WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — More than a dozen LGBTQ+ couples got married in Luzerne County, on Sunday, for free.
Sajadah and Kamani Bigelow exchanged their wedding rings in an intimate wedding ceremony Sunday.
“Well we actually met through other friends and it was something that wasn’t supposed to be but ended up being,” said Kamani Bigelow of New Jersey.
“It’s my best friend,” added Sajadah Bigelow of New Jersey.
The couple has been together for nearly 10 years and because of a Wilkes-Barre wedding officiant, they sealed the deal as a married couple for free.
Lori Prashker-Thomas of Ceremonies by Lori, teamed up with Spirit of the Butterfly Wedding Services to provide a day of free weddings to couples of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Everybody is equal and everybody deserves to be married and no matter what that wedding may look like, that’s what we need to do. And we need to make sure that everybody within every community is able to be helped,” said Lori Prashker-Thomas, Owner, Lead Officiant, Ceremonies by Lori.
Her company started back in 2011 when her friends from out of state were unable to find a rabbi to marry them because they were a same-sex couple.
She says her business is all-inclusive because love does not discriminate. But, unfortunately, that’s not the case for all companies.
“There are still in this day in age different vendors that will not service the LGBTQ community. I don’t, that is not right,” Prashker-Thomas added.
More than a dozen couples signed up for the free services. Of the happy couples, the Bigelows say they’re most thankful for the support.
“I think it’s a blessing, especially what they’re doing for us, what they’re doing for the LGBTQ community. It’s nice,” added Kamani Bigelow of New Jersey.
The company, ‘Ceremonies by Lori’ plans to expand its services to other states including Massachusetts and Connecticut.