Utah Could Make $15 Mil From Marriage Equality

Bringing marriage equality to the state of Utah would help the state generated an estimated $15.5 million in the first three years of the law, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA, an LGBT-focused think tank.

Nearly 4,000 same-sex couples live in Utah, as documented in the 2010 U.S. Census, and the Williams Institute says about half of those couples will choose to wed during the first three years that the law is in place. Most of the revenue generated from these weddings ($10 million) would come in the first year.

Additionally, wedding-related spending and tourism would add 268 jobs within the state, the study shows.

About 1,000 couples exchanged vows shortly after a federal judge overturned the state's ban on gay marriage in December. However, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay, prohibiting couples from marrying until the appeals court could rule on the case.