Why I’m an LGBTQ+ Focused Wedding Photographer

Hi! The site looks a little different if you’ve been here before, yeah? If not, welcome to my tiny corner of the internet! When I imagined introducing my new branding and website to the world, 100% of me knew I wanted to do it with this blog post. Was I sure what “this” blog post would be? No, not originally. To be honest, I’m winging this as I type. All I knew is that I wanted my brand as an LGBTQ+ Focused Wedding Photographer to be ever-present, clear, and explained.

Special thanks to the team at With Grace & Gold for the brand design + the website template I customized from their amazing selection.

I knew I was queer the first time I watched Xena: Warrior Princess. Gabrielle was the perfect woman. Secure, mouthy, & a complete badass. No idea that she, or that show would shape me for the rest of my life, I just knew I felt different.

I’ve always been secure in that. There was no big “coming out” moment for me. Honestly, the first memories of queerness in my life were just me speaking out against people condemning it in casual conversations. “What, are you a lesbian?” and then my original response, “No, but I don’t have any problem with people who are.” Eventually, this response shifted to “I love women.” That’s about the entire evolution of my sexuality, boiled down to a paragraph.

Then, I grew up. In the photo above you see my sisters and my brother. Both of my sisters? Proud queer women. Both of their girlfriends attended my wedding on their arms and it made me so excited and happy to see that in 2020, this was a relatively painless process.

Okay, but you married a man.

For other people, I’m sure you’ve heard this as well. My heteroromantic marriage has no bearing on my queerness. If you’ve ever seen the meme about how you can tell sexual preference is a choice because who would choose to be with a man? That about sums it up.

I love Ean, but I’ve fallen in love with and will continue to love trans folk, non-binary folk, women, and whoever else tickles my fancy as my worldview and personal circle expand.

Our wedding was planned as if we were in a queer relationship because we are.

Every single vendor we hired or came into contact with, we asked them if they served queer couples. If the answer was no, we didn’t hire them. We went through a few DJs and there was more than one wedding dress shop out of the running on our journey. Certain wedding venues I knew just from working in this field were certainly off the list, and honestly, I could afford to be picky. I have enough connections.

So many people do not have this luxury.

This is exactly why I created the LGBTQ+ Kansas City Wedding Vendor list. Additionally, it’s why I have chosen to hunker down in the queer midwest space of wedding vendors. So many people have the pick of the litter when it comes to their vendors. So many other people have to stumble their way around the world hoping they won’t be rejected, humiliated, or made an example of.

When this happens to folx, it feels as if it’s happening to me because it is. This is a major hurdle for our community, for my sisters, and for me.

So, if you’re looking for a wedding photographer who not only “understands” you, but also accepts you and is you, then I’m here and ready to photograph your day.

See some cute queer couples!

Kauffman Center Engagement
Clinton Lake Engagement
Bride & The Bauer Wedding
Uptown Theater Wedding