If you have spent even a limited amount of time in the wedding industry, you have likely picked up on the heteronormative language that is deeply ingrained in the day-to-day. This language is outdated, and hurtful to those in non-hetero relationships. It's time for the wedding industry to be inclusive of all couples in love. It's time for a wedding language re-dux.

In case you couldn't tell, we have a community of wedding photographers in our vendor directory that are simply amazing. Alex Blackwelder of Alex Bee Photo has been a long-time member of our community, and it's about time we formally introduced her to all of you! She is that magical unicorn in the Appalachian region that will capture the hilarious moments of your wedding day, the quiet moments between you and your partner, and the unexpected moments with your family and friends that will lift your heart for years to come.If you are looking an inclusive, body-positive, couple-centric wedding photographer, submit an inquiry with Alex Bee Photo today!

"We knew we wanted to have it in the Berkshires since most of my family and friends back in Virginia had not been there yet, and we wanted to give them a chance to experience the community and see why I decided to live in this area. We decided to go with the simplest (and most affordable) wedding venue option so that we can spend the money to customize a few details to our liking.

"I hate being the center of attention, so if I had my way, I would just magically appear at the front of the aisle, say "I Do", and then immediately poof away. Unfortunately, technology isn't there yet. So we settled on a very short ceremony so that there was minimal looking at me. But it was a very special moment because we had our dear friend, Ethan, perform the wedding ceremony. He quoted Bob Dylan, as requested, and really made the ceremony specific to us."

While there hopefully will come a day where LGBTQ+ couples can travel without fear of persecution throughout every corner of the globe, that is not the current reality. There are still some places that refuse to open the doors to the LGBTQ+ community or have laws that are harmful to these couples. Rather than bother with these places, we have compiled a list of places where LGBTQ+ couples are welcomed.

For this styled shoot my goal was to take two models into an environment that was aesthetically less than ideal, and create a stylish, artistic vibe that captured a diverse couple. The two locations were a tennis court and an old archery range surrounded by burlap drapes. 

I wanted Jasmine and Chris to give off a hip, casual, urban vibe while simulating a comfortable connection between the two models so I asked them to wear black to give off that feeling and energy. I envisioned this mixing well with the unique, unorthodox setting. 

During the shoot I wanted Jasmine to represent the traditional "male" role which was a challenge but because of the height difference in both the models it ended up working out through experimenting with switching the "norms" of how a male/female couple should interact. 

I chose to capture this shoot using two different formats: film and digital. I felt this would add to the different urban feel that I was going for.

Cassandra Zetta is a photographer whose work we have admired for a long time, and once we had her speak at {un}convention in Richmond last November, we knew her dedication to LGBTQ+ couples meant she was the absolute right fit for our vendor community.Get to know Cassandra Zetta and how she's making the world of wedding photography a better and more inclusive place. 

There are a lot of opinions out there about how much money you should spend on your wedding, and how much you should spend of specific pieces of your wedding. The truth is, your wedding budget should be just as unique as your relationship, but with all the outside voices surrounding you it can be hard to know which things are worth spending big money on and which aren't.

Here are four questions to ask yourself before you and your partner create your wedding budget.

Hey beauties, it’s March and the first day of spring, and I am so ready for some warmer weather and sunny days. It’s actually a bit rainy here as i’m sitting writing this but i’m still sipping on a half and half, or Arnold Palmer like the sophisticated people say. The weather seems to be lagging on getting the information that it's spring, but that doesn’t mean that we have to wait, so i’m going to drop my top 5 beauty products for the spring and a few makeup trends that I want to see in excess this season!

What could make a wedding even more special than sharing it with loved ones? Sharing it with your fur babies, of course! Most couples consider their fur babies members of the family, so why should they stay home on this special day? Here are some of our favorite wedding fur babies.

I met Sam in my pajamas. PJ's with pink elephants ice skating on them. She loves to remind me. I was picking up a friend and she was walking with them. She was so beautiful. I found myself holding my breath as she walked up to my car. She never left my mind after that. I was such a fool too. I kept stuttering and getting tongue tied. I just wanted to be around her.

