COVID-19 Relief Fund for LGBTQ+ Wedding Pros
Donation protected
The coronavirus outbreak has forced many couples to postpone or cancel their weddings, and LGBTQ+ wedding pros are caught in the crossfire.
You see, when a wedding can't happen as planned, wedding pros won't get the final payments for their services on time—or possibly at all. And depending on the circumstances, they may need to refund some of what they've already been paid.
Most years, this happens to a very small percentage of weddings. It sucks, but it's manageable. With COVID-19, wedding venues and vendors have lost or postponed all of their business in some of the busiest months of the year.
It's heartbreaking to hear that some of the most amazing wedding pros out there are on the verge of closing their businesses and unable to pay their personal bills right now due to this pandemic.
As we see with every economic crisis, marginalized communities are hurt the most. Aisle Less Traveled and Equally Wed are partnering to raise funds for LGBTQ+ owned-and-operated wedding businesses.
LGBTQ+ wedding pros don't just make wedding day magic happen. They work tirelessly every day for inclusivity in an extremely gendered and heteronormative industry.
Unfortunately, even in the age of marriage equality, venues and vendors still have a long way to go toward inclusion. That's why it's so important to support our LGBTQ+ wedding pros right now; they are the safe space for LGBTQ+ couples who should have the right to plan and celebrate without discrimination.
What’s more, the LGBTQ+ is a particularly vulnerable segment of society that typically brings in less income than their cisgender, heterosexual counterparts, and can be kicked out of their housing in more than 25 states simply for being LGBTQ+.
Your donation will go directly to an LGBTQ+ business owner who is struggling to make ends meet due to COVID-19-related wedding postponements and cancellations.
$5, $10, $1,000—any amount you can give helps.
How We're Distributing Funds & Deciding Who Gets Them
We will collect applications and grant funding on a monthly basis for as long as this crisis continues.
To qualify for funding, businesses must:
- Be at least 51% owned by one or more LGBTQ+ people
- Make 75% or more of its income from weddings
- Be a legal business, carrying general liability insurance and all required business licenses
- Have been in business for at least three years
- Have a demonstrated loss of income due to COVID-19 and are struggling to pay for basic essentials as a result
Applications will be processed on the 20th of each month.
To apply for funding, click here.
Our panel will assess each application and award funding according to need at the end of each month. We will use a point-based scoring system to avoid bias, since we'll likely personally know many of the applicants—our colleagues. Our sponsoring businesses, Aisle Less Traveled and Equally Wed, will not be eligible to apply for or receive any funding.
On the 25th of the month, we will notify the recipients and disburse all funds raised by that date according to need.
We will start by covering basic needs, such as replacement income that covers food, housing, utilities, and health insurance for themselves and their families. If we raise more than what's needed for that, we will extend additional funding to cover business overhead costs.
If we raise more funds than are needed for the month, we'll roll them over into the next one. We're starting with a $10,000 goal, but that won't be nearly enough to meet the needs, so we hope to exceed it with your help.
If we're able to meet all needs (which would be amazing!) and there are funds leftover, we'll donate those dollars to Lambda Legal - a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work.
Thank you for supporting LGBTQ+ owned small businesses!
About Us
Aisle Less Traveled is a queer-owned wedding planning business based in Seattle, Washington. Wedding planner Cindy Savage helps independent, feminist, and LGBTQ+ folks plan meaningful weddings while keeping their sanity intact.
Equally Wed is the world’s most-visited online LGBTQ+ wedding magazine and LGBTQ+ inclusive wedding vendor directory worldwide. Kirsten Ott Palladino and her spouse, Maria Palladino, launched it in 2010 to New York Times’ acclaim after finding a major lack of LGBTQ+ wedding representation in the mainstream wedding media while planning their own wedding. They also offer an LGBTQ+ inclusive certification course for wedding pros at EquallyWedPro.com.
You see, when a wedding can't happen as planned, wedding pros won't get the final payments for their services on time—or possibly at all. And depending on the circumstances, they may need to refund some of what they've already been paid.
Most years, this happens to a very small percentage of weddings. It sucks, but it's manageable. With COVID-19, wedding venues and vendors have lost or postponed all of their business in some of the busiest months of the year.
It's heartbreaking to hear that some of the most amazing wedding pros out there are on the verge of closing their businesses and unable to pay their personal bills right now due to this pandemic.
As we see with every economic crisis, marginalized communities are hurt the most. Aisle Less Traveled and Equally Wed are partnering to raise funds for LGBTQ+ owned-and-operated wedding businesses.
LGBTQ+ wedding pros don't just make wedding day magic happen. They work tirelessly every day for inclusivity in an extremely gendered and heteronormative industry.
Unfortunately, even in the age of marriage equality, venues and vendors still have a long way to go toward inclusion. That's why it's so important to support our LGBTQ+ wedding pros right now; they are the safe space for LGBTQ+ couples who should have the right to plan and celebrate without discrimination.
What’s more, the LGBTQ+ is a particularly vulnerable segment of society that typically brings in less income than their cisgender, heterosexual counterparts, and can be kicked out of their housing in more than 25 states simply for being LGBTQ+.
Your donation will go directly to an LGBTQ+ business owner who is struggling to make ends meet due to COVID-19-related wedding postponements and cancellations.
$5, $10, $1,000—any amount you can give helps.
How We're Distributing Funds & Deciding Who Gets Them
We will collect applications and grant funding on a monthly basis for as long as this crisis continues.
To qualify for funding, businesses must:
- Be at least 51% owned by one or more LGBTQ+ people
- Make 75% or more of its income from weddings
- Be a legal business, carrying general liability insurance and all required business licenses
- Have been in business for at least three years
- Have a demonstrated loss of income due to COVID-19 and are struggling to pay for basic essentials as a result
Applications will be processed on the 20th of each month.
To apply for funding, click here.
Our panel will assess each application and award funding according to need at the end of each month. We will use a point-based scoring system to avoid bias, since we'll likely personally know many of the applicants—our colleagues. Our sponsoring businesses, Aisle Less Traveled and Equally Wed, will not be eligible to apply for or receive any funding.
On the 25th of the month, we will notify the recipients and disburse all funds raised by that date according to need.
We will start by covering basic needs, such as replacement income that covers food, housing, utilities, and health insurance for themselves and their families. If we raise more than what's needed for that, we will extend additional funding to cover business overhead costs.
If we raise more funds than are needed for the month, we'll roll them over into the next one. We're starting with a $10,000 goal, but that won't be nearly enough to meet the needs, so we hope to exceed it with your help.
If we're able to meet all needs (which would be amazing!) and there are funds leftover, we'll donate those dollars to Lambda Legal - a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work.
Thank you for supporting LGBTQ+ owned small businesses!
About Us
Aisle Less Traveled is a queer-owned wedding planning business based in Seattle, Washington. Wedding planner Cindy Savage helps independent, feminist, and LGBTQ+ folks plan meaningful weddings while keeping their sanity intact.
Equally Wed is the world’s most-visited online LGBTQ+ wedding magazine and LGBTQ+ inclusive wedding vendor directory worldwide. Kirsten Ott Palladino and her spouse, Maria Palladino, launched it in 2010 to New York Times’ acclaim after finding a major lack of LGBTQ+ wedding representation in the mainstream wedding media while planning their own wedding. They also offer an LGBTQ+ inclusive certification course for wedding pros at EquallyWedPro.com.
Fundraising team (2)
Cindy Savage
Organizer
Seattle, WA
Kirsten Ott Palladino
Team member