When you’re touched by the love bug you just can’t help but think it’s going to be everlasting. But once the honeymoon stage ends, the real work begins. Here’s advice from one of the five couples we asked that have withstood the test of time and are still going strong.

Robert Lamas and Milancita Rodriguez

5 years strong

Robert Lamas, a RN, and Milancita Rodriguez, owner of Milancita.com, have been together for five blissful years. And this month on February 21, they will be celebrating their sixth anniversary. Here’s their advice for a long-lasting relationship.

“The Secret to a good relationship is to keep dating as if it was your first time out,” advised Robert. “Love is important in any relationship, the second part is RESPECT.”

“It takes two to make a relationship work, so leave the “me, me, me” out of the equation, unless you want to do some major problem solving,” says Milancita. “Making sacrifices for your significant other and your relationship is considered to be a sign of commitment.”

The post Street Beat: Robert Lamas and Milancita Rodriguez appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

When you’re touched by the love bug you just can’t help but think it’s going to be everlasting. But once the honeymoon stage ends, the real work begins. Here’s advice from one of the five couples we asked that have withstood the test of time and are still going strong.

Jerry Chasen and Mark Kirby

16 years strong

Jerry Chasen and Mark Kirby are no stranger to long-lasting love. They have been together since 2000 and decided to show their love for each in 2006 with a commitment ceremony and then again in 2011 when they legally wed.

Together they both agree that there are four things that contribute to an everlasting relationship. “Honesty, respect, laughter, and great sex!”

The post Street Beat: Jerry Chasen and Mark Kirby appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

When you’re touched by the love bug you just can’t help but think it’s going to be everlasting. But once the honeymoon stage ends, the real work begins. Here’s advice from one of the five couples we asked that have withstood the test of time and are still going strong.

Ben and Bruce Horwich

16 years strong

Ben and Bruce Horwich, owners of Miami’s gay retail store Creative Male, had this to say about longevity in a relationship:

“The Secret to a long-term relationship is really understanding the other person and accepting who they are,” conveyed Bruce. “Don’t look to change them. Enjoy and respect each others differences.”

“Bruce and I have formed a trusting positive partnership mainly because we respect, understand and appreciate each other,” commented Ben. “Plus, we never sweat the small stuff.”

The post Street Beat: Ben and Bruce Horwich appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

When you’re touched by the love bug you just can’t help but think it’s going to be everlasting. But once the honeymoon stage ends, the real work begins. Here’s advice from one of the five couples we asked that have withstood the test of time and are still going strong.

Michael Cushman and Velvet Lenore

9 years strong

Photographer Michael Cushman and Entertainer Velvet Lenore not only love together they work together too. Here’s how they’ve kept their relationship going strong.

Q: What is the secret to a long-term relationship?

A: “Know each other, learn each others nuances and work as a team,” suggested Michael. “Working together helps with getting though any situation that might arise. And listen, effective communication also helps.”    

“Respect and communication are key. Always know each others whereabouts and respect each other space,” said Velvet. “Talk about everything and listen to how the other one feels so you both are on the same page. Lastly, make time to do nice things together even if your schedules get crazy.”

The post Street Beat: Michael Cushman and Velvet Lenore appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

When you’re touched by the love bug you just can’t help but think it’s going to be everlasting. But once the honeymoon stage ends, the real work begins. Here’s advice from one of the five couples we asked that have withstood the test of time and are still going strong.

Nadine and Andrea Smith

11 years strong

For Nadine and Andrea Smith, who have been married for 7 years out of the 11 years they been together, love endures when a couple is supportive, truthful and forgive.

Q: What is the secret to a long-term relationship?

A: “We support each other’s dreams, tell the truth even when it isn’t the easiest path and we forgive more than we quarrel,” said Nadine. “Love comes first.”

The post Street Beat: Nadine and Andrea Smith appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

At the Pride Center, two leading women oversee two different religious organizations that happen to use the same space. Pastor Leslie Tipton holds church services on Wednesday and Sundays, while Rabbi Noah Kitty holds services Friday evening. They are also both wedding officiates; lending their services and guidance to same sex couples looking to get hitched.

Pastor Leslie Tipton has been the senior pastor at SpiritSong Wilton Manors, a Christian non-denominational church that operates out of the Pride Center, for four years. The church is celebrating its 17^th year anniversary in August. Tipton has been involved with this Church since 2000 when she moved here to South Florida. She joined the church right away as a volunteer and then was hired to work for the church as a pastor in 2007. For the past four years, she has been the senior pastor.

