LGBTQ+ WEDDING FAIR
ALL IN LOVE, SUNDAY 6 NOVEMBER, THE LINCOLN HOTEL, 1 PM – 5 PM
We are proud to introduce to you East Midlands’ first LGBTQ+ Wedding Fair called All In Love which takes place at The Lincoln Hotel. Why is this Wedding Fair so important to us? Not only is it being organised by one of our Wedding Suppliers called Perfect Silhouette Hair Dressing but also, this is something which is needed in our industry. Having worked with LGBTQ+ couples to help them find their dream wedding suppliers, we know firsthand how wedding fairs should be one of your biggest aids when in reality, the thought of attending can leave you filled with dread. The All In Love Wedding Fair strives to change that by creating a safe, inclusive space for our amazing LGBTQ+ couples. Let’s hear from the creator Robyn Wood, to learn more about this incredible celebration of love!
East Midlands’ first LQBTQ+ Wedding Fair
Brought to you by All In Love
CELEBRATION OF LOVE
I’m Robyn, a Lincolnshire-based wedding hairstylist and ally of the LGBTQ+ community. I am so excited and honoured to be able to create this event to help the community and wedding suppliers. The All In Love Wedding Fair is East Midlands’ first wedding fair for the LGBTQ+ community. It will be on Sunday 6th November 2022 at The Lincoln Hotel, a great venue in the uphill area of Lincoln in the shadow of Lincoln Cathedral, from 1 pm till 5 pm.
It’s a safe space for people and couples from the LGBTQ+ community to come and plan their wedding or civil ceremony with handpicked, inclusive suppliers that are all allies or queer owned. The fair is free for attendees and tickets are available at Event Brite.
Everyone should have the same lovely experience planning a wedding as a cis, hetero couple would without the worry of coming up against any prejudice or discrimination and deserves to have their love celebrated!
The idea for the fair came about when I attended a virtual seminar in 2020 run by @loveforall_lgbtq on how wedding suppliers can be more LGBTQ+ inclusive and I realised just how difficult it can be for LGBTQ+ people to find safe suppliers. I wanted to use my passion and skills for weddings to create something positive for the community and the wedding industry as a whole. I did a lot of research by asking lots of LGBTQ+ couples across the UK (via the power of Instagram!) that are wedding planning or married already about their experiences, good and bad, and difficulties when navigating the wedding planning process to get a better understanding and find out if there was a need for the fair.
I was quite frankly shocked by some of the answers on how some had been treated by some suppliers. And 100% of those who answered said that they either wouldn’t go to a “conventional” (for want of a better word) wedding fair as they would feel too nervous and uncomfortable or those that had gone said they felt underrepresented, uncomfortable, awkward, stared at and like suppliers didn’t know how to speak to them as an LGBTQ+ couple. So I sprang into action (after waiting for covid to do one!) to create the safe space the LGBTQ+ community clearly needed, especially in the East Midlands, to plan their wedding or civil ceremony. A few emails and a meeting later with the brilliant venue The Lincoln Hotel and the planning began!
There are a few things I am hoping will be achieved with this fair. The first very important aim is to create a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community to come and plan their weddings, free of judgement, assumptions and discrimination. A place for people in love to come and get excited about wedding planning and find some amazing suppliers who will celebrate that love with them!
Another big aim is to help educate suppliers and promote inclusivity. A lot of suppliers want to be more inclusive but are unsure how to or nervous to do or say anything that will offend people so end up doing nothing. I myself have learnt a lot through this journey and will continue to do so, there’s always something to learn, and I really want to help other suppliers too so collectively we can make an impact on this very heteronormative industry. Each supplier exhibiting will be given an educational starter pack for LGBTQ+ inclusivity in the wedding industry created by the fabulous Lisa Vine, a brilliant human, LGBT+ advocate, trainer and consultant in LGBT+ inclusion, who has just got married herself!
I want the fair to be a success so it’s a win for the LGBTQ+ community and another step in the right direction for the wedding industry. And of course, help plan some incredible weddings!
