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Lots of American couples think of going south of the border for destination weddings and honeymoons, but it's just as lovely to the north -- maybe even lovelier in the summertime.

Vancouver, British Columbia is a popular tourist and wedding destination. It is the largest city in Western Canada, and certainly one of the most beautiful. It's also one of the most expensive cities in the world, so make sure your budget can handle it before you dive head first into a Vancouver wedding.

Compared to the rest of Canada, Vancouver has a relatively temperate and warm climate. Winters are chilly, sure, but rarely bitterly cold, with temperatures hardly ever more than a few degrees below freezing and very little snowfall. Summers are sunny and dry with moderate temperatures and calm sea breezes -- gorgeous wedding weather.

We've written about how the state of California granted the right to marry to all its citizens a couple of weeks ago. We're not so sure, however, that dashing over there to get married (and thus blessing the state with all the revenues generated by your festivities) is such a good idea. There has been more back-and-forth-ing on this issue in California than there has been in any state in the union, and it's not over yet.

In November, California voters get to vote on an amendment to their state constitution which would render gay marriage illegal. Again. And if this happens, no one knows whether any marriages which occurred between June and November will still be legal. While polls indicate that Californian citizens are increasingly in support of gay marriage, you simply can't predict these things. Who knows which way the vote will go?

So, if you and your same-sex sweetie are having California dreams of a Big White Wedding, perhaps you'd best hold off until after November.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia DeRossi appear to have a venue and date selected for their much anticipated nuptials. The couple hasn't signed a contract yet, but it's reported that they have decided on the Riviera Resort and Spa in Palm Springs.

Some sources are saying the wedding will take place in October, which is when the hotel plans to have completed the $70 million renovation project. There are tropical gardens on the premises, which is where Ellen and Portia plan to swap vows, and the reception is to be held in the grand ballroom.

Ellen announced her wedding plans on her talk show in May after the gay marriage ban was lifted in California. She gave Portia a $60,000, three-carat pink diamond ring in celebration of their official engagement, and Portia reportedly intends to take Ellen's last name after they're married.

Starting at 5:01pm Monday, same-sex couples were legally allowed to marry in California. Though San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom had granted marriage licenses to nearly 4,000 gay couples in 2004, those unions were soon annulled by the state Supreme Court. The court's recent milestone decision to allow same-sex marriage has got some people calling 2008 California's Summer of Love.

Many California courthouses stayed open late yesterday to accommodate the initial rush of couples who wish to be among the first gay couples to legally marry in the state. Gavin Newsom presided over the first union, between Del Martin, 87 and Phyllis Lyon, 84. The two women have been together for 55 years, and had been married by Newsom in 2004 as well, but that marriage was soon annulled by the state.

While thousands will be married in the coming weeks, there is a sense of worry hanging over the joy. In November, California voters will see a gay marriage ban on the ballot -- if it passes, the wedding bells will stop abruptly. Mayor Newsom is concerned about the opposition, but optimistic for the future of same-sex relationships, and proud to be a part of what is happening now in California.

In an effort to raise awareness and acceptance of gay marriage, Ellen DeGeneres plans to give out one photo of her wedding to Portia DeRossi to any media outlet that requests it.

Unlike many of her peers, she won't be selling the pictures for a profit -- she simply wants to bring attention to her cause. She's certainly doing a good job of getting the public interested -- she made the emotional announcement about her wedding plans on her show last month. Plus, Justin Timberlake has offered to write and perform a special song for Ellen and Portia at the wedding, and Jenna (Bush) Hager told Ellen the wedding could take place at the Bush family ranch in Texas.

Rest assured, we'll be putting our request in shortly!

As more and more areas are opening up to the idea of gay marriage (California and New York, most recently), the wedding industry is expanding to cater to these couples. Most wedding imagery is still male-female, with cake toppers, invitations, and all the other decorations mostly featuring a bride and a groom. But some companies are expanding their product lines to incorporate same-sex illustrations.

Personalised Wine Labels in the UK has just introduced a brand new line of civil partnership wine labels, with groom & groom and bride & bride images that can then be personalized with the couple's names and wedding date. The company has several sizes of labels, so you can order something to fit any bottle. And they have personalized labels for straight couples, too.

A lesbian couple had no trouble getting married, but they're running into problems now that they want to get divorced.

The couple was married in Massachusetts in 2004, after the state legalized gay marriage. However, they live in Rhode Island, and last December Rhode Island's Supreme Court blocked the state's Family Court from handling a same-sex divorce.

Whether Rhode Island's Superior Court has jurisdiction to grant a divorce is being determined, but it does bring up an interesting issue -- if you're not planning to live in the same state in which you were married, and the states have different laws, you might want to look into how your home state handles same-sex disputes.

Now that more people than ever can legally wed in California, we're taking our Destination Wedding feature to San Francisco this week.

