Bob reyes, a city plan-ner in Boston, and his partner, Jeff Deetz, a biotech scientist, have been together for 24 years. On May 17, they'll finally be able to make it legal, as Massachusetts becomes the first state to permit same-sex marriage. And they're going all out for their Aug. 22 wedding reception at the lavish Lyman Estate near Boston. Caterers will serve cocktails, champagne, and a full roast beef dinner to 50 guests. Afterward, Bob and Jeff aim to honeymoon in Province-town, the gay mecca on Cape Cod. Gay marriage remains a hot-button political issue, but in Massachusetts if s emerging as a boomlet of sorts. Over the coming year, thousands of gay couples from Massachusetts and beyond are likely to tie the knot in the Bay State. In the process, they'll inject hundreds of millions of dollars into the wedding industry and related businesses, including travel and tourism. "This is a huge new market," says Cindy Sproul, co-owner of Rainbow Wedding Network, a Web site that promotes gay weddings. If s already attracting the likes of Absolut Vodka, Volvo, and Subaru. Those companies have long targeted gays and hope to grab a bigger share of their spending-about $500 billion a year, according to the gay-oriented PR and marketing firm Witeck-Cpmbs Communications.
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