Wedding and Event Vendor Alliance

04/05/2023

If you're planning a wedding in Vermont, you'll find Wedding and Event Vendor Alliance on the Vermont Tourism Website! 🎉

Our non-profit organization is on a mission to increase inclusion and equity in the wedding industry--in Vermont and beyond!--because we have to create the change we wish to see!

WEVA provides inclusive leadership education & community development to help wedding professionals provide safe, inclusive, anti-racist event experiences by becoming better allies and activists.

WEVA Members vow to provide a fully welcoming planning experience for all people regardless of race, religion, identity, sexual orientation, age or ability to celebrate the beautiful spectrum of love. ❤️ Just like marriage itself, this work takes dedication and persistence. It's not a one-time commitment!

If you're planning a wedding and you'd like to learn more about our members, or you're a wedding profession who'd like to join us, visit our website today! https://wevavt.org

If you have any questions for us, please get in touch!
-The WEVA Team

And you can check us out on the Vermont Tourism site here 👉 vermontvacation.com/explore-vermont/getting-here/vermont-weddings

03/05/2023

Do you know what you get as a member of Wedding and Event Vendor Alliance?

Members of WEVA have access to our Member Only Area including educational training on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Belonging so that you can serve your clients better and build a more inclusive brand from the inside out.

You can take a quick tour to see what's inside the member area now!

❤️ Increasing equity and inclusion in the wedding industry depends on your participation in dismantling and disrupting the status quo.

BTW if you want to become a member, or you already joined WEVA, and haven’t renewed your membership or made a payment yet this year, Click to Renew Your Membership on our website here: https://wevavt.org/joinweva

Anti-racism and inclusion requires lifelong learning and we appreciate our members for being in community with us!

With gratitude,
The WEVA Team

01/02/2023

Sharing a friendly reminder to meet us on Friday, Feb. 3rd at 2pm EST as WEVA welcomes our guest speaker, Inclusive Brand Consultant, Crystal Whiteaker of for a conversation on Rooting Your Brand In Aligned Values.

We are honored to have Crystal joining us and we're proud to be able to offer additional Masterclasses from Crystal Lily Creative for all WEVA Members this year! 🎉

Head to wevavt.org and check out our Events Calendar to join us for this 1 hour Member Meet Up! We look forward to seeing you there!

24/01/2023

How do couples know that your wedding business is an LGBTQ+ affirming and welcoming? If you're an ally & advocate for equality who believes that love is love and all couples deserve to be seen and celebrated, how do you continuously show your commitment and support?

In an industry that's traditionally heteronormative it's particularly important to outwardly share that your business is welcoming to all people--beyond just a hashtag --and yes, that requires leadership from you!

That's why we're excited to invite all of our members to join us for the first member meet-up of the year on Feb. 3rd with special guest speaker, Crystal Whiteaker, of Crystal Lily Creative who will lead a session on Rooting Your Brand In Aligned Values. 🎉

If you're not a member yet, you can sign up today at wevavt.org

Who Is WEVA? Members of Wedding and Event Vendor Alliance are socially conscious businesses that aim to align their brands with their beliefs by creating safe and welcoming spaces for all people.

As a non-profit organization, WEVA provides a path for allies to take action and show support for social equity and anti-racism through education and community.

We would love to invite you to join us and tag someone to share our mission with likeminded wedding and event professionals and encourage them to join our mission, too.

Together, we can create a more inclusive industry!

04/01/2023

Welcome to a New Year & New Benefits! 🎉WEVA is very happy to announce a new member benefit in 2023 to support our members in their commitment to increase equity and inclusion in the wedding industry: Members now have access to classes in Crystal Lily Creative's Inclusive Leadership Development Masterclasses! 🙌

There's no fee to WEVA members to take advantage of these classes--you'll find the special access link in the Members Area of our website at wevavt.org

We’re proud to be able to provide resources & opportunities for event professionals so that you can put your values into action. 🌈❤️ Together, we can make 2023 more inclusive and loving so all couples feel seen and celebrated!

