Love is Love: Creating Safe Spaces for Queer Joy in the Wedding Industry

This is a guest-written article by queer photographer, James Lester, who founded Love is Love Studio to not just include LGBTQ+ couples, but actively centre them, and push the wedding industry to be more inclusive of queer representation. He firmly believes that everyone deserves to be seen, and that everyone deserves a safe space to celebrate their love. In this exclusive feature, he shares his thoughts on the importance of creating safe spaces for queer joy in the wedding industry. 

When the first legally recognised same-sex marriages took place in the UK on 29th March 2014, I remember feeling a huge swell of hope. It was more than a political milestone — it was a moment of validation, a quiet but powerful recognition that queer love deserved celebration too.

Ten years later to the day, I launched Love is Love Studio — a wedding photography brand created specifically with LGBTQ+ couples in mind. Based in the North of England and serving Manchester, Leeds, York and beyond, the studio was born out of lived experience. I had been a wedding photographer for 14 years by this point, and many queer couples I had met were struggling to find safe, inclusive, and affirming wedding suppliers in a heteronormative industry.

Why I Started Love is Love Studio

While I’ve always welcomed clients of all identities, I started to notice patterns. LGBTQ+ couples often arrived at consultations with apprehension. They would ask, cautiously, “Have you worked with queer couples before?” or “Is it okay if we don’t do traditional roles?” Many were visibly relieved just to see someone who reflected their own identity behind the camera.

Those moments made me realise just how much of a gap there still was in the industry — not just for representation, but for true, unapologetic inclusion.

So, I decided to carve out a space that didn’t just accept queer couples, but celebrated them.

At Love is Love Studio, my mission is simple: to document love in all its beautiful, diverse forms, and to offer couples a place where they can be fully themselves — no compromises, no explanations, no shrink-to-fit expectations.

The Importance of Safe Spaces in the Wedding World

Weddings are deeply personal. They are a reflection of who we are and who we love. But for queer people, planning a wedding can sometimes feel like walking into a room not built for us.

The wedding industry, as beautiful as it can be, still leans heavily into heteronormative traditions. ‘Bride and groom’ language is everywhere. Vendors often assume gender roles without asking. Forms ask for ‘Mr & Mrs’ with no alternatives. The pressure to conform to traditional scripts — white dresses, walking down the aisle, father-daughter dances — can be stifling.

For many LGBTQ+ couples, these moments are more than awkward — they’re reminders that we’re still seen as ‘other.’ And that’s where safe, inclusive suppliers become vital.

Creating a safe space doesn’t just mean adding a rainbow flag to your website or saying ‘we’re LGBTQ+ friendly.’ It means actively unlearning assumptions. It means making space for people who don’t want to follow the binary, who don’t fit the mould, who want their wedding to reflect their truth.

It means understanding that queer couples aren’t just ‘gay’ — our identities are layered, nuanced, and intersectional. And so are our weddings. We are same-sex, trans, non-binary, bisexual, straight-facing, queer couples. We may not want to label ourselves or our relationships. We may want to shout about our identities proudly. 

The Pain Points Queer Couples Still Face

Time and again, I’ve heard the same frustrations from my LGBTQ+ couples:

• Fear of judgment — Many couples feel they have to ‘come out’ repeatedly to vendors, unsure of how their love will be received.
• Lack of representation — When portfolios, websites and social media feeds only show straight couples, it’s easy to feel invisible.
• Gendered assumptions — From enquiry forms to email greetings, there’s often an assumption that one partner is a bride and the other a groom.
• Tokenism — Some suppliers include a single queer couple in their marketing as a checkbox, not a true commitment to inclusion.
• Microaggressions — “So who’s the bride?” or “Which one of you is wearing the dress?” may seem harmless to some, but they can be exhausting for queer couples to navigate.

These aren’t just minor annoyances. They’re reminders that even in our most joyous moments, we’re still having to explain, defend, or justify who we are.

That’s why safe spaces matter. Because queer love deserves ease. We deserve to plan weddings that are joyful, personal, and free from anxiety.

What True Inclusion Looks Like

At Love is Love Studio, inclusion isn’t a trend, it’s the foundation. It shows up in the way I communicate, the language I use, and the imagery I share. It’s in how I structure consultations, letting couples know right away that this is a place where their identities will be honoured — not questioned, not diluted, not reshaped.

I don’t just photograph weddings — I guide couples through them. I help them imagine possibilities they may not have seen reflected before. A ceremony without gendered roles. Outfits that reflect their style, not societal norms. Group photos that centre chosen family. Quiet moments of intimacy, laughter, and vulnerability that don’t have to be hidden behind performative poses.

It’s about more than pretty pictures — it’s about telling your story, on your terms.

Pride is Year-Round

Inclusivity and representation doesn’t begin and end in June. Pride is a protest, yes, but it’s also a celebration. And queer joy deserves to be celebrated year-round.

Photography, at its core, is about witnessing. And when we’re seen — really seen — something incredible happens. We start to believe that our love is worthy of being celebrated loudly and visibly. We reclaim the narrative. We show the next generation of queer couples that they don’t have to shrink themselves to fit into someone else’s version of a wedding.

To Queer Couples Looking for Their People: You’re Not Alone

If you’re a queer couple planning a wedding and feeling like you don’t quite fit, I want you to know this:

There is space for you.

There are photographers, planners, florists, celebrants, and venues who are actively working to create a wedding industry where your love is not only included, but centred.

You don’t have to settle for being someone’s token queer couple. You don’t have to ask for permission to be yourselves.

Your wedding should be as unique, authentic, and magical as your love story. And at Love is Love Studio, I’m honoured to be part of that journey with you.

Because love is love — and it always deserves to be seen.

Author Credits:

Written by James Lester, expert queer photographer and founder of Love is Love Studio. 

Check out James’ incredible portfolio below:

Bridebook profile: Love is Love Studio

Website: loveislovestudio.com

Instagram: @love.is.love.studio

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Happy Planning!