Rabbi Noah Kitty has been the Executive Director and rabbi at Congregation Etz Chaim since 2010. Before that she was a self proclaimed “Jew in the pew.” When she first came to the synagogue, she was just a regular member. Not in a leadership position, she volunteered when the Rabbi left and then kept being invited to take on more and more leadership roles. But she came to South Florida originally to take care of her mom after her father suddenly passed away in 2002.

Tipton came to South Florida around the same time. “I moved here with my ex partner. I thought that was the reason. The real reason was to get me into the church,” Tipton told me when I sat down with the two women in Rabbi Kitty’s office.

“God has plans for all of us,” Kitty replied.

“I do a lot of weddings,” Tipton says. “I do them here or at people’s homes or venues. I have probably done 20 weddings since June of last year.”

Kitty hasn’t done quite as many. “I have been doing commitment ceremonies since 1989. But I have not been asked to do a lot of formal weddings since the decision came down. Mostly because by the time the decision came down here in Florida, most of our members or Jews in the area were already married in New York or Vermont or Ohio. It became legal here in Florida, their status was upgraded, and then it became a federal statute. So they were already married as it were.”

That’s actually how Tipton got married to her wife in 2012. “I was hired to do a wedding in Manhattan by a couple that lived here on December 12, 2012. So they paid for my flight and hotel stay. I said to Sandy, “Why don’t you come with me?” We got married the day after they did. It was really neat.”

When going through the process of planning a ceremony for same sex couples, Tipton has found that same sex couples want their experience to be unique and special for them. “They want scripture to be in their wedding but they want it to be something that isn’t heard at every other wedding. They want something that is going to be meaningful to them. I usually ask them is there a reading that is especially meaningful to you? Or is there something you have heard before that you want to explore? It is important to them that their wedding be their wedding and not just cut and paste.”

Part of Tipton’s role is discover and explore new readings or pieces and bring it to the couple. “ I recently did a wedding where they wanted the portion that Justice Kennedy wrote about equality of marriage. And that was just last Friday. I read that as well.”

Kitty try’s to communicate the importance of marriage:

“What I try to impress upon couples is that I have found in my work with the LGBT community and in my life in the LGBT community is that many people I have known have tended to couple and uncouple rather quickly. So while they might be monogamous. it is more like serial monogamy. They are with this person for a while and then they break up and they are with this person for a while, and then they break up again. So when I am working with a couple, I try to impress upon them the seriousness of their intended commitment. That it is not like back in the old days when a commitment ceremony had emotional meaning but no legal consequence. Now when they have a ceremony, it is a real legal consequential state that they are entering. While they might be all dewy eyed and romantic, they should not do it lightly. It’s true with opposite sex couples as it is with same sex couples that there is a 50% divorce rate. It’s not so easy to simply leave a relationship. There is paperwork attached to it. So I ask them to really take the time and think about why they want to take this step. For that reason, I typically work with a couple for several weeks to really talk out why they are taking this particular step because it is quite serious. While I would like to say yes to everyone, I have to feel comfortable that this couple really has potential to stay the course.”

As gay women in leadership roles at two different religious organizations, I asked them about the challenges they have had to face. “Well, that’s an interesting question. I don’t really consider myself in power,” Tipton replies. “That’s what gets anybody in religion in trouble. I really consider it a humble honor to be able to serve in the position that I am in. I never ceased to be amazed by my congregation’s ability to put their trust in me to lead them in the right direction.”

“There are hundreds of female rabbis. There are however maybe about only five female rabbis in South Florida. When I say that, I’m hoping there are five,” Kitty replies with laughter. “Basically, there aren’t many. My reception has been wonderful. I have only praise for the various organizations locally here for accepting me.”

Religion and LGBT are not always terms that go hand in hand. Because we are a community that has been marginalized by religion, we have a lot of sensitivity to it as well. “There is a tremendous amount of hurt that people have experienced from coming out of other churches or places of worship where in many cases – I don’t know as much when it comes to synagogues – but certainly in the evangelical circles where people were publicly outed or taken down from leadership roles. We have several people who worship here who were credentialed pastors in other denominations that when they were outed, they were striped of their credentials.

