lgbt wedding advice?

The great thing about WeddingWire is that all of the vendors on the site are LGBTQ friendly. If you find vendors on here, you shouldn’t have any issues with being turned down. As far as typical wedding traditions, you get to do whatever you want. My wife and I went through each tradition and decided what we wanted to keep, toss, or modify. Besides walking down the aisle and parent dances, there’s not a ton that’s gender specific. You can really do whatever you want. Target is great for Mr. and/ or Mrs. items because most of them are sold individually, so you don’t have to buy two Mr. and Mrs. packages and only use half of it.

I would just ask vendors straight up. Just note that many vendors may not advertise that they work with LBGT individuals, but that doesn't mean they aren't accepting and absolutely willing. My theory is, why advertise it when you should be treated as people too?!?! The best thing for you to do is search for vendors as anyone would and address the elephant in the room if you feel that there is a need. No matter who you are, wedding vendors will disappoint. I cannot tell you how many nights I ended up in tears because we couldn't afford even a food minimum at almost every gosh darn venue. My point is, if you do encounter this, don't let them ruin your experience. Just keep going and find those who want to celebrate with you and accommodate your needs. I think you will be surprised to find that there are many vendors in the midwest who don't have a problem with this.

I grew up in a tiny town in Midwest. If it was me I would avoid any vendor that mentions religion. Ask friends for recommendations. Honestly vendors generally see green and don’t care. My photographer for example has picture of two brides being married. Although I’m straight I’m very much want my guests at the wedding to be comfortable. I wouldn’t give it a second thought.

Etsy has loads of stuff reasonably priced that can be his and his. For traditions, make your own. In other words, walk hand and hand down aisle or one comes from one side one from other. What do you and your future hubby want to do? Remember Iowa - middle of Midwest was one of the first states to pass gay marriage. Celebrate and Be you.

My family owns a small business in the midwest.
We had some brides come in 7 years ago and very timidly ask if we would make something for their wedding. And then were like "if you're comfortable with this."
Since then, any same sex couple has been more and more open about who they are and what they want.
My family would never turn someone down because of them being LGBT (I scare them too much.) And as a pp said, most people are going to see you as a client and potential income. Anyone that turns you down because you're LGBT, well you shouldnt want to give them your money.
I think your best course of action is to just be yourself. Introduce yourself and refer to your SO as your future husband. I don't believe you should have to preface with the fact that you're gay.
And I agree. Go thru the whole thing, figure out what works for you and what doesnt. If you both want to walk down the aisle, do it. If neither of you do, don't. We threw traditions out of our celebration left and right. This whole experience should be about what the two of you want.

I'm midwest too! Weddings are understandably stressful and it is very overwhelming in the beginning but you two are going to have an awesome wedding and the beauty of it is it can be whatever you want it to be. First things first you two should plan a budget and go through the traditions you want to keep and what you want to change. Remember this day will be all about the two of you. Though I am heterosexual, every vendor I used from here had something attached to their profile that said they have worked with all types of couples or they said so on phone calls.

Once you two have a set budget start booking vendors, some of them will want to know the theme of your wedding or the feel you want to have - so pinterest the crap out of ideas and you can show them a board or send them it for inspiration. I also invested in a planner and wrote goals leading up to the big day for each month. I wish you two the best experience planning! Congratulations!

I attended a same sex wedding a few months ago and here are some things that really stood out to me.

They walked down the aisle one at a time with their moms walking the guys down. The photographer took a picture from the balcony with everyone around the couple to show how they were surrounded by love. The inside of the cake was rainbow colors. That was fun.

Just do what is right for you two.

I would reccomend DIY some of the stuff you were gonna have customized, thats what stencils are for! And its cheaper! Do the ceremony the best way that captures the essence of your love, traditionally or not. Ask your officiant if they have any ideas too, since some officiants only do LGBTQ+ weddings. If its not too personal, where in the midwest are you? If youre in southern Indiana I know of a few vendors who would love to be apart of your day

I get where you’re coming from! I’m from the Midwest, too. It is super frustrating to see all the Mr. and Mrs. stuff around, but there are times that they are sold separately. For my wedding, I think we are either going to avoid the Mrs. and Mrs. signs all together. We might include them at the bridal shower or maybe not. My fiancée and I have gone to wedding shows together and when meeting the different venders we let them know that we are getting married to each other. There has been no issue so far.

One thing that I’ve looked at when evaluating vendors is if they have LGBT couples in their images, or something on their site listing it (our officiant did, for example). It’s been important for me to only hire vendors who are LGBT friendly, due to our values, family and friends. We are fortunate to live in a large LGBT community area, so we haven’t had any issues with any vendors where we are. I would def scope out their sites, see what kind of couples are on display, and what info they provide. As for traditions, do what feels right for you! When two of my friends got married, one woman stood at the alter and the other was escorted by her dad. I’ve also seen both partners be escorted down the aisle by family separately. It’s whatever makes you both happy!