This week I talked with wedding planner Jason Mitchell about his new organizer, Getting Groomed: The Ultimate Wedding Planner for Gay Grooms, which offers a refreshing approach for gay men planning a wedding or commitment ceremony. Gay couples will learn how to set a budget, organize the guest list, design invitations, dress and style the big day and much more. With plenty of wit and charm, Getting Groomed provides pockets for stashing important forms and contracts, and your master timeline will keep you on track for your event. In keeping you organized, Getting Groomed helps prevent couples from doubting their decision-making skills. The checklists, folder and timeline included in this book will keep the planning process simple, foolproof and fabulous. This elegant planner is the perfect resource and Christmas gift for stylish grooms-to-be.
I talked with Mitchell about his inspiration for creating Getting Groomed and his spin on LGBT issues. When asked what he would like to see happen for LGBT equality in the next few years, he stated:
I would like to see marriage equality happen, and I think that is really something at the forefront, but there's a lot more to come. Once we reach a point where everyone can be married, we need equal rights as far as our family planning. It's so challenging for gay couples to have families. It's incredibly expensive, and I think we need to fight to make it more available. There are some wonderful families out there that are eager to be parents, and just because of legal issues or finances, they're not able, and yet there's so many kids that could use loving homes from parents who really, really want to be parents. And what I think is so specific to gay couples is there are no accidents; they're parents because they want to be parents, and those are the kind of people who should be having kids and raising them in the world, filled with love and support and allowing them to be our next generation. So I think there's a lot of work still to be done in that arena.
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Currently Jason Mitchell serves as the wedding planner for Shiraz Events in New York City. In addition to his work in events, he is an accomplished playwright. His most recent work, The Boys Upstairs, which premiered at the 2009 New York International Fringe Festival, is headed to London in January 2015. Mitchell and his husband live on Manhattan's Upper West Side and were among the many people who fought for marriage equality in New York. They actually got engaged and booked their wedding venue a few hours before the bill officially passed.
For more information on Getting Groomed: The Ultimate Wedding Planner for Gay Grooms, visit getting-groomed.com.
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