“Of the community at large, we find a great amount of hurt or pain out there that has never really been resolved. How do you resolve that if you don’t resolve that with the people who have done it to you. That opportunity is not open to them. So we try to listen instead.”

For more information on Congregation Etz Chaim, please visit etzchaimflorida.org. For more information on Church of the Holy SpiritSong, please visit cohss.org.

The post Two Officiants, One Room: Pastor Leslie Tipton and Rabbi Noah Kitty appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

Weddings can be a drag, but who said that’s a bad thing? Our model Athena Dion got in and out of drag to showcase two possible looks for your LGBTQ wedding.

Based in Miami, Athena Dion is also ready to officiate your wedding after receiving her official license in January of 2015. “As a minister, you get the feeling that you are bestowing the greatest gift upon two people when you unite them in marriage,” she told us. “Standing on the other side for this shoot, I realized they have already received that gift from each other and that they are actually the ones bestowing it upon me.”

ONE BRIDE

Novias Bridal
100 E. Oakland Park Blvd.
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33334
954-561-0262

Espana – $2,400

The Novias Bridal family has over 40 years of experience in the fashion and couture industry. Starting in Bogota, Colombia, Novias Bridal became a household name for the custom design of evening gowns and formal wear for the top social and fashion events in the city. By request of their own clientele, they started to design custom made wedding dresses and slowly this became their main focus and purpose.

Located in the heart of Fort Lauderdale, Novias Bridal has been celebrating the love of brides gay and straight from Miami to Palm Beach for over 15 years. Always loyal to quality, elegance and innovation, Novias Bridal has become the “Store of Love”. We had the opportunity to ask the Novias team some questions about this look.

1. Why are brides choosing this type of gown?

Brides are looking for this type of dress because it is a modern, sexy, yet very elegant look that enhances their figure, while at the same time, the lace gives it a romantic, delicate and vintage look, creating the perfect combination of the elements that captures that “look” that all brides have forever envisioned for their dream day.

2. Tell me about the silhouette and neckline of this gown. What is unique about it? 

The silhouette of this wedding gown is mermaid, with a strapless neckline. It is very flattering on almost any body type, specially because of the way it is constructed with high quality materials and bonings to give it support in the bust area and a built in inner corset that enhances the waistline making it smaller, and therefore achieving a beautiful hour-glass figure.

3. What body type is this suitable for?

It is suitable for almost anyone,  and specially flattering on fuller figures and curvy, voluptuous body types.

4. The lace is absolutely gorgeous. Tell me a little about where it is sourced from. 

This dress is made with a beautiful Alencon Lace on Petit Pois Tulle, and it is made in Spain, as are most of the materials that we work with.
 
5. What are great colors to pair with this concept for 2016?

The neutral colors are definitely in this season. Colors such as blush, champagne, taupe and mocha not only look very elegant, but also compliment perfectly the light champagne color and the delicate lace of the wedding dress.

6. When brides-to-be come to you, what is the first thing they ask? 

Most brides have trouble deciding the type of silhouette that best suits their body type, so I would say that is the first and most important thing the they require from us as bridal consultants, as they start their search for the “perfect” wedding dress.

2605 N. Dixie highway
Wilton Manors, Florida 33334
954-835-5668?

With highly successful floral companies in Laguna Beach and San Juan Capistrano, California, Bill and Doug Beckett have brought their award winning florist ways to the heart of Wilton Manors. Along with numerous awards and accolades, Doug is an accredited florist awarded “Florist of the Year” by FTD. Bill was awarded “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst & Young, USA Today, and NASDAQ. This full spectrum florist loves catering to same-sex couples with an eye on style and sophistication.

73% of lesbians are paying for the wedding entirely themselves.

Female same-sex couples spend more on their weddings than male same-sex couples.

16% of female couples wear matching outfits.

59% of female couples are escorted by a family member.

11% of female couples plan to walk down the aisle together.

ONE GROOM

Men’s Wearhouse
Multiple locations

The great thing about using Men’s Wearhouse is that if your groomsmen come from all over the country, they have access to a local chain to get outfitted in their matching tux. Men’s Wearhouse offers Black by Vera Wang, her first collection of men’s formalwear fitted to the modern groom. Available for rent or purchase, the formal look is perfect for the pair of grooms really trying to look their black tie best on the very special day.

84% of gay men pay for the wedding entirely themselves.

91% of couples know what one another is wearing in advance.

