Russ Gorringe is looking forward to the day when he can formally express his lifelong commitment to the man he's chosen as a life partner.

The couple can't legally marry in Utah. But they're hoping a Commitment Expo 2006 this Friday will provide ideas as they shop for wedding bands, look for a caterer, and select invitations for their August commitment ceremony.

"It's all the fun and excitement of a heterosexual couple as they plan their wedding," Gorringe said.

The Utah GLBT Business Guild expo is believed by organizers to be the first of its kind in Utah. It will be at the Hotel Monaco, 15 W. 200 South, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday.

Karl Bennion, said the expo was designed to provide same-sex couples planning commitment ceremonies a place where they can find gay-friendly stores.

"It's a place for people to gather, meet and greet, and take a look at vendors," he said. "It's just mainly a social event to get them to focus on their commitments to each other."

The first event will be relatively small, but Bennion said it will become an annual event, with larger events in the future. He said the idea first came up two years ago, but the resources weren't there to make it happen.

"We felt this was a good time, particularly with the negative press given to gay marriage," he said. "There are a lot of families out there who want the same rights, the same benefits."

The expo will also include a fund-raising raffle for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Utah. Valerie Larabee, the center's executive director, said the expo is "long overdue," especially since same-sex couples may feel they can't be themselves at a traditional wedding expo.

"It's a wonderful event for our community to be able to come and see things for sale that make our commitment ceremonies special to us," she said.

As Gorringe is starting to plan his ceremony, he said precursory trips to pick out matching wedding bands have been hit-or-miss. Some stores were OK, but others "were a little more stand-offish," he said. It will be nice to know in advance the vendors who are gay-friendly, he said.

"We believe strongly in marriage, we believe in marriage values," Gorringe said. "We believe in those values for everyone."

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E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com