Chely Wright Gets Married

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Yelpstorm: Bad Reviews Swarm Review Site For Anti-Gay New Jersey Bridal Shop

Remember the New Jersey bridal shop whose manager rebuffed a lesbian patron, telling her that her wedding constituted an "illegal activity"? The Yelp review site community has responded with almost 600 shitty comments on the bridal shop's page. Yowtch.

"They don't deserve their business license, and they don't deserve your business," offered Isiah K. Yes, the store currently enjoys a one-star Yelp rating. Another Yelper, Dana B. declared: "Someone capable of such hatred has no place in an industry built on love. Want to defend marriage? Protect it from divorce, infidelity, and boredom. Don't keep two people who love each other from making a commitment in front of their god and their loved ones." This does seem like a seriously cogent argument. What might also be a cogent argument for business sense are the at least 69 1-star reviews that have been posted just today. Some will declare this is a mere orchestrated protest. But for a local business, orchestration can mean castration. One commenter, Dana Q., suggested: "Even before any of that happened, this place didn't deserve more than one star."

Yelp administrators tell CNET that most of the reviews will be removed because they are not about "the consumer's experience at the business."

NEW JERSEY: Bridal Shop Rejects Lesbian Patron For Her "Illegal" Wedding

An opinion columnist from the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the manager of a bridal shop in New Jersey has refused the business of a lesbian because her coming wedding constituted "illegal activity."

Apparently, Donna was stunned to learn, after reviewing your customer-information sheet, that you're a lesbian. On the paperwork, you'd crossed out the word "groom" and written "partner" instead, and then inserted your fiancée's name. "She said she wouldn't work with me because I'm gay," you recalled. "She also said that I came from a nice Jewish family, and that it was a shame I was gay. She said, 'There's right, and there's wrong. And this is wrong.'" She also said - and you have the voicemail to prove it - that what you were planning was "illegal" and that "we do not participate in any illegal actions." "I was devastated," you told me. "I was crying. I called her a bigot; I told her, 'I am a happy person and you are a miserable person.' Then she hung up on me." You admit to using some choice words when you called her back. But trust me, whatever you said was probably poetry compared with what I believe most decent people would've spewed at her on your behalf.

(Tipped by JMG reader Frank)

Photo Of The Day

Married at last after almost 40 years. Read the full story.

The Power Vested

As I mentioned at the time, two weeks ago Father Tony performed two same-sex weddings in Central Park as part of the Pop-Up Chapel festivities. Click over to Bilerico today for Tony's own recounting of the day.

NYC Picks Honeymoon Winners

New York City's official tourism agency has chosen one couple from each of the five boroughs as the winners of a honeymoon package. The winners were selected from the more than 650 couples who tied the knot on the first day of legalized same-sex marriage. And it turns out that one of the winning couples is straight.

Sacha Jessamy and Sharif Allen, a straight couple whose wedding website says they first said ‘I do’ at the Astoria World Manor on October 24, 2009, were among the throngs of couples who took the leap on Sunday, July 24th. Nearly all of the 659 couples who received a marriage license in the five boroughs on that history-making day were gays and lesbians but a handful of straight couples joined them. And one of those couples is walking away with swag. Jessamy and Allen are among five couples — one from each borough — who were selected from a lottery to get a honeymoon package from the city’s tourism agency, NYC & Co.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Paper Prints Wedding Notice For Interracial Gay Couple

Andrew Sullivan points us to the above wedding announcement published by South Carolina's largest daily newspaper. Rather than smile at the image of all those good ole boys freaking out over today's paper, let's wish the happy couple our best. (Whoops, smiling anyway.)

Gay Weddings In Central Park!

On a gorgeous cloudless day, today dozens of gay couples married in the shade of two "pop-up chapels" in Central Park, with our own Father Tony officiating at two of the ceremonies. Above are newlyweds Jen and Rose, moments after Father Tony made it legal. Below, John and Rob exchange rings. Also on hand were hair and make-up artists who donated their time and materials. The day was emceed by openly gay television personality Dave Holmes. (Lots and lots of photos from today are here.)
RELATED: As informal a day as this was, I was especially struck by how respectful passersby became once they grokked what was going down. Throngs of tourists lined the barricades at all times, quieting down when the chapels were active, then erupting in cheers when they could see that each ceremony was complete. It was a beautiful thing to witness.

BROADWAY: Gay Wedding Takes Place Onstage After Hair Performance

From Disney's Wedding Blog

On Disney's wedding blog today, a lovely recounting of a same-sex romance. Aaand here come calls for a boycott!

(Tipped by JMG reader Eric)

Just Married

Buzzfeed has a fantastic collection of gay couples photographed moments after being married yesterday.