If you’re a queer couple planning for your big day, you might be thinking about who you need to hire. Vendors like wedding planners, photographers, videographers, caterers, and hair and makeup artists might come to mind as you dream up this special celebration. But have you thought about seeking out queer vendors specifically?

This week on my podcast, Queerly Beloved, I spoke with videographer Casey Pflipsen from Pflipsen Films (who also happens to be the first official member of the Wildly Connected team) to talk about the wedding industry and the importance of having LGBTQ+ vendors on your big day.

What are LGBTQ+ Wedding Vendors?

According to a 2021 report, on average, couples hired 12 vendors for their wedding day. These are professionals who ultimately work to make your dream day a reality. Some examples of wedding vendors include the following:

• Photographers
• Videographers
• Planners
• Hair and makeup artists
• Florists
• Musicians
• Caterers
• Venue owners

Simply put, LGBTQ+ wedding vendors are (you guessed it) any of the above but queer-owned. 

Four Reasons You Should Hire LGBTQ+ Wedding Vendors

As an LGBTQ+ photographer, I care about having an all-queer team beside me. To me, it’s crucial to center my business around not only serving the LGBTQ+ community but also supporting fellow queer vendors. When one of us thrives, we can all thrive together! Here are four reasons you should have a queer team on your wedding day:

1. Queer Wedding Vendors Know How to Make You Comfortable

I like to think about relationships like bridges. If your wedding vendor doesn’t understand your lived experiences, you’ll be on opposite sides of the bridge. This arrangement leaves room for miscommunication as you try to scream your thoughts and ideas at each other across a large gap. 

On the other hand, if you hire an LGBTQ+ wedding vendor, they’ll likely have the capacity to understand who you are, where you come from, and the perspectives you hold. Now you’re on the same side of the bridge and can work together comfortably. 
Ultimately, queer wedding vendors can empathize with your lived experiences. They understand how precious queer love is and will ensure that your special day is nothing less than sacred.

2. You Get to Support Your Community

Being part of the LGBTQ+ community means I find immense fulfillment in supporting fellow queer folks. When you hire LGBTQ+ vendors for your wedding, you get to help their businesses while they get the privilege of celebrating your love. 

This perpetual cycle of mutual support is one of the things I love most about the queer community — support is everywhere, and you’re never alone.

3. You Can Avoid Misgendering or Microaggressions

Casey said it perfectly in the podcast: The wedding industry follows pretty strict traditions.

These customs are both heteronormative and archaic, and he hopes things start to “lean more to a queer wedding industry,” where celebrations can be whatever you want them to be. However, even with strides to make every wedding a little more queer, couples still (unfortunately) have to prepare themselves for straight biases, misgendering, or even microaggressions.

Hiring LGBTQ+ wedding vendors allows you to reduce the risk of running into these issues. 

Why?

They understand the importance of creating safe spaces — they will ask for your pronouns, avoid gendered assumptions, and ensure your identities and love story are validated and celebrated. 

4.  You’ll Get More Out of the Experience

With LGBTQ+ photographers and videographers, Casey commented, “your photos and videos will turn out better because we queer people are more comfortable around queerness, and we know how to capture your love.” Photos and videos hold the key to remembering this special day forever, so why wouldn’t you want it captured by people who get you?

We can say the same thing about other types of wedding vendors. For example, a queer hair and makeup artist can probably nail a look that matches your identity more than someone who’s used to putting appearances into gendered boxes.

Looking for an LGBTQ+ Photographer for Your Wedding?

Being queer is just all-around awesome, and you deserve a celebration that makes you happy. As an LGBTQ+ wedding photographer, I’m here to capture all the best moments of your special day so you can hold them close to your heart forever. Reach out to me today so we can explore all the possibilities for your wedding photos together!

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