 2014

As the battle for marriage equality continues to gain traction in South Florida's courts, gay and lesbian couples, as well as the wedding industry are preparing for the big day. Bobby Kyser, a well-known event planner as the owner of Panache Style, is well ahead of the curve in planning for Florida's untapped same-sex wedding industry by organizing the first-ever Gay Nuptials, a gay-friendly wedding expo to showcase top-notch caterers, venues, florists and more.

Gay Nuptials wedding showcase, which will be held on Sunday, August 17 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Hagen Park Community Center (2020 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors, Florida 33305), will feature an impressive roster of nearly 50 gay-friendly vendors. The City of Wilton Manors was named the "Second Gayest City" in the United States by the US Census Bureau, and Fort Lauderdale continues to be one of the top gay travel destinations in the world. With a large percentage of the population identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, the gayborhood could also soon become a same-sex wedding destination for tourists.

"It's only a matter of time before Florida joins 19 other states that have legalized gay marriage," said Kyser. "Wedding professionals and loving couples should start preparing now, and I'm taking this opportunity to help bring this out of the closet."

The changing cultural and political winds could signal a huge boost in South Florida's same-sex wedding tourism. Since Monday, South Florida judges from Palm Beach and Broward Counties have declared Florida's same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional, which followed two similar rulings by judges in Monroe and Miami-Dade counties last month. Although Florida's Attorney General Pam Bondi has pledged to uphold Florida's constitutional ban on gay marriage, Kyser isn't running away from the altar just yet.

"Now that marriage equality has become a real possibility in Florida, perhaps even inevitable, many of my gay and lesbian friends are planning to tie the knot," said Kyser. "Any newlywed couple will tell you that a great wedding requires at least one year of planning so we are getting others to think forward and plan accordingly."

Panache Style, as a leading event planning company, is presenting Gay Nuptials. The Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau is the presenting sponsor, along with Fort Lauderdale Marriott Coral Springs Hotel, Simply Couture Weddings, Worldwide Transportation, AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Cover It Fine Linens. Prominent vendors include Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa, Pompano Marriott Beach Resort & Spa, W Hotel Fort Lauderdale, The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, Over the Top Rental Linens, Mauricio de Monaco (wedding attire), Michael Murphy Photographic Imaging Studio, Daoud's Fine Jewelry and many more.

Tickets for Gay Nuptials are $20 and can be ordered online at www.mygaywedding.org or by calling Panache Style at 954-356-9377. All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to The Pride Center at Equality Park, which provides a welcoming, safe space for the LGBTQ community. For more information about Panache Style, visit www.panachestyle.com.