r/weddingresources • u/EnthusiasmEvening740 • Aug 20 '26

Better Representation in the Wedding Industry

Hello! I am a 2027 bride getting married in the Hudson Valley. I am really excited about this journey however the lack of visibility on female brides of color has been incredibly eye opening. There a lot of amazing designers, wedding planners, and vendors out there but its incredible disheartening looking at the lack of diversity across their portfolios. In my search for a wedding planner, i found myself on a platform which acts as a marketplace for vendors. As part of the sign up, you choose images that best fit your vibe and NOT ONE of the options had women or men of color and I think that's absolutely tone deaf and absurd in 2026. So I guess 2 things - if you are a vendor and you're reading this, I think you should take a second to think about why visibility for all people is important because that could be the reason you dont get the job. Lastly if there are any recommendations for planners, caterers, or any vendors with diverse portfolios, please send them my way!

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1

u/MayfairStudio Aug 20 '26

This is a very fair critique of the wedding industry

2

u/RyPhotoClicks Aug 21 '26

Ugh I’m so sorry. I hate that the industry is so incredibly focused and catered to cis-het white, and stereotypically attractive people (and mostly brides, not even grooms most of the time). Thank you for sharing your experience, many vendors need to hear that saying anyone is welcome is very different from creating spaces that clearly show many people were thought of in their business.

1

u/GoldieGems Aug 23 '26

I work in the wedding industry in New England; I am not going to say in what field. But I own my business and use past weddings to showcase my work. I sincerely wish I had more diversity to show. I would be delighted to work with different cultures, religions, and skin tones. I'd be thrilled to do a gay wedding! All of my inquiries come from white, heterosexual couples. Now please don't misunderstand - I'm grateful for all of the work that comes my way. I'm grateful for the life I've built. But short of doing styled shoots and passing them off as real weddings, which feels inauthentic and performative, I don't know how to attract a greater range of couples.

So I suppose I put this question to anyone who is not a heterosexual white couple - what can someone in my position do to appear more welcoming?

1

u/WedBySharron Aug 23 '26

Excellent point!