OPINION: There's beauty in equality

I'VE always been a little weirded out by weddings.

Korinne Lardner - Capture the moment photography with Carissa Cross is amazing.

I'VE always been a little weirded out by weddings.

I never got the bridesmaid thing, surely women have more than just female friends?

I never got the bouquet deal. That tradition started from the days when bathing wasn't a regular occurrence and the flowers were used to mask the bride's smell.

How romantic.

But looking at the most popular wedding photographers in the region, as decided from a Morning Bulletin online poll, I will admit there is a certain beauty in weddings.

But there is something missing.

And that thing is certainly diversity.

I want to see same sex couple's afforded the same beauty that fills pages 8 and 9 in today's edition of the paper.

I want these photographers to capture the pure love that can of course also occur between a man and a man, or a woman and a woman.

Australian couples deserve that.

And so does our economy.

The ABS has calculated that the average cost of an Australian wedding to sit around $28,000.

We stand to make around $700 million from same sex weddings.

Over $111 million has been contributed to the Massachusetts economy over five years from marriage equality.

Rhode Island is projected to receive $1.2 million from the industry.

In Australia, the economic boost would be injected into both the private sector, through businesses, and state governments, through marriage license fees.

Then there's tourism.

The Mexico City Tourism authority estimates a $100,000 per month tourism benefit from allowing same-sex marriages.

Aren't we looking for a tourism boost in Central Queensland?

But of course, our country's pride and morality stand to benefit more.

The LGBTI community and their relationships should stand side-by-side with heterosexual couples.

It breaks my heart that I am afforded the right to marry the love of my life, while my homosexual friends cannot.

And that, of course, is the real problem with Australian weddings.

Originally published as OPINION: There's beauty in equality