Inclusivity & Sustainability Framework

for Business & Life

My business in large part is ME.

I’m a solopreneur, and it’s completely up to me how I run my business. Therefore, my values are woven into what I create, how I interact with clients, who I choose to work with, and my contributions to my community, both at work and at home. 

I am a strong advocate for giving back in my personal life, and I bring that same intentionality to my work & business. 

The clients I work with resonate with this, and know that their dollars are not only supporting my small business, but also toward sustaining the work I do outside my business caring for my community, and developing documentary photography projects shedding light on environmental & social justice issues. My wedding packages also include financial contributions to select organizations aligned with these values.

We’ve made some strides in recent years, but the wedding industry is still primarily white, thin, heteronormative, and wealthy. But we know love comes in all shapes and sizes and colors and creeds. It’s imperative to me that my clients see themselves represented in the best light, in their full humanity. 

I celebrate each individual as a unique, crucial member of our rich global community, honoring their differences and proactively learning more about them & their needs, in order to strengthen my sense of awareness, understanding, and empathy. 

My goal is to make the wedding industry a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive place that celebrates everyone regardless of ethnicity, age, race, class, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, body shape, body size, culture, or religion. There’s no tolerance for hate or discrimination here. 

On another note, despite the love and revelry people enjoy at weddings, they can be incredibly wasteful and harmful to our planet. The average wedding in the United States produces around 62 tons of carbon dioxide. This is equivalent to: 

  • 400 to 600 pounds of garbage

  • Burning over 65,000 pounds of coal

  • amount of CO2 emissions as 5 people would in an entire year

We can do better. We can make thoughtful choices to lower our environmental impact & carbon footprints in life, and in how we choose to celebrate. 

I guide my clients toward a greener wedding by sharing eco-friendly wedding suggestions, & recommending local vendors. I purchase carbon offsets for my car travel to weddings, and I personally have chosen to not accept destination wedding inquiries that require air travel.

To stay aligned with these values, my business sustains partnerships with fellow small businesses that are committed to creating a more just world, and are primarily owned & operated by women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ folks. Furthermore, I intentionally recommend & collaborate with creative partners who agree to stand by the principles outlined here, both online and off. The list of preferred vendors that I send my clients have each shown their alignment with the Inclusivity & Sustainability Guidelines outlined below in how they run their businesses:

Together, we are already making the world a better, more celebratory place.

Let’s keep going.  

I STAND FOR LOVE

I ACTIVELY AND CONTINUOUSLY SUPPORT THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN MARGINALIZED BY SOCIETY. I WILL USE MY WORDS AND RESOURCES TO SINCERELY UNDERSTAND, UPLIFT AND SUPPORT:

  • BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color)

  • LGBTQIAP (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Two-Spirit, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Pansexual) People

  • People of all gender expressions How a person publicly expresses or presents their gender. This can include behavior and outward appearance such as dress, hair, make-up, body language and voice. A person's chosen name and pronoun are also common ways of expressing gender.

  • People of all gender identities (Male, Female, Transgender, Gender Neutral, Non-Binary, Agender, Pangender, Genderqueer, Two-Spirit, Third Gender)

  • People of all ages

  • People of all sizes

  • People with disabilities 

  • People of all ethnicities

I STAND AGAINST HATE

I FIERCELY DENY AND SPEAK OUT AGAINST:

  • Ableism - discrimination, prejudice, dislike and/or hostility against people with or perceived to have physical disabilities, mental health issues, or who are neuro-divergent.

  • Ageism - discrimination, prejudice, dislike and/or hostility against people on the grounds of their age.

  • Antisemitism - discrimination, prejudice, dislike and/or hostility against Jewish people.

  • Classism - discrimination, prejudice, dislike and/or hostility against people who belong to a particular social class.

  • Homophobia - discrimination, prejudice, dislike and/or hostility against homosexual people.

  • Misogyny - discrimination, prejudice, dislike and/or hostility against women.

  • Queerphobia - discrimination, prejudice, dislike and/or hostility against people who are not heterosexual and cisgendered. 

  • Racism - discrimination, prejudice, dislike and/or hostility against people based on their membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.

  • Sexism - discrimination, prejudice, dislike and/or hostility against people based on their sex.

  • Sizeism - discrimination, prejudice, dislike and/or hostility against people based on their size.

  • Transphobia - discrimination, prejudice, dislike and/or hostility against transgender people.

  • Xenophobia - discrimination, prejudice, dislike and/or hostility against people from other countries.