49% of male couples wear matching outfits.

47% of same sex couples walk down the aisle.

39% of male couples are escorted by a family member.

39% of male couples plan to walk down the aisle together

Data Compiled by the Gay Wedding Institute in conjunction with Community Marketing.

The post How To Get The Look appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

1. How did you two meet?

NS: At a club in Chicago called Paradise, 33 years ago. It was Thursday night – $5 cover, 25¢ drinks. Mark had his friend introduce us and within two months, October 1st we moved in together.

MB: We met in August of 1982 in a gay bar in Chicago called Paradise. We danced until the bar closed. Nick invited me back to his nearby apartment and we slept together that night. I wasn’t going to let him go – I knew I was in love with him!

2. What is your favorite thing about your partner?

NS: His organizational ability to plan and achieve any long term goal.

MB: That would have to be his long hair! Actually, number one is his great personality, number two his sense of humor, number three his smile and number four his hair!

3. Who is more romantic in the relationship and how?

NS: Mark is. He remembers dates and events and always has the greeting card on time with a lovely prose to accompany it.

MB: That would be me although Nick’s close behind. I’m just that kind of guy.

4. Describe your big day to our readers.

NS: This may sound unromantic, but it went just as we had planned it. It was just another day in sunny Fort Lauderdale (Paradise). We spent the morning working and at noon, we closed the office to get ready to sneak away to the Broward County Courthouse to tie the knot. We were joined by Mark’s sister and niece as well as two of our dear friends who arrived with a large box which we weren’t supposed to know was a cake, but was quite the surprise.

Mark’s sister had arranged for a limo to get us to the courthouse. We were whisked away to BCC to do the do. We arrived and took a number, waited a bit and entered the Chapel. The ceremony was brief and now a bit of a blur. I recall that there were rings, “I do’s,” kisses and photographs. Why do people always smile bigger than usual at weddings?

We all returned to our home and celebrated. We cut the cake, drank Champagne and opened lovely gifts.

Later that evening we went to a monthly Mega Member Mixer at the Tower Club, where we are members. There were about 300 friends, business associates and other members in attendance. We like to fondly refer to this as “Our Wedding Reception.”

MB: We celebrated our 33rd anniversary on October 1 when we got married. We wanted it simple and just like any other day. With this in mind, my sister flew in from Chicago, my niece drove up from South Beach and our best friends surprised us with a huge wedding cake and champagne. My sister did surprise us with a big stretch limo to take us six blocks from our house in Victoria Park to the Broward County courthouse. We were very impressed with the County’s wedding service.

5. Tell us your favorite memory from your wedding day.

NS: Maybe not quite favorite, but most memorable was arriving at the Broward County Courthouse and having to take a number to be served. The number was “69.”

MB: As mentioned, being together for 33 years, we wanted this day to be a typical day (another day in Paradise together). I think the best part of the day was the fact that it was our special day and we spent it with close family and friends.

6. What were you feeling at the exact moment you said “I do”?

NS: After 33 years, is this really happening?

MB: Wow – I can’t believe we’re actually doing this after living together for 33 years!

OUR PHOTO GALLERY

The post Our Big Day: Nick Scalzo and Mark Budwig appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

1. How did you two meet?

LC: I met Katy through a mutual friend in a bar (of all places). Katy and I actually were lunch buddies for about a year before we started dating. A group of us would go to a downtown gay bar and shoot pool when the boys went onto the dance floor to line dance. Katy and I still joke about me saying that our first meeting was like a job interview!

KY: We met 21 years ago at a bar downtown called The District. It was primarily a men’s bar, but they had country dancing lessons on Thursday night. It cleared the pool tables, and a group of women would go in and play. Laura was a friend of a friend.

2. What is your favorite thing about your partner?

LC: When I met Katy, I knew she was my soulmate right from the start. We can share things and be together and not have to work so hard at it. My favorite thing would have to be that she is by my side with everything.

KY: It’s hard to name just one! My favorite thing about Laura is that she “gets me,” because we share many of the same values, like honesty, the importance of family, and not taking ourselves too seriously.

3. Who is more romantic in the relationship and how?

LC: I would like to think I am more romantic, but would have to say that Katy is. One Christmas, Katy forgot to buy a Christmas card for me. She went off in the other room and made the best, funniest card I ever got because she made it. We still laugh about this card and I keep it hanging in our home office.

