I haven’t always identified as queer. In high school, I considered myself bisexual, but I grew up in Texas…I watched as gay people shared themselves with family and get demolished. I heard slurs and jokes, all intended to remind people to shut up and be quiet. Stay in your binary lane. And that’s what a lot of the world is: binary. Black and white. Male and female. Good and bad. Straight or gay. Two halves equal a whole.
I love a good sense of irony, so here I am, working in the most binary industry: the wedding industry. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job and I freakin’ DELIGHTFULLY LOVE weddings. The excitement, the joy, the commitment. Getting to spend the rest of your life with your boo is a beautiful thang. I’m totally here for it.
But humans aren’t binary and sometimes, this industry gets a little gung-ho with the sameness. It can be very deafening and defeating for LGBT folx, especially in Texas, where lots of businesses still somehow don’t agree with the identities of other adults. I know I lose business because my business is openly queer owned, but I’m really only losing business to bigots and frankly, I’m okay with that. Instead, I wanted to create an event where LGBT peeps could come and didn’t have to ask, “will you work with me if I’m gay/trans?”
Enter left The Pride Shindig.
It took me three months to intentionally build, plan and organize. I invited women owned and queer owned businesses first, then ally owned. I wanted this open house to be a celebration and a total blast. Guess what? It totally freakin’ was! SO MUCH FUN!
I came home from the event and promptly bought the URL. Don’t worry, we’re doing this again in 2020. It’s time the wedding industry make real room for other humans on the spectrum of life. It’s time we celebrate commitment for all.
Thank you SO MUCH to the team that came together that make this amazing. I can’t recommend these people enough. They’re LGBT friendly and reliable!
Planner: Ashley Nicole Affair
Venue: The Carrington
Hair: Candice May
Makeup: All Dolled Up
Caterer: Hecho en Queso
Caterer: Root Cellar Cafe (*perfect* for allergies)
Florals: Floral Philosophies
Cupcake Balloon: The Balloon Collective
Cake: Cakes Rock
DJ: DJ Nixx
Rentals: Premiere Events
Lighting: Intelligent Lighting Design
Invitations: The Inviting Pear
Photobooth: The Traveling Photobooth
Bartenders and Alcohol: Rowdy & Co.
Cotten Candy:Fancy Fluff