I show my support in the below actionable ways in my business & life:

  • Words matter and have power. I will work to edit my language to be welcoming, not limiting, to all people.

    CONVERSATION - I choose to actively speak up for equality and inclusivity to my employees, friends, family and strangers. If I hear a racist, homophobic, transphobic, size shaming, age discriminating or disability-based joke or remark, I will respond and stand up for those being targeted. I will correct misinformation when I hear it, and I will work to start new conversations around issues of social & environmental justice.

    LANGUAGE - I will be more thoughtful to use inclusive language and terms in my everyday conversations, on my website, forms, contracts, and on all social media. I will focus on putting people first, not their characteristics, as we are more than our descriptors. I will use gender-neutral language in common phrases and job titles such as fireman/firefighter, policeman/police officer, salesman/salesperson, mailman/mail carrier, businessman/businessperson. I will replace the word bride/bridal with the word couple, when it is not specifically referring to a bride. I will edit my contracts to say client name(s) in place of bride and groom. I will rename my bridal suite to something more inclusive such as private room, getting ready room, green room. I will replace the words crazy, nuts, psycho and insane with worlds such as wild, confusing, unpredictable or impulsive. Words matter and have power, I will work to edit my language to be welcoming to all people and not limiting to some.

    PRONOUNS - I will honor and normalize the use of people’s pronouns (She/Her, He/Him, They/Them, Ze/Hir, Ey/Em, Other). I will do this by asking, not assuming.

  • Our couples rely on us as the standard bearers of our industry. They trust our suggestions, and take them at face value. By implementing the following action steps into our businesses, we can change the was our industry does things:

    * I will be proactive and intentional about recommending other vendors who are aligned with my values

    * I will do my best to remove the following decor/materials from my business: single-use plastic, balloons, floral foam, etc.

    * I will focus on circular decor that can be repurposed, recycled, or reused.

    * I will use green energy whenever possible.

    * I will prioritize procuring local produce and florals to cut down on carbon emissions from transport.

    * I will do my best to compost and dispose of waste properly, including florals and food waste.

    * I will make a plan to donate leftover food so nothing goes to waste.

    * I will draft guidelines such as these to normalize these conversations with fellow business leaders and change makers in my industry.

  • I’ll use my available resources, both small and large, to demonstrate my support for marginalized communities & the environment in order to do my part in moving humanity forward and leaving a habitable planet for its future generations.

    TIME - I will volunteer my time with organizations that uplift, empower and better the lives of those who have been marginalized by society.

    MONEY - When possible, I will make financial contributions to causes and organizations that are aiding the environment & supporting, uplifting and empowering marginalized communities. I will actively do my research and be intentional about what businesses I work with & support in my business and life, refusing to spend money at establishments/organizations who are known to harm the environment, or fund or support ableism, ageism, antisemitism, classism, homophobia, misogyny, queerphobia, racism, sexism, sizeism, transphobia or xenophobia.

    VOTES - I will actively learn about political candidates who are championing social & environmental justice in their policies from the local to the federal level. I will use my voting power to show support to the candidates who are working to better the lives of those who have been marginalized by society, and make the world a more just & habitable place for every living creature.

    SOCIAL MEDIA - I will work to support, share and promote posts that encourage equality, diversity and inclusion. I will follow and engage with accounts that are different from me to better understand others in order to become a more informed global citizen.

    HIRING - I will make every effort to consider BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) + LGBTQIAP (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Two-Spirit, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Pansexual) people, people with disabilities, people of all sizes, ages, ethnicities, gender identities and expressions for any open position(s), including internships, in my company. Hiring the best person for the job is the goal, but I will be sure to advertise the position in places where a more diverse group of candidates are likely to see it and apply for it.

  • I will be thoughtful and intentional in the images I share on my website and all social media channels to include a diverse array of people, including all races, genders, ethnicities, sizes, abilities, sexualities and ages. If I do not have such images, I will work thoughtfully and genuinely to get them via a styled shoot or by volunteering my services at an organization serving marginalized communities. When casting for my styled shoots, I will only utilize real couples who are in love, and not tokenize (make a symbolic effort to be inclusive) my models.

  • I will attend webinars, workshops, talks and trainings on diversity and inclusion. I am committed to always learning and growing as a community member and global citizen.

*These guidelines are largely based on & inspired by Jove Meyer’s Ally Pledge, a wedding designer & leader in Equity & Inclusion in the Wedding Industry. Read his pledge HERE.

Do you vibe?