Seattle Culture
Seattle’s ‘Love Boat’ Receives National Acclaim
Event set record for most LGBTQIA+ renewal vows
By Rob Smith April 8, 2025
Seattle’s very own “Love Boat” is still preaching acceptance and inclusivity almost a year after it set sail. Visit Seattle — the region’s tourism and marketing agency — has won one of the highest honors in travel marketing for last May’s “Love For All” Boat event.
The event, held May 30, was created to honor Pride’s 50th anniversary in Seattle. Fifty-six LGBTQIA+ couples renewed their vows aboard the Love For All Boat, an Argosy Cruises Salish explorer. The ceremony was officiated by Washington State Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu, the state’s first openly gay justice, as well as the first Asian American and Latina justice. Yu officiated the state’s first same-sex marriage in 2012. The ceremony even set a record for most LGTBQIA+ couples renewing their vows together at once.
The campaign, conceived to further affirm the city as an inclusive destination, received a Platinum Award from the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Adrian Awards. The event received national attention, and was also nominated at this year’s PRWeek Awards and North American SABRE Awards.
“The Love For All Boat was a celebration of LGBTQIA+ love and belonging that my Visit Seattle colleagues and I will remember for years to come,” says Visit Seattle’s Chief Strategy Officer Michael Woody, who also participated in the nuptials.
Proceeds from the event benefited the GSBA Scholarship & Education fund to support LGBTQIA+ students.
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