After the gavel, comes the chiming of wedding bells …and the ringing of cash registers.
Even as proponents of same-sex marriage cheered the Supreme Court's decision Wednesday to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act, professionals who work in the wedding industry also rejoiced.
(Read More: Same-Sex Marriage Ruling: A Financial Game Changer)
"Weddings are the most important celebration most people do in their lives, so it will definitely impact business," said event planner David Monn, owner of David Monn LLC. "The moment it changed in New York state, we were inundated with calls."
Legalization in some states over the past few years was a watershed moment for same-sex marriages. And the Supreme Court's decision to declare DOMA unconstitutional also is expected to spur an increase in weddings, especially from couples who were reluctant, some for financial reasons, to tie the knot before.
In a separate decision, the Supreme Court also effectively permitted legal gay marriage in California, although it may take some time before California joins 12 other states and the District of Columbia in permitting same-sex unions.
(Read More: Court Strikes Down DOMA, OKs Calif. Gay Marriage)
Bernadette Coveney Smith, owner of LGBT wedding-planning company 14 Stories, said her business doubled after same-sex marriage was legalized in New York in 2011.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration said that the city issued more than 8,200 marriage licenses to gay couples in the first year after New York legalized same-sex marriage—about 10 percent of all licenses issued. The mayor's office estimated that related spending, including visits by out-of-state couples seeking to get married, totaled $259 million in that time period.
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