Europe’s first gay bridal shop opens in Barcelona

24 May 2007

MADRID – A wedding shop that bills itself as Europe’s first for gays is to open in Barcelona next week.

The shop called By, in Barcelona’s commercial district, is aimed at giving gay couples a specialized place to purchase outfits and accessories for their big day.

“It’s a unique concept in Europe,” owner Santiago Porrero said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. “Each bridegroom is different, so the most important aspect is different for everyone,” said Porrero. The shop is to open on May 30, coinciding with a fashion show called Barcelona Bride Week.

Porrero said gay couples in his shop will be able to buy from a set collection or have a tailor-made suit, all envisioned for their wedding, from daylight to night ceremonies, in the city or at the countryside or even on the beach.

“It can be as varied and original as a bride’s dress,” he said. “What happens is that bride businesses are much more developed, but we are also making progress,” he said.

Apart from the clothes, the shop will also provide accessories such as ties, sticks or jewelry.

Porrero said he chose Barcelona because he says it’s an “open-minded and modern city, very linked to design and an important touristic destiny for gays.”

Same-gender marriages were approved by Spanish parliament in this once staunchly Catholic and conservative country in 2005.

Same-sex marriage is legal in five other countries: Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands and South Africa. In the United States, only the states of Massachusetts allows gay marriage.

Porrero said after the law was approved in Spain, he found his niche in the market.

“I saw the opportunity to do business after the law was approved. I didn’t know of any other country that had a shop or boutique for gay weddings,” he said.

“It will be an exclusive and personal product for a special day,” Porrero said. “It was obvious that gays, who also marry, needed their own bride shop.”

[Copyright AP with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news