Hallmark, our country's largest greeting card company, in case you didn't know, began printing "Coming Out" cards last year, and is now in the process rolling out same sex wedding cards. Did you catch that? SAME SEX WEDDING CARDS! Kudos to you, Hallmark!
The new cards will feature two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers, with best wishes inside, and one that says "Two hearts. One promise". Elegant, simple, delightful.
I'll tell you, the vast majority of cards out there when you're shopping for a same sex couple, leave a LOT to be desired. And sure, the "gay book stores" always have their selection, but what about Mom and Dad, or even Grandma who want to send a card, and aren't even aware of such stores?
A spokesman says that the verbiage inside the cards will be vague, not eluding to gender or to "marriage" to make them universally acceptable for marriages, commitment ceremonies, or civil unions, whatever they can legally have, depending on where the happy couple lives.
Personally, I'd like to see Hallmark print a nice "Congratulations on your wedding day" with two brides holding hands on the cover, and one with two grooms. I'd also like to see them expand to the anniversary and Valentine's Day market as well. Each year, as our anniversary approaches, I am forced to shuffle through cards that say "for my wife" but have a picture of a man and a woman, or I find the card that says it just right, but then at the end, says I'm so happy to be your husband...UGH! Sure, if I call a cab, and spend the $80.00 round trip to go downtown to the gay book store, I can find some anniversary and Valentine's Day cards that are gender appropriate, but why do they have to cost $6.00? The same card, if it were male/female and stocked in the corner drug store, would be half the price. Now, I'm not saying Wifester isn't worth a $6.00 card, she is! It's just a matter of principal. Besides, I can think of way better things to spend that cab fair on. Especially now that Hallmark is rolling out some gay friendly cards. Oh, and by the way, American Greetings, Hallmark's biggest competitor, has chosen to stay far away from the same sex card niche. All the more reason for me to always check to see that it says Hallmark on the back!
So what do you say, Hallmark? Anniversary? Valentine's Day? Don't stop short of the goal...I'm available for design ideas if you're running short on talent over there ;)
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