Kaleigh Wiese, a wedding industry brand strategist and the owner of the Austin, Tex., stationery company Meldeen, said professionals she has spoken with recently feel like they will get shamed if they post and shamed if they don’t post; it’s a lose-lose situation. She, however, guides her clients to understand that saying nothing online isn’t a great look.
“Life happens offline, but your brand is what other people say it is,” Ms. Wiese said. “A lot of that is online. Having an online presence is a social responsibility. You simply cannot have a business today without showcasing diversity and inclusivity.”
Increasingly, couples seem to want their wedding professionals’ values to align with their own. Sabrina McMillin, 26, the account director at a communications firm in Brooklyn, said that from the start, she and her fiancé, Brian Carpan, 28, a student at Kingsborough Community College, have sought progressive wedding businesses owned by women, people of color and the L.G.B.T.Q. community for their celebration, which was originally scheduled for September and rescheduled for July 2021. Most, if not all, of her vendors have made social media statements regarding current issues, she added. Would she change her mind about a vendor, even at an expense, if she found them posting something derogatory?
“Yes,” she said, “there have to be consequences for this type of behavior that marginalizes people.” Ms. McMillan added that they have removed guests from their list who have expressed racist sentiments in response to recent protests, too.
For Natalie Hamlin, 30, a publicist in Los Angeles, the past few months have inspired her and Christopher Foulston, 35, a game developer, to rethink their vendors, especially since their wedding has been postponed because of the coronavirus. She said they not only pivoted to vendors who are taking serious safety precautions regarding the virus, but also did research into those who have raised awareness of systemic racism and discrimination. They would regret hiring a vendor that discriminates against employees or patrons because of their culture, race, or sexual orientation. They have married friends, she noted, who already regret their vendor choices in the past after seeing recent posts by them on social media.
“The investment is not only monetary,” Ms. Hamlin said. “We want to be surrounded by professionals who believe that love and empathy comes in all forms.”