Guess what? We are hosting an LGBTQ+ wedding fair and you’re invited.
Here at Rebel Love Directory, we are all about celebrating love and diversity in a way that is safe and inclusive for couples, lovers and their communities alike.
Running an LGBTQ+ wedding directory brings us so much joy and we wanted to make the experience even better by designing a space where wedding-havers and vendors can connect.
As members of the LGBTQ+ communities ourselves, we understand just how important it is not only to feel represented but to feel understood and valued.
We’re also warmly welcoming allies who want to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community and discover amazing businesses that share their values.
The Rebel Love Wedding Fair is going to be a one-stop shop for everything you might need to plan a perfect wedding from LGBTQ+-friendly officiants to stylists and photographers.
So if you’re planning your dream wedding and you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community or if you’re an active ally then make sure you mark your calendar and make plans to come and visit us for our big gay wedding fair!
Celebrating diversity in the wedding space
We can't believe that love is love until everyone is free to love who they want and express themselves however they want (listen to our podcast all about this here). So we want to ensure that wedding suppliers focus on mutual respect that is so much more than just tolerance or tokenism. As such, all vendors are vetted by us before being allowed to join us at the fair, or even be listed on the directory.
In our commitment to making the wedding industry a safer place, we investigate all vendors and suppliers who want to be associated with us to ensure their active allyship. We look for visible allyship such as pronouns being displayed, diverse representation throughout their websites and social media platforms and take note of any activities they might be taking part in that will better the lives of LGBTQ+ communities.
We respect and support all adults who are in consenting relationships and want to create spaces both on and offline for all LGBTQ+ community members and allies to explore their wedding options, regardless of:
Disability
Race
Gender
Orientation (yes, we believe you’re still queer even if you’re in a straight-presenting relationship!)
We’ve also chosen an accessible venue for the fair. It has a lift, accessible toilets, paved access to the venue and unrestricted parking for blue badge holders.
Additionally, we’ll be holding a quiet hour with limited guests and no live music to help out our friends who might be neurodivergent or find big crowds and lots of noise stressful.
Not only are we creating a wedding fair that is committed to doing its best for all members of the community, we’re creating the opportunity to support LGBTQ+ businesses. We want to make it easier for folks to celebrate love and diversity. What’s a better way to do that than literally putting your money where your mouth is?
Meet the wedding experts
Never planned a queer wedding before? No sweat - Our LGBTQ+-friendly vendors and suppliers have and they want to support you.
It can be really tricky to plan something that’s outside of ‘the norm’. Heteronormativity and traditions might be making you feel like you have to do things a certain way. Does the question “who gets walked down the aisle in a same-sex marriage, then?” or “who’s wearing the dress?” ring any bells?
Not only does the Rebel Love Wedding Fair give you the opportunity to find inspiration from those with a wealth of experience, but also the opportunity to get real insight into real experiences from these professionals.
Some of you may already know her from The Queer Campfire and her wholesome sing-alongs, but she's also an incredible wedding singer/guitarist and she'll be showing off her talents on the stage at the wedding fair!
Rosie is probably the biggest ally that we have ever met, she's constantly doing all that she can to make everyone feel included and represented in her work and even runs an inclusive Alt Wedding Fair (the week after ours, you should check it out!) Rosie will be exhibiting her FIRE wedding makeup skills at the wedding fair.
What can we say about Chloe? The vibrance, the love, the SASS. Honestly, if you haven't met Chloe yet, you are missing out. We cannot wait to have Chloe's energy at the wedding fair and we cannot wait for you to meet her and find out all about the work she does as an inclusive queer celebrant.
If you're from Bristol, then you've probably heard of the magical cake shop at the bottom of Christmas Steps... and if you aren't from Bristol then visiting their tiny little cakery is the perfect excuse to book a visit to Bristol the same weekend as the wedding fair! Ahh Toots will be at the fair providing bites to eat whilst you deliberate on which wonderfully inclusive suppliers you book for your wedding/elopement!
These are just a handful of the incredible suppliers that will be exhibiting at our wedding fair, so be sure to grab your tickets to meet all of our inclusive vendors!
Why do we need an LGBTQ+ wedding fair anyway?
As queer folks, we know how hard but just how important it is to live authentically (if it’s safe enough to do so, of course). Taking steps towards getting married as an LGBTQ+ person is not only a huge step for those people personally, but is a fantastic and important contribution towards normalising and celebrating queer love and relationships.
Let’s not forget that same-sex marriage was only legalised in England, Wales and Scotland 10 years ago.
We hope that this fair will go some way to take a little bit of stress from your big day and replace it with excitement and a touch of magic.
Come and join us at the Rebel Love Wedding Fair
So, fancy it? The fair is taking place at The Station in Bristol on Saturday 16th November between 10am and 4.30pm.
Ticket prices start at £3 and 50% of all ticket sales will be donated to an LGBTQIA+ charity.
If you and your loved ones want to join us at the fair, you can get your tickets (including an accessible hour ticket) here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/906019949057?aff=oddtdtcreator
In the meantime, if you want to get a head start on planning, we’ve got a couple of blog posts with things to consider, such as whether you should choose a celebrant or a registrar and how to create a personalised LGBTQ+ ceremony with queer wedding ideas and traditions to embrace.
(Psst. If you know someone who’s planning their big day, we’d love it if you shared this with them!)
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