We are also proud to share that WEVA was able to invest in this education on behalf of our members because we were awarded a grant by the VT Changemakers Table program, a collaboration between the Vermont Community Foundation and Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility! 🎉

As an Inclusive Branding Consultant, Crystal Lily Creative believes in empowering leaders by helping them create the tools they need to form relationships that support their growth and their purpose, without sacrificing integrity.

Course Topics Include:

👉 Building Aligned Relationships

👉 Our Roles in Creating Inclusive Environments

👉 How to Be An Inclusive, Inspiring Leader

👉 How to Incorporate Inclusive Language into Your Messaging

👉 How to Manage Discomfort When Disrupting & Identifying Bias

We HIGHLY encourage members to schedule some time to dive into the classes over the upcoming weeks because we’re going to sit down with Crystal for some additional LIVE support!

If you're already a member, thank you for joining us!

And if you'd like to commit to increasing inclusion and antiracism in the wedding industry, we hope you'll join our non-profit organization and do this work with us. Get in touch! We'd love to tell you more about our community and our mission.

❤️ The WEVA Team

04/01/2023

Welcome to a New Year & New Member Benefits! 🎉 WEVA is very pleased to announce a new member benefit in 2023: To support our members in their commitment to increase equity and inclusion in the wedding industry, WEVA members now have access to classes in Crystal Lily Creative's Inclusive Leadership Development Masterclasses! 🙌

There's no fee to WEVA members to take advantage of these classes--you'll find the special access link in the Members Area of our website at wevavt.org

We’re proud to be able to provide resources and opportunities for event professionals so that you can put your values into action. 🌈❤️ Together, we can make 2023 more inclusive and loving so all couples feel seen and celebrated!

We are also proud to share that WEVA was able to invest in this education on behalf of our members because we were awarded a grant by the VT Changemakers Table program, a collaboration between the Vermont Community Foundation and Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility! 🎉

We are truly honored and grateful to receive this award and the board decided to invest these funds into DEIA, Anti-racism and Inclusion Education for our members!

Anti-racism and Inclusion work doesn’t happen in isolation—you can’t do it alone! A commitment to community and lifelong learning is integral to the work.

As an Inclusive Branding Consultant, Crystal Lily Creative, believes in empowering leaders by helping them create the tools they need to form relationships that support their growth and their purpose, without sacrificing integrity.

Course Topics Include:

👉 Building Aligned Relationships

👉 Our Roles in Creating Inclusive Environments

👉 How to Be An Inclusive, Inspiring Leader

👉 How to Incorporate Inclusive Language into Your Messaging

👉 How to Manage Discomfort When Disrupting and Identifying Bias

We want to HIGHLY encourage everyone to schedule some time to dive into these lessons over the upcoming weeks because we’re going to sit down with Crystal for some additional LIVE support in a Member Meet Up!

If you're already a member, thank you for joining us! We hope you will get tremendous value from these courses.

And if you'd like to commit to increasing inclusion and antiracism in the wedding industry, we hope you'll join our non-profit organization and do this work with us. Get in touch! We'd love to tell you more about our community and our mission.

❤️ The WEVA Team

09/12/2022

Big news headlines yesterday about The Respect for Marriage Act--this short read from Equally Wed helps explain what it really means and why it's "far from perfect".

The U.S. House approved legislation Thursday to shore up marriage rights for LGBTQ+ couples. The Respect for Marriage Act has been hailed by lawmakers as a landmark law that will protect q***r Americans for generations to come.

23/06/2022

The wedding industry has a visibly unbalanced representation of who gets married in the U.S. If we want to see increased diversity in the wedding industry it’s up to those of us within the industry to create the change we wish to see!

Why does representation matter?

