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Happy Pride Month: Celebrating with LGBTQ+ Vendors in the Wedding Industry

By WeddingPro

Happy Pride Month! At WeddingPro, we believe that Pride is much more than just a month on the calendar—it’s a time to celebrate diversity, amplify voices, and work towards building a more inclusive community. 

This month, we are excited to shine a spotlight on LGBTQ+ pros who are also part of The Knot’s 2024 Ones to Watch list. These pros are not only exceptional in their craft but also passionate about fostering inclusivity and making the wedding industry a more welcoming space for all. 

Read on to be inspired by their stories, learn about their experiences, and discover how they are celebrating Pride this year.

Tirzah Stein of Nearlywed Coaching: Embracing Inclusivity and Family

Happy Pride Month with Tirzah Stein

Tirzah Stein celebrates Pride with her family in a heartwarming way. “Pride is the queer national holiday and means the world to me!” she shares. 

This year, Tirzah is thrilled to bring her young son to the Pride parade and festival and share the experience with both her child and wife. “I had just given birth last year for Pride, so I was home with my infant. And this year I am so excited to bring my one-year-old kiddo to the Pride parade and festival and show him all the rainbow joy. It is so exciting that my wife and I get to share Pride with our little family that we worked so hard to create.”

Practicing Inclusivity in Business

Inclusivity is at the heart of Tirzah’s wedding business. After experiencing a lack of affirmation and frequent misgendering during her own wedding planning in 2019, Tirzah was inspired to create a change. 

She launched her business in 2021 with a mission to support the heteronormative wedding industry in becoming more inclusive. “When I started my wedding business in 2021, I knew deep down that it was going to be my core passion and mission.”

Offering officiating services, wedding coaching, and premarital coaching, Tirzah ensures that queer NearlyWeds feel seen, supported, and celebrated. “As a queer-owned business, I am carving out a space for queer NearlyWeds to work with a vendor who understands their challenges, can relate to their experiences as part of the queer community, will always celebrate their identities, and rejoice in what makes them special and their one-of-a-kind love!”

Tirzah also provides inclusivity consulting and gender 101 training for other wedding pros at www.nearlywedcoaching.com, noting the importance of pros being “educated on the queer community and to authentically and thoughtfully increase their inclusivity efforts for queer folks navigating the wedding industry.” 

And when it comes to working with LGBTQ+ couples, Tirzah shares the importance of using inclusive and affirming language as well as being intentional with your actions. 

“Go over every single client-facing document, website, and social media and replace gendered language with inclusive and gender neutral language. Implement pronouns across all areas of your business, and write a heartfelt inclusivity statement that is one of the first pages of your website,” she shares. “Donate to queer organizations, list your business on inclusive platforms and educate yourself! Do this all consistently with intention and do not be performative. And if this all feels overwhelming and you’re not sure where to start, invest in inclusivity! Take a course and/or work with someone to help you implement inclusivity action steps in an authentic, consistent and educated way!”

Advice for LGBTQ+ Vendors

Tirzah’s advice for LGBTQ+ vendors is to be unapologetically authentic. “Make your presence known and be clear about your identity,” she advises. 

She also stresses the importance of finding community, citing Queer Wedding Vendor Meet-Ups in Denver as a great way to connect and support one another.

Learn more about this pro: NearlyWed Coaching

Justine Broughal of Together Events: Creating Magic and Meaning

Happy Pride Month with Justine Broughal

Justine Broughal of Together Events is celebrating Pride by coordinating the annual Pride Grows in Brooklyn (PGIB) event. This celebration, held on June 23rd at the Brooklyn Grange, offers wedding and event services giveaways to queer couples. 

“PGIB is an annual wedding & event services giveaway for queer folx seeking to get legally married, wishing to renew their vows, and/or just wanting a fab love fest that celebrates them and the people that they love,” she shares. “I’m excited to celebrate queer love alongside some of my queer industry besties.”

