05/11/2024
During the Bush presidency, we helped couples plan weddings whose marriage wouldn’t be acknowledged in their home state, because we didn’t yet have marriage equality.
We’re not going back.
Under Obama, we worked alongside couples who would be the first to tell you they had no clue what to do when it came to wedding planning: they grew up in a time and place where they weren’t given the opportunity to dream about their wedding, because they never thought a wedding would be their reality. During Obama’s second term, I had my first gay couple that uttered the words “I’ve always imagined” when discussing the wedding vision. I had to excuse myself for a moment because I felt the tears coming and I didn’t know how to publicly handle that rush of emotion.
We’re not going back.
With the former guy, we had to weave strategy into conversations about exchanging vows, fielding questions from couples like “can they take it (our right to marriage) away? Should we quickly go to the courthouse just to make it legal while we can?”
We’re not going back.
With President Biden, we experienced a wedding boom with the end of the pandemic. Our industry pulled off a record number of events, but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows - we also saw a lot of hate hurled in the faces of people we love, both in our communities and in communities that have welcomed us with open arms and taught us about their cultures while we sat at the table with them and helped plan momentous occasions for their friends and families.
I know my vote is a drop in the bucket for a candidate that is far from perfect, but just as small steps in wedding planning lead to grand celebrations, my small vote is a step toward embracing change, evolving, and daring to dream bigger than ever before—because each step forward is a step closer to where we’re truly meant to be.
We’re not going back.
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