ALL BIPOC LIVES MATTER

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JOIN ME IN SUPPORTING BLACK, INDIGENOUS + PERSON OF COLOR OWNED

BUSINESSES IN THE  CA WEDDING + SPECIAL EVENT INDUSTRY

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I’ve been involved in the CA Wedding + Events industry for 12 years this summer and it’s increasingly clear that weddings ARE political and businesses like mine need to rise up and do something about the lack of diversity in this industry if we are going to keep benefiting from it. Period.

As an individual and a small business owner, I commit to staying engaged, listening, learning and most importantly, doing my part to actively change patterns that do not serve BIPOC owned businesses in the event space and the BIPOC community in general. 

I have spent the past week compiling a list of Black + Person of Color owned and operated wedding + events industry businesses. These businesses are located in the SF Bay Area, some in LA, and all in CA! You can find this list below and forward this to anyone you know believe will be interested. Consider ALL types of wedding + corporate event professionals, people that are engaged, pivoting their wedding vision, social media influencers, bloggers etc. A PDF can be downloaded below.  

Moving forward, I will be reaching out to these business owners to see if there are ways we can collaborate, and to add them to my ever-growing preferred vendor list that touches the eyes of hundreds of couples in the Bay Area annually. 

HERE'S THE LIST: 

(everything is hyper-linked, take a moment to check some of these out!)

A MUST FOLLOW: ETHOS WEST COLLECTIVE

Created to highlight black professionals in the refined wedding + event industry, with a focus on the West Coast. This group has been formed not only to create a platform that showcases the varying category of talent, it will provide support, offer resources, as well as promote opportunity for collaboration.

“We are underrepresented and quite often underestimated in this creative space. This group has been formed not only to create a platform that showcases the varying category of talent, it will provide support, offer resources, promote opportunity for collaboration and serve as a directory for clients and industry partners who are actively looking to work with a diverse vendor line up.”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

- Ethos West Collective - @ethoswestcollective

WEDDING + EVENT PLANNERS 

• Lea Stafford - Special Event Planning - @leastaffordevents (Berkeley, CA)

• Fallon Carter (NYC + LA) @falloncarterevents

• Flawless Weddings & Events (SoCal) @flawlessweddingsevents

• Summer Newman Events (CA) @snevents

• Creative Director + Event Planner - A Monique Affair @amoniqueaffair - Chanda Daniels @cd_chandadaniels (Specializes in: Refined LGBTQ+, Diversity Minded Weddings -  Oakland, CA)

• Wedding Planning - Erica Estrada Design - @ericaestradadesign (Specializes in: Full planning, production, and curated design, Oakland CA) 

DRESS DESIGNERS: 

• Mark Ingram - @markingrambride

• AMSALE — @amsale

• Andrea Iyamah — @andreaiyamah.bride

• Brides by Nona — @bridesbynona/

• Dreamers & Lovers — @dreamersandlovers_

• Esé Azénabor Atelier — @eseazenabor

• Jean-Ralph Thuri — @jeanralphthurin

• Pantora Bridal — @pantorabridal

• Violette Tannenbaum — @violettetannenbaum

FLORISTS: 

• Mignon Floral - (NorCal) @mignonfloralco

• Ellamah (CA) — @ellamah

• Rogue & Fox Floral Co. (CA) — @rogueandfox

• Studio C Florals (CA) — @studiocflorals

• Whit Hazen (CA) — @whit_hazen

CATERING, CAKE + WINE/LIQUOR: 

• Sonoma County Pastry Chef. - The Empty Plate - @theemptyplate.blog

• Wine Country Feasts - @winecountryfeasts

• Mise En Place Catering - @bebe_preston 

• Cake: Nicole Bakes Cakes (CA) — follow @nicolebakescakes

• Bodkin Wines - @bodkinwines

• Brown Estate Wines - @brownestate

• Pharrel Wines - @pharrelwines - Women + Minority Owned

• Sonoma Sauces - @sonomasauces

• BBQ Catering: Buster’s BBQ - @busterssouthernbbq

• Veggie + Vegan Options: East West Cafe - @eastwestsantarosa

• Vintage Mobile Bar: Bubbles and Brews (CA) — follow @bubblesandbrewsca

• Stygian Whiskey Bar - @stygiancorp (Black-Owned spirits company made up of a radical group of  entrepreneurs that have banded together to disrupt the spirits industry. Brand your own spirit, and fuel revenue from their followers and distribution partners.)

ENTERTAINMENT: 

• Love in the Mix - @loveinthemix

• DJ Will Gill (CA) — follow @djwillgill

• Retro Jukebox Band (Live, Mixed-Race)

• Lucky Devil Bands - @luckydevilsband (Live, Mixed-Race)

RENTALS:

• Collective Rentals (CA) — follow @collective_rentals

SIGNAGE + CALLIGRAPHY: 

• Signage + Calligraphy: Ivelisse Designs — follow @ivelissedesigns

• Stationery + Signage: Chloe Ainsley Creative — follow @chloecreative1

• Stationery + Signage: 8 One Design Studio — follow @8onedesignstudio

• Designer: @laurennnmontgomery

MISC + BEAUTY: 

• Nick Ricardo Collection

The Nick Ricardo Collection is a gender-neutral fragrance brand breaking gender barriers in the beauty and cosmetic industry. Our mission is to slash gender norms and elevate the narrative of the POC, non-binary, transgender, and gender non-conforming individual.

https://www.nickricardocollection.com/

@thenickricardocollection

Oakland, CA 

• Bubbles and Butter Artisan Skincare

Natural bath & body skincare products for multicultural xennial and millennial women who want to preserve the youth, strength and beauty of their skin – all whilst living a busy, go-getting and stressful lifestyle.

https://bubblesandbutter.com/

• Soyful Aromas

Born of the Love and Need for Self-Care, Soyful Aromas is a black-owned candle company in the San Francisco Bay Area. Their delightful candles are birthed out of Janet’s (owner) love for self-care and aromatherapy.

https://www.soyfularomas.com/ourstory/