Check out this short video on our blog today where Maricela, Dima and Alison walk through a few stats to help highlight why it’s important for people of all cultures and backgrounds to see themselves represented in media and why this matters to your wedding business.

https://wevavt.org/blog/why-representation-matters-in-the-wedding-industry

If you haven't joined WEVA yet, we invite you to join us today!

Wedding and Event Vendor Alliance (WEVA) is a network of wedding and event professionals who are on a mission to create a more inclusive, diverse, and welcoming community of vendors, clients and guests.

Our members reject all forms of racism and discrimination, and pledge to provide a safe environment for all people to feel seen and celebrated—regardless of race, religion, identity, sexual orientation, age or ability. ❤️

Wedding and Event Vendor Alliance helps wedding professionals become better allies by creating safe, inclusive, anti-racist event spaces through self-education & community development.

22/03/2022

Apologies that we had to postpone our Member Meet Up today! We look forward to seeing you next week AND this gives you a whole week to invite a friend or two to join us! Our members help us grow our community and we'd love to see you join us next week with a friend. We'll be talking about what it means to be an ally--How can we be more than just an ally in name, but also take action towards advocacy?
Our members are all growing and learning together and we look forward to this discussion with you.
Thanks as always for being in community with us and for your commitment to creating safe, inclusive, anti-racist event experiences for all people!
Register for the Member Meet Up Here: https://wevavt.org/social-links
-The WEVA Team

23/02/2022

22/02/2022

Today's our Member Meet Up! Will we see you there?
Phebe is leading our February meeting as WEVA celebrates Black History Month.

If you are not a member (yet) or you did not renew your membership, you can still attend this meeting!
Link in bio to register https://wevavt.org/social-links

11/02/2022

Hey, WEVA Members, mark you calendar for Feb. 22nd for our Monthly Member Meet Up at 4pm EST! Our Vice President, Phebe Robinson Higgins, will be leading the discussion as we celebrate Black History Month.

We’re excited to mix up the format this month and we hope you'll join us.

Make sure to mark your calendar and register for our February Meet Up. We look forward to seeing you there!
❤️

P.S. If you did not renew your membership YET, you can still attend this meeting!
Get in touch if you have any questions about renewing your membership AND don't forget to invite a friend to join WEVA this month--all are welcome! ❤

Want to learn more about how WEVA helps wedding pros become better allies and become a member? Learn more 👉 https://wevavt.org

10/01/2022

Welcome to a new year, Wedding Professionals! FYI WEVA's first meeting of 2022 is on Tuesday, January 11th at 4pm EST. Will we see you there?

Our members have lifted us up by sharing WEVA's mission with others and we are so grateful you are on this journey to create more inclusivity in the wedding industry.

If you know a wedding pro who should join us, invite them to our January Member Meet Up! (You can even send us a DM to get a Zoom link!)

29/11/2021

In our first year together we wanted to call out a few notable conversations and accomplishments from our non-profit organization this year. Click the link for the WEVA blog for the rundown of our Top 5 of 2021➤ https://wevavt.squarespace.com/blog/wedding-and-event-vendor-alliance-year-in-review
🎉
THE BIGGEST WINS FOR WEVA THIS YEAR, HOWEVER, COME FROM OUR MEMBERS!
👏
Our members have shared a sense of belonging and community since joining our grassroots organization, and you’ve told us that your clients are thanking you for your dedication to inclusion and anti-racism. In fact, your commitment to safe, inclusive event experiences is one of the reasons your clients chose your business--and that’s how we’re going to change the industry one step at a time.
❤️
It’s been an exciting first year and we are honored to have shared so many conversations during our Monthly Member Meet-ups throughout this particularly busy season.
⭐️
WEVA has big plans for 2022 and we will all continue moving the industry forward together.
👇
Please know we are still learning, still growing, and that there is still much work to be done. The good work doesn’t end here, this is where it begins. Thank you for your support this year.
🎉
And if you're committed to creating safe, inclusive, anti-racist event experiences and you're not a member of WEVA YET, join us today!
👇
We help wedding professionals become better allies by creating safe, inclusive, anti-racist event spaces through self-education & community development. Join our mission and grow along with us. (And share WEVA's mission with your friends!)

