Prop 8 decision a likely boon for wedding vendors, economy

Stuart Gaffney (R) poses with his husband John Lewis (L) as celebrations ensue in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco, California, June 26, 2012, after the US Supreme Court struck down The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and declared that same-sex couples who are legally married deserve equal rights to the benefits under federal law that go to all other married couples. In another ruling, the Supreme Court cleared the way for same-sex marriages to resume in California as the justices, in a procedural ruling, turned away the defenders of Proposition 8.

Scott Coatsworth and his husband Mark Guzman are creators of the site PurpleUnions.com, which is a directory of LGBT-friendly wedding vendors around the world.

The Supreme Court decision on Prop 8 isn't just good news for gay couples in California, but also wedding vendors. Couples often spend tens of thousands of dollars on their wedding, on everything from flowers to food to photographers.

With gay marriage set to resume in California, vendors will have a whole new group of customers.

Scott Coatsworth and his husband Mark Guzman are creators of the site PurpleUnions.com, which is a directory of LGBT-friendly wedding vendors around the world.

Of course, yesterday's decision is certainly a boon for the vendors who specialize in same-sex weddings, but how might gay marriage affect the economy overall?

For more on this we're joined by an expert on marriage and the economy, Professor Lee Badgett, professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a research director at the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.