KY: I think we would each say that we are the most romantic! We pay lots of attention to anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, and try to make them special for each other, even after twenty years.

4. Describe your big day to our readers.

LC: Our wedding day was just that … a Big Day! Everything from getting ready to the actual ceremony, the venue, the food, music, and our joy and happiness as well as that of our families and family of friends made the energy of our evening absolutely amazing. Everyone involved really cared about what they were doing and actually made our day the best day we could have ever asked for. I cannot say enough good things about Jessica King, our wedding planner, for all her hard work – we never had to worry about one thing going wrong. Our photographers, LoFaro Photography, really captured our day beautifully from start to finish. Our pictures are spectacular! Every time I look at these pictures, I want to do all of it over again. Everything was just perfect.

KY: We got our marriage license at the Broward County courthouse on January 6, the first day it was legal, with a few beautiful words from Anne Atwell from Sunshine Cathedral, and bridesmaids Dennis and Tito, also from the church—we were couple number 24! However, we wanted to celebrate with a wedding, so we planned for March 28, 2015 at the Riverside Hotel, with 100 people in attendance. It was so wonderful having our friends and family participate—who gets to have their Dad walk them down the aisle at 54? So many things in life don’t turn out as you hope…our wedding was not one of those things. It was pretty perfect—everyone said that it was the most fun wedding they had ever attended. The Riverside Hotel was such a beautiful venue. We carefully chose the music, the ceremony, and the food, with help from Jessica King, our wedding planner. Our dear friend Rashid and his partner Michael did the flowers, and they were gorgeous! We had a bagpiper conclude the ceremony, which was just wonderful. Dear friends did the readings, and the minister was also an old friend. Having our friend Tiffany Arieagus perform was a dream.

5. What were you feeling at the exact moment you said, “I do”?

LC: An incredible amount of joy, love and happiness and a sense of peace that our relationship was now finally legal.

KY: Overwhelming love, great joy, and some continued disbelief!

Photography by: LoFaro Photography

OUR PHOTO GALLERY

The post Our Big Day: Laura Coogler and Katy Yankie appeared first on Florida Agenda - LGBT News.

1. How did you two meet?

O: An online app.

L: Online. We talked there for a bit.

2. What is your favorite thing about your partner?

O: His beautiful eyes and his goal driven outlook on life.

L: I like that he is sensitive and that he can cry from emotional movies. He has very high emotional intelligence. He is kind to people. He is very communicate. He can talk to everyone and anyone. People love him and he loves people.

3. Who is more romantic in the relationship and how?

O: I am. I buy him flowers and make him amazing romantic dinners just about every night.

L: Osmany for sure. He makes me dinner, he loves all of the romantic things that couples are doing.

4. Describe your big day to our readers.

O: It was a stormy afternoon on February 28th. We both dressed in dark blue. Close to 100 family members and friends were awaiting to see us tight the knot. The ceremony was flawless, the venue was decorated to perfection. I remember walking down the aisle while Arias Marin sang “All of Me” and our best friend and drag queen Athena Dion awaited to officiate the ceremony. We laughed, we cried, we kissed, we broke the glass, we danced and we shared the most beautiful moment of our lives with the ones we love the most.

L: We actually had two weddings. We had one that was the official wedding in DC. We did it very short notice. It was before it was approved to get married in Florida. We then had a big wedding with 100 guests in February with all of our family and friends in Miami. We did it all with only one week notice. We rented the tuxedos, the cake, and DJ, and Athena Dion was our officiant. We didn’t know her back then. It was really emotional.

5. Tell us your favorite memory from your wedding day.

O: Lior’s speech. It was so heartwarming – he talked about my dad who had just recently passed. And also to see my mom’s face filled with joy.

L: The speeches. I made a really emotional speech and everyone was crying. I made my speech about how I was his anchor. His father had just passed away a year before and I said during my speech that I would be his anchor – I would continue his father’s legacy. And that I traveled this great distance to find him as my soul mate.

6. What were you feeling at the exact moment you said, “I do”?

O: To be honest I was a little tipsy because of the bubbly. But you cannot put into words the rush of emotions, I still feel the same emotions when I think about it. It’s paralyzing.

L: That my decision to leave everything behind in Israel was right. For me it was complete only because I found my soul mate and partner. Because I found him, I knew I made the right decision.

Photography by: Reid Harrison Photography 

OUR PHOTO GALLERY

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