Amethyst Photography is proud to be a registered supplier with LGBTQ Equality Weddings, a directory of wedding professionals who are all committed to providing equality in the industry.
Last month one of my same sex couples shared with me their experiences of searching for a wedding venue and how alienated they had felt by some heteronormative attitudes they had encountered. They told me how nice it was interacting with me as a supplier as I’d treated them so normally. Whilst I was happy to hear that I’d been able to fit into their wedding planning with ease, it frustrated me that LGBTQ+ couples are still facing this discrimination and that this is a source of anxiety at a time which should be full of excitement - visiting beautiful venues, shopping for gorgeous outfits, eating lots of samples of cake!
In fact it is part of my ethos to express inclusivity across my work and the way I do business.
My wedding questionnaires are geared towards all couples so you won’t see phrases such as ‘bride and groom’, bridesmaids, groomsmen etc. When out on photoshoots with couples I’ll give prompts with neutral language without expectation of gender roles - “One of you give the other one a big bear hug”, “Who’s feeling strong? One of you give the other one a piggy back!”. This helps me find and photograph the natural rhythm of your relationship without making assumptions about who you are as people or as a couple.
Please tell me your gender pronouns (Hi! I’m Charlie, she/her). Chat to me about what being queer means to you. Share with me about your pansexuality, asexuality, demisexuality, non-monogamy, polyamory. All identities and forms of love are accepted and celebrated here. I love hearing stories of both alternative relationship styles and any couples who are bucking the expectations and making their own traditions.
All couples deserve their suppliers to be welcoming and shouldn’t have to worry about if they’ll be accepted or not. That’s where LGBTQ Equality Weddings comes in. They are a newly set up listing of wedding professionals who are all committed to being open to all couples regardless of their sexuality or gender identity. There’s a dedicated hashtag #youdontneedtoaskhere on instagram where you can browse the suppliers’ work and enquire without anxiety and the team are also in the process of setting up a wedding show for 2019 so watch this space!
I would encourage all my couples planning a wedding or a celebration to take a browse of the directory to find suppliers who are inclusive, and if you’re a wedding supplier join and pledge equality to all your couples here. (If you do join, I’d appreciate if you could mention Amethyst Photography so they know I’m helping spread the love!).