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A witness to history
In May 2004, Cindy Sproul addressed a crowd of three hundred fifty at the Sheraton Commander Hotel in Cambridge, MA, inviting them to mark the moment by raising a glass to toast the passage of the landmark Goodridge Decision. The crowd, gathered for the auspicious occasion at the first annual 'Same Love, Same Rights'™ LGBTQ+ Wedding Expo that afternoon, was joyful, attentive and many clung to handkerchiefs: Dozens of couples and wedding professionals alike were teary-eyed and struck with disbelief that the day had finally arrived when same-gender couples would be legally permitted to marry in the Bay State.
Just four and a half years earlier, Sproul and her partner Marianne Puechl had co-founded RainbowWeddingNetwork.com, the first wedding gift registry ever specifically dedicated to the Gay and Lesbian community. The women, planning their own commitment ceremony, saw the need for a website dedicated to LGBTQ+ unions: having encountered awkwardness themselves as they approached wedding vendors, they decided it would be a wonderful & productive resource to screen vendors so that other LGBTQ+ couples would not have to experience discrimination.
Timeline
RWN and Marriage Rights Progression Through the Years
Fall 1999
Idea for RWN
Cindy Sproul realizes there is no gift registry welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community; she and partner Marianne Puechl brainstorm the details of RainbowWeddingNetwork.com
Fall 1999
2000
In September of that year RainbowWeddingNetwork.com (RWN) is officially launched
Vermont becomes first state to recognize civil unions for same-gender couples
November 2003
RWN produces its first LGBTQ+ Wedding Expo, Minneapolis MN
November 2003
2004
A Year of Change
In May, two weeks before the enactment of full marriage recognition in Massachusetts, RWN produces its 1st Annual LGBTQ+ Wedding Expo at the Sheraton Commander Hotel in Cambridge. That annual event continues today.
Massachusetts becomes first state to recognize full marriage rights for same-gender couples; Multnomah County OR approves then overturns same-gender marriage recognition; under leadership of Mayor Gavin Newsom the city of San Francisco approves then overturns same-gender marriage recognition
Federal Marriage Amendment Act is proposed; RWN focuses more strongly on bringing LGBTQ+ Wedding Expos to various states throughout the nation and launches sister site: SameLoveSameRights.com
2005
Connecticut approves civil unions
2005
2006
A Voice to a Cause
RWN begins publication of the nation’s first Print Magazine specifically geared toward gay and lesbian weddings and the issues of marriage and family rights. (All archived issues of RainbowWeddingNetwork Magazine may currently be found on Proquest)
In November state constitutional amendments banning same-gender marriage are passed in seven more states.
2007
New Jersey approves civil unions
2007
2008
Marriage rights are recognized in California. In the summer before the passage of Proposition 8, RWN produces four back-to-back LGBTQ+ Wedding Expos from Sacramento to Long Beach. RWN founders Sproul & Puechl marry in a legally recognized ceremony in Malibu.
Connecticut legalizes same-gender marriage; New Hampshire recognizes civil unions; Proposition 8 passes in California, banning same-gender marriage
2009
Iowa, New Hampshire and Washington DC begin recognizing full marriage rights for same-gender couples; Vermont legislative decision changes civil unions to full marriage recognition; Washington State's 'domestic partnership' law is meant to provide marriage rights; Maine legalizes and then overturns marriage recognition
2009
2011
US Attorney General Eric Holder states that the Obama Administration will no longer defend DOMA; New York recognizes full marriage rights for same-gender couples; Illinois, Delaware, Rhode Island begin offering civil unions for same-gender couples
2012
California's Proposition 8 deemed unconstitutional; Maryland, Maine and Washington State recognize full marriage rights for same-gender couples; Hawaii approves civil unions; President Obama announces his support of same-gender marriage; New Jersey approves, delays then denies full marriage rights for same-gender couples
2012
2013
RWN produces its 100th LGBTQ+ Wedding Expo, at City Winery in NYC
Rhode Island, Delaware, Minnesota, New Jersey, Illinois, Hawaii, New Mexico begin to recognize full marriage rights for same-gender couples; Proposition 8 completely overruled in California and that state again recognizes full marriage rights for same-gender couples; Utah approves then denies marriage recognition; Colorado approves civil unions
2014
Legitimizing LGBTQ+ Families
RWN publishes coloring book for children with 2 moms or 2 dads.
Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, Arkansas, Idaho, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, N. Carolina, S. Carolina, W. Virginia, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, Alaska, Arizona, Montana, Mississippi take steps toward marriage recognition; Indiana recognizes same-gender marriage; Louisiana, Puerto Rico, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee ultimately uphold same-gender marriage bans
2014
2015
Victory at Last!
Florida recognizes full marriage rights for same-gender couples; S. Dakota, Alabama, Nebraska take steps toward marriage recognition
June 26, 2015 - The US Supreme Court legalizes same-gender marriage nationwide
2020
The Mission Continues
RWN produces its 285th LGBTQ+ Wedding Expo, and brings the tour of events to its 37th state.
With the quarantine due to Covid19, RWN began producing virtual LGBTQ+ Wedding Expos to assist in connecting couples and vendors during this unprecedented time.
2020
2022
An Ongoing Vision of Equality
Despite a tumultuous political climate in the USA in the summer of 2022, RWN continues its rigorous event schedule, to provide LGBTQ+ couples access to the resources needed to plan their weddings free from discrimination.
The Respect for Marriage Act passes in the United States, signed by President Biden, with a vision toward protecting LGBTQ+ marriage rights long-term.
2023
The year kicks off with continued proposed legislation at the local, state and federal levels that is strongly anti-LGBTQ+. In March 2023, the state of Tennessee proposes an option for court clerks to deny marriage licenses at will. The state of Florida continues to broaden the scope of its 'don't say gay' legislation. In June, the SCOTUS decision 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis provides business professionals the option to openly discriminate, effectively writing discrimination into law.
2023
2024
Another Election Cycle
Team RWN has experienced many election cycles since the company's founding in 2000. Divisiveness, death threats and anti-LGBTQ+ proposals spike during such times. This year, many are concerned that the overturn of Obergefell may be imminent. During such uncertainty and tumult, Team RWN continues to schedule as many LGBTQ+ Wedding Expos as possible, as well as engage in other outreach with individuals, companies and organizations, providing opportunities for community members and allies to connect and work together to promote efforts toward lasting equality.
Meet Our Core RWN Team
The faces behind RWN