09/11/2021

Hey WEVA Members! We want to remind you of today's Member Meet-Up at 4pm Eastern. If you haven't been able to join us for a meeting in a while TODAY is the perfect day to join us.

We want to invite you to share more of your wins from the past season and as well as some goals for the upcoming year, too!

Even if you can't join us for the Meet-Up today, feel free to share a win from this past season with us. It's so important to celebrate your wins--even the small ones--and WEVA would be happy to celebrate with you!

We'll see you soon,
The WEVA Team

02/11/2021

As the wedding season begins to wind down after a uniquely busy year, we want to take a moment to remind you to CELEBRATE YOUR WINS from the season--even the small ones. 🎉
Because when you get in the habit of celebrating small wins, you'll be on the lookout so you don't miss the big wins! ❤️
We want to invite you to share a win from this wedding season with us in the comments OR at the very least, acknowledge your wins for yourself! 🙌
👉 We also want to invite you to reconnect before the holiday season at our Member Meet-Up on November 9th at 4pm Eastern. Mark your calendar and plan to meet us for the Zoom!
And if you know a wedding pro who wants to become a better ally by creating safe, inclusive, anti-racist event spaces, please share this post and invite them to join us!
❤️
As a member of WEVA, your commitment to inclusion and anti-racism is how we will create positive change in the wedding industry. We can't just go back to "business as usual"--we must hold ourselves accountable to growth and progress in the wedding industry.

Thank you for being on this journey with us! And if you're not a member yet, join us today!

With gratitude,
The WEVA Team

05/10/2021

A little guidance for clients and vendors seeking to connect with vendors of color. It was such a delight to have Marcela share her expertise with us!

03/10/2021

Hello Wedding Professionals! WEVA held our September Member Meet-Up last week and the purpose of this meeting was to help our members check in on their own self-education.❤️ This is a critical part of our mission and our members’ commitment to self-education around inclusion and anti-racism will facilitate the change that is needed in our industry.

We want to support you in your personal journey and help keep wedding pros on track for the education hours that we request of all members. If you were not able to join us for the meet-up—or you’re not a member yet—you’ll find a replay of our meeting on our blog right here. 👉 https://wevavt.org/blog/self-education-check-in

FYI there's a FREE inclusion class with Crystal Lily Creative on Monday, Oct. 4th--find a link to register for this education opportunity in the blog post linked here.

Thanks for being here in community with us!

With gratitude,
The WEVA Team

28/09/2021

🎉 Good Morning, WEVA Members! REMINDER: You're invited to our Monthly Member Meet-up TODAY, September 28th at 12pm EDT. Check your inbox for the invitation OR shoot us an e-mail and we'll send you the Zoom link.

The purpose of this meeting is to help members check in on your own self-education. This is a critical part of our mission and as a member your commitment to self-education will facilitate the change that is needed in our industry. We want to support you in your personal journey and help keep you on track for the education hours that we request of all members.

If you have any questions or resources that you’ve found helpful as you align your personal beliefs with your business practices, please feel free to share them with us.

WEVA is committed to helping wedding pros become better allies by creating safe, inclusive, anti-racist event spaces through self-education & community development. ❤️

We are here to learn along with you!
Looking forward to seeing some of you on Tuesday, Sept. 28th at noon Eastern time.

With gratitude,
The WEVA Team

“Bigotry is bad for business.” -Curtiss Reed, Jr.