This large California city on the bay has a thriving gay community, but is a hot destination for tourists of all orientations, and a great place to tie the knot. Located in the northern half of coastal California, San Francisco has mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers -- nothing too extreme or uncomfortable for any season that you want to get married.

Aside from allowing same-sex weddings, legal requirements for marriage in California are pretty standard: you must apply in person for your license, but no blood tests are required.

In February, a New York state appeals court ruled that same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions are entitled to legal recognition in the Empire State. Around the time of California's court decision to legalize same-sex unions in the state, New York governor David Patterson issued a memo to all state agencies to make New York's policy clear: if a same-sex marriage is legally performed somewhere else like California, Massachusetts, Canada, or another country that allows gay marriage, then it will be legally recognized in New York.

New York is still not one of the handful of states where gay couples can legally wed or have a civil union, but perhaps this new policy is a sign of things to come. It seems a little silly that gay New Yorkers can't get hitched at home, but if they cross the state line into Massachusetts for the big day, then it's totally legal. Sillier still, though, that with the economy in shambles, wars being fought, and people starving all over the world, legislators and lobbyists still want to spend so much time debating the issue of whether or not the government will recognize certain kinds of love between consenting adults.

Justin Timberlake offered to not only sing a song at Ellen DeGeneres and Portia DiRossi's wedding -- he offered to write them a song.

He was on Ellen's talk show as the first guest to appear after she made the announcement that she and Portia planned to marry, and immediately congratulated the happy couple. Ellen mentioned a double wedding, suggesting Justin propose to his girlfriend, Jessica Biel, and while he laughed off that suggestion, he had a better one.

He offered to sing at their wedding, and told them, "You should have an original wedding song. I think it's only fitting." He asked Ellen to write down what she wanted to say to Portia, and told Portia to write down what she wanted to say to Ellen, and he promised to put it to music for their wedding. We think it's awesome, and hope Ellen will share the song after the wedding (although, we understand if they keep it private).

For one month in early 2004, same-sex couples were allowed to legally wed in San Francisco when mayor Gavin Newsom ordered that marriage licenses be granted to same-sex applicants. When the court stopped these marriages in March 2004, the city of San Francisco, two dozen gay and lesbian couples, Equality California and another gay rights group came together to file suit.

In a 4-3 decision today, the California Supreme Court ruled that the ban is unconstitutional; that domestic partnerships are not a legal substitution for marriage, and marriage rights will be granted to all same-sex couples that wish to be married.

California joins Massachusetts today as only the second state to allow same-sex marriages, while a handful of other states give limited rights to gay couples, and most do not recognize same-sex unions of any kind.

While gay rights activists cheered the decision, opponents vowed to continue to fight to pass a marriage amendment into law in California that would overturn the court's decision. For now, though, same-sex couples are free to wed in California.

Cynthia Nixon never thought much about getting married, saying, "I always avoided marriage in the past and was always very wary of it. I felt like it was potentially a trap." However, it seems she's seeing marriage in a different light these days.

Nixon has a fairly interesting past regarding her relationships. She was involved with her male ex-partner, Danny Mozes, from 1988 until 2003. A year later, it was reported that she had been involved with education activist Christine Marinoni, for close to a year.

Part of what Nixon finds somewhat appealing about marriage now, other than the fact that she now has a partner who is interested in it, is that it would be kind of an act of rebellion. She currently resides in New York with Marinoni and her two children from her relationship with Mozes, and says that if gay marriage becomes legal, they'd probably do it.

In Massachusetts, gay couples are allowed to marry. And in several other states, couples can take advantage of civil unions or domestic partnerships. Those arrangements at least offer some of the same protections as marriage.

Until it comes time to filing taxes. While gay couples can file in their respective states with no problem, they still can't file together on federal taxes. And that means paying more money to Uncle Sam. According to CNN, a couple making $60,000 would pay over $800 more than if they filed together.

There are many benefits that gay couples could get from marriage or civil unions. But until the federal government recognizes those unions, taxes won't be one of them. So what do you think, should the federal government recognize same-sex marriages? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.



Photo by babasteve licensed under Creative Commons.

Massachusetts might not be the first choice for everyone when looking for a place to settle down, but for many, it holds a special appeal -- Massachusetts is one of the few states that recognizes gay marriage, which has attracted many same-sex couples.

This is particularly interesting for Massachusetts because the state has a history of losing talented professionals due to the high cost of living. Now that it allows and recognizes same-sex marriages, meaning that spouses have access to benefits and such, Massachusetts is seeing a trend of gay professionals choosing to make the state home. And while some see this as a big help to the state's economy, others are concerned.

Some research has shown that, even though there has been an influx of successful same-sex couples, there has been an exodus of successful traditional family units, which basically brings Massachusetts back to the drawing board. Even so, the state of Massachusetts, with its laws and liberal nature, is looking like a good place for same-sex couples to get a fair shot at the life they might have only witnessed in other states, and until the laws allow gay marriage in other states, I don't see the trend ending any time soon.