Practicing Inclusivity in Business

Inclusivity is integral to Justine’s business philosophy. “At the core of our work is a desire to create a greater good in the world through celebrations and our everyday actions,” Justine shares. “For Together Events, this shows up as prioritizing work with clients whose values and vendors whose values (and practices) align with our vision for an equitable and inclusive future for all.” 

This includes sourcing from queer-owned, BIPOC-owned, women-owned, and sustainable businesses. Justine believes in the power of creating magic and meaning around a table, ensuring that there’s room for everyone.

“We do not discriminate on the basis of sex, creed, race, religion or identity. Further, we actively vocalize our opposition to systems of oppression, racism, colonialism, and sexism, reinvesting in mechanisms working toward liberation and communities that are acutely impacted by environmental racism and climate change.”

Additionally, Together Events operates on the foundational beliefs that Black Lives Matter and that All Love is Love. 

“All people deserve dignity and care, not in spite of, but because of the identities they hold. We strive to make those beliefs felt and known in everything we do,” Justine adds.

For other pros working with queer couples, Justine offers some helpful guidance: “Queerness is not always visible or obvious, so regardless of how a partnership appears, make sure you’re referring inclusive vendors and using language that is thoughtful.” 

She also recommends establishing a relationship built on open communication. “Whenever you’re onboarding a new client, let them know that you’re open to feedback throughout your working relationship,” she advises. “Try to be responsive to any feedback and learn from it.”

Advice for LGBTQ+ Vendors

Justine encourages LGBTQ+ pros to seek out queer and allied communities within the wedding industry, which she notes is largely relationship-based. 

“Your queerness is such a gift to the celebrants who get to work with you!” she affirms. “Organizations like Equally Wed Pro, Queer Vendors, and Altared are building spaces for queer folks to connect, learn, and have their work uplifted. And don’t be afraid to reach out to queer vendors in your local community to connect. You’ll feel so much less alone (especially as a solo-prenuer) knowing other queer folks in the wedding industry.”

Learn more about this pro: Together Events

Michelle Schultz of Willow House Beauty: Providing Authentic Representation

Happy Pride Month with Willow House Beauty

Michelle Schultz of Willow House Beauty shares that her business is celebrating Pride all across New York City, participating in various neighborhood events. 

“There are a ton of individual neighborhood Pride celebrations, which is beautiful to see. You can truly celebrate Pride all month long in NYC,” she says.

Practicing Inclusivity in Business

A core value at Willow House Beauty, Michelle says it’s important to everyone at her company to make sure their clients of all gender expressions and identities are represented. 

“We practice inclusivity by making sure our clients of all gender expressions and identities are represented as their authentic self on their big day, and also seen and celebrated on our website, portfolio, and social media,” she shares.

Additionally, Michelle ensures that all of her team members and staff uphold these values and represent inclusivity and diversity as well.

When asked about her advice for other pros working with LGBTQ+ couples, Michelle recommends thinking through every detail of your couples’ experiences with your business. “Even the fine details matter with creating safe and inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ couples. Make sure your language and documents are inclusive (no bride and groom please!). Take the time to get educated; it’ll mean so much to your clients to feel seen and heard.”

Advice for LGBTQ+ Vendors

Michelle shares that Willow House Beauty encourages pros to embrace their authenticity. “Don’t be afraid to be authentically you. Everyone deserves a place to be seen in the wedding industry, including vendors of all backgrounds,” she affirms. “It is not always easy, but representation matters and the world is a better place for it!”

Learn more about this pro: Willow House Beauty

Happy Pride Month: Celebrating Pride Weddings

This Pride Month, everyone at WeddingPro is proud to celebrate these remarkable pros. Their dedication to inclusivity and passion for celebrating love in all its forms helps us all make significant strides. 

By sharing their stories, we hope to inspire other pros to contribute to the creation of a more inclusive and vibrant wedding industry as well as provide an amazing experience for those having pride weddings.

Happy Pride Month to all! And let’s remember to celebrate love, diversity, and inclusivity this Pride Month and beyond!