Given all of the pressure from family, friends, and society to have a “perfect” wedding, saying goodbye to these traditions is easier said than done. That’s why it is so important to find wedding vendors who will share your values and help you take the patriarchal, sexist, and racist ideas about weddings and throw them squarely in the trash. Zig Metzler of Ziggy Shoots is ready to be that wedding photographer for you!

Sometimes, we assume that the only want to make “beautiful” happen is with the help of hair and makeup services, but it’s important to note that not all members of your wedding party may feel comfortable getting their hair and makeup professionally done for your big day.

Weddings often heighten the traditional performance of gender, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Let the idea of performance empower you to rewrite, reclaim, or reinvent gender roles to express your unique identity. 

By making what felt like my first adult decision, I had hopped on an escalator and couldn’t get off. We grew to love each other, and I wasn’t miserable. Yet I increasingly wondered, is this it?

"As the editor of the LGBTQ+ wedding blog H&H Weddings, I’ve observed that same-sex couples and gender nonconforming couples are leading the way in gender-fluid wedding wear trends. Here are some of my favorites that I’d like to see a whole lot more of."

After meeting and falling in love in D.C. while on deployment, Mack brought Jeanne back to Cincinnati to continue their love story. And so, on a warm, spring day, adoring family and friends near and far traveled to witness Mack and Jeanne wed in an intimate ceremony nestled in the woods. Light poured in through the trees, shined onto the couple, and illuminated their faces during this mystical moment. Jeanne’s mother performed a chant ritual bringing goodness, gratitude, and love into the space. The ceremony concluded with handwritten vows and a joyful exit. Back at the barn, Jeanne’s sister presented a slideshow of the story of Mack and Jeanne, filling the reception with laughter and the happiest tears. The evening ended with a gorgeous golden sunset, and a dancing celebration.

As the designers of their own businesses, wedding professionals have the choice to design gender neutral spaces to better accommodate folks who do not identify with the gender binary. I hope they embrace this approach because creating more inclusive businesses benefits us all.

The boundaries are blurring and evolving into a new normal. To put it simply, wedding industry professionals who claim to care about inclusive feminism need to put in the work it takes to create gender sensitive businesses.