Starting your business is scary, and half the time even the most experience entrepreneurs feel like they have no idea what they're doing (**cough** me **cough**), but there are a few important things that I learned from my time in the corporate world that all entrepreneurs should consider when they first start out.

Maurice and I met while attending Central Michigan University. After passing each other a few times on campus, exchanging smiles each time, we decided it was time we spoke. Maurice asked me to be his date for Sweetest Day, and five years later, on that same day, he asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. Breakfast in bed and a trip to the movies was just the beginning of our day. Maurice surprised me with a photo shoot at our local park. As we walked onto a wooden bridge overlooking the creek, I was shocked to see both of our parents approaching us. Seeing as how my parents don't live in the area, I knew something big was about to happen. Caught on camera was my guy on one knee, and myself emotionally overjoyed with the fact that I'll be spending the rest of my life with my best friend. We then celebrated with a family dinner and headed home. To my surprise, there was even more to come. I walked in to find hundreds of photos of us surrounded by string lights, candles, and a bottle of wine. Am I not the luckiest girl in the world?!

You see those little flecks of (gold/silver) on the band? Most metalworkers collect these tiny filings and metal scraps that are made during the finishing stages of jewelry-making and send them out for refining. There, the scraps are melted back into bigger pieces and shipped back out to jewelers — a great first step in the metal reuse process. But at Forge & Fountain, they skip the extra fuel consumption involved in refining. Instead, Josh and Holly sprinkle gold or silver grains across the surface of a ring to make their signature moondust texture. It's one of their favorite styles to create.

We wanted to highlight a real couple with real love who have been through real life together. Our couple, Jeanette and Corey, have a history that many can relate to. Their story is one of an experienced love built on lessons of patience and understanding for the both of them. 

Their story started similar to many. As Jeanette would say, "(Cory) made it really easy for me to love him." When the couple met, she was 19 and he was 20. They fell in love, made up, broke up, and even got engaged before deciding to take a break. It took long 7 years before they would reconnect again and eventually pick up right where they left off.  In 2015, the couple wed during an intimate ceremony in their home in front of a host of close family and friends. 

For the Bohemian styled shoot, we created a vision that was a tad different from what you would normally expect. Our designer brought in a color palette of blush pink, red, and teal while incorporating traditional bohemian elements like dream catchers along with vintage furnishings and china. The vibrant, bold design paired with real love was displayed throughout this entire shoot! 

Whether the ring is 20 carats or $25, if you’re not the one rocking it, keep your two cents to yourself.

We reserved the Lorien's Presidential Suite which has a beautiful roof top terrace. After the official wedding reception ended, we had all our family and friends join us for drinks and light snacks on the terrace. It was a time for us to relax, get comfortable and unwind on a beautiful summer night with views of Old Town. The last guest left at 3:00 AM so we would say fun was had by all!

For us lay-people, the mysteries of bridal gown tailoring can seem like pure magic. We sat down with the expert, Amanda Madden of AMadden Tailoring, and we asked her everything we have ever wanted to know about altering, customizing, and creating wedding dresses!

Kris and I met during high school track and field. We have always been polar opposites of one another, but like opposing sides of magnets, we were drawn together. Kris has a way of mellowing out my high-strung nature and keeping me grounded to the here and now. And I like to think that I bring happiness and structure to Kris's life. We've been together (on-again, off-again) for going on 17 years. Being apart during our college years made us both aware of how much better we are together than apart.

Jamie's cousin, Glenn, told me to come to his housewarming. I really didn't want to go because I was already in my pajamas and I knew Glenn didn't have a new place. Our friend Jesus ended up picking me up so I had no other choice. It turned out to be Jamie's housewarming—I met Jamie and thought he was cute and shy. Later after I left, Jamie asked Glenn about me and the rest is history.

I (Jamie) had asked her parents for their blessing a few months back. It was her birthday weekend and she always talked about going to Catalina Island so I wanted to surprise her with a day trip.

"My goal when photographing weddings is to capture the story of the day. I’m just as interested in showcasing the small subtle moments and quirky personal details, as I am with documenting the big showstoppers. I find beauty in the imperfection and chaos that is a real wedding day. When my clients look back at their photos I want them to have more than just a record of their day, I want them to be reminded of how the day truly felt.