14/09/2021

Rutland NAACP is having their Virtual Freedom Fund Dinner featuring Didi Delgado on Saturday! Do you have your tickets, yet? 🎉 Wedding and Event Vendor Alliance is proud to be a sponsor for this very special night and we have 2 tickets to giveaway to our members! If you'd like to claim one of these tickets, shoot us a message ASAP. First come, first served!
This event is honoring some pillars of the community, including lifetime achievement awards for Tabitha Moore and Sha’an Mouleirt, and a Courage in Action award to Al Wakefield. This is a one-time-only, live-streamed event — get tickets at naacprutland.org/ffd

10/09/2021

Wedding and Event Vendor Alliance is excited to share that we are featured in a new book! Our friend, wedding planner, and WEVA member, Elisabeth Kramer, is the author of "Modern Etiquette Wedding Planner". As the co-founder of Altared, Beth is fighting the Wedding Industrial Complex and she wrote this book with the goal of helping couples plan a wedding that's in line with their values.

If you want to learn more, the book is available for pre-order wherever books are sold or you can click the link to hop over to our blog to order your copy.

Beth is a prolific writer and she’s offered advice for couples and wedding professionals alike throughout the Covid-19 pandemic as she’s tackled uncomfortable conversations and kept her audience informed. Beth has also been an incredible resource to the WEVA Team by providing support and DEIA education to our members. It’s no surprise she had a book to share with the wedding world, too.

Congrats, Beth! And thanks for including WEVA in your list of organizations working to change the industry. We appreciate your support!

With gratitude,
The WEVA Team

https://wevavt.org/blog/weva-featured-in-modern-etiquette-wedding-planner

12/08/2021

Dear Wedding Professionals, As we hear about Covid positive cases in the wedding industry amongst our friends and peers, let's please keep in mind that we can reduce the risks of spreading this highly contagious disease by MASKING WHILE YOU'RE WORKING ON AN EVENT as well as following basic health and hygiene protocols. 😷

Wedding and Event Vendor Alliance implores you to please wear a mask to protect yourself, your staff and your fellow wedding pros. ❤️

Wearing a mask when you're in the presence of other wedding professionals and their staff is the simplest line of defense you can employ to reduce the risks of contracting or spreading Covid to your friends and colleagues in the industry. 👏👏👏

Even if you are fully vaccinated...
Even if there is no mask mandate...
Even if your clients and guests are not masked...
Follow the science and CDC recommendations by masking up to stay safe at weddings and events this season.

👉 Visit wevavt.org and click on the "FREE RESOURCES" tab for Covid safety tips to help protect your company and your staff as we continue to move forward together!

24/07/2021

🎉 Hello, Wedding and Event Professionals! Did you know that members of Wedding and Event Vendor Alliance have our July Member Meet-Up scheduled for Tuesday, July 27, at 4pm Eastern Time? 👏⭐️👆

We know it's a very busy season for most of our members so we will keep this meeting on point. Here's the agenda:
-Tips for Allyship
-Self-education Check-in
-Quick Actions Your Business Can Take Now

Shoot us an e-mail at [email protected] to RSVP, ask a question or add something to the agenda, and register for the last Zoom meet-up of the summer. 🙌

Note: We are going to take 1 month off from our regular meeting schedule, so there will be no meet-up in August, but we will be back at it in September.

This is lifelong work we're doing together. And we are grateful to our member community and supporters! See you Tuesday!

With gratitude,
The WEVA Team

30/06/2021

The Dash of Pride Wedding Professional Vendor Directory will be launching soon!

We receive many inquiries for vendors who support and embrace the full LGBTQ+ community and felt that a directory had to be built. We hope to use this directory as an opportunity to change the heteronormative aspects of the wedding industry. Each wedding professional is challenged to review their website and social media for language as well as images to ensure Inclusivity for ALL.

Our Vendor Pledge:
The Wedding Industry caters to a heteronormative society. We want our LGBTQ+ community to have fun and feel supported in making their visions of their wedding day a reality. As a wedding professional, I am committed to helping change the narrative and fully support “Inclusivity for All”.

Are you a vendor who would like to join us on our mission? Send us an email at [email protected] to receive more information.