practice the art of listening. Ask questions that are designed to help you learn as much about the unique needs of every client as you can, a good habit to have with any couple regardless of race, orientation, etc. Craft questions that avoid presumptuous language and never assume you know how someone feels simply because you know one of their characteristics. All people are complex and multi-layered. Serve the person, not the stereotype. Do Stay Current with Trends While you don’t want to pigeon-hole your clients, you should actively stay informed about trends that might help them make choices or personalize their celebrations, A note from the Editor: and promote this through visual content via your social media. Demonstrating in your posts that two women, for example might choose to wear two dresses, a dress and a wedding suit, a dress and a tuxedo, two tuxedos or any combination that fits their unique personalities and identities gives your audience options. Also, providing training to your staff in guiding transgender brides in choosing silhouettes and styles that complement their bodies allows them to provide knowledgeable guidance and superior service that will naturally attract future clients looking for the same level of understanding. The key to authentically promoting your inclusivity through your visual social media content is to be genuine and knowledgeable. Couples of all types will recognize your effort and reward you with their trust and their most important days. This is a really nuanced and important topic in the business world and our industry. Brittny laid a great starting foundation, so make sure to take a look at her publication Love Inc. for more from her and her team! Brittny is an ally, and our LGBTQ team member Deci lent her direct input in preparing this article and the rest of the issue. We were particularly glad to start this conversation during Pride Month, but there's so much more work to do and other populations to bring into the discussion. If you're an expert on inclusive business practices or if you're part of a marginalized group and have experienced the struggles of trying to find a company that not only serves you but welcomes you with open arms, we would love to hear from you. Insight, stories, advice...anything you want to share, we'd love to hear it and put it out to our awesome community. If you're a business looking to always do better, there are great resources out there. We'll be continuing to talk about this regularly. Make sure to follow and support the voices out there doing the work to help the industry tackle this. This article is a fantastic place to start: How to Avoid Tokenism in the <strong>Wed</strong>ding Industry by Nova Reid of Nu Bride. Follow and support publications that speak to couples in marginalized populations, like Smash the Glass , Catalyst <strong>Wed</strong>ding Co, Rock'n'Roll Bride, Keep <strong>Wed</strong>dings Weird, South Asian Bride Magazine, Off Beat Bride, and so many others. And take this genuine care and work into the community, not just your business. Follow and support organizations, activists, and publications that talk about these things outside of the wedding world. Take a stand, offer a hand, and be a voice. You've taken the awesome step to build yourself a platform in your community. Use it to do the work that needs to be done. Christen BRITTNY DRYE Brittny Drye is the founder and editor-in-chief of Love Inc., one of the leading equality-minded wedding blog and digital publication. Her inclusive efforts have been celebrated by the New York Times, The Advocate, OUT Magazine, Refinery29, NY Daily News, Cosmopolitan, and more. She serves on the <strong>2018</strong>-19 North American Advisory Board for the International Academy of <strong>Wed</strong>ding & Events. www.loveincmag.com
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