LGBTIQA+ Inclusion in the Wedding Industry

Take this course to learn how to work respectfully with LGBTIQA+ couples and how to help them have a memorable, relevant and safe LGBTIQA+ wedding.

Key Outcomes

You’ll feel more confident when dealing with LGBTIQA+ couples.
You’ll know how to make LGBTIQA+ people feel safe, empowered and valued in planning their wedding.
You’ll understand common mistakes – and how to avoid them – that people make offering weddings to LGBTIQA+ couples.

You’ll gain greater knowledge of the language, history and culture of the LGBTIQA+ community.
You’ll understand LGBTIQA+ wedding rituals and traditions.
You’ll go away with tangible tips to help you be a respectful and LGBTIQA+ inclusive wedding professional.

Prerequisite: No prerequisite for this course.

Who Should Take This Course?

➢ marriage celebrants
➢ wedding venue staff
➢ attire providers – wedding dressmakers, formal wear providers, tailors, wedding dress shops
➢ wedding dance instructors and teachers
➢ jewellers
➢ wedding photographers and videographers
➢ hair and makeup specialists
➢ photobooth suppliers
➢ wedding invitation suppliers

➢ wedding planners
➢ wedding stylists
➢ wedding florists
➢ wedding music providers – musicians, bands, DJs, singers
➢ wedding caterers
➢ marquee and furniture suppliers
➢ wedding car and transport providers
➢ wedding hotels and providers of accommodation
➢ anyone in the wedding industry who wants to learn more about the LGBTIQA+ community

Become a LGBTIQA+ Inclusive Vendor

Let’s understand your desired learning objectives and we can tailor our course to meet them. Please book a Zoom meeting today!

Featured Reviews

The Masterclass changed my life….

I grew up in an inclusive family, and having a lesbian sister didn’t seem like anything different than a non lesbian sister…I thought my all-encompassing love and understanding of people was enough grounding for when Marriage Equality was legislated in December 2017. I was wrong. It actually worked against me because I didn’t realise that there existed such a high degree of discrimination and ignorance in our current world. I also didn’t realise that the complexities and intricacies experienced actually varied from person to person, and not all people in the LGBTIQA+ community were just like my sister and her friends.… The Equality Network Masterclass was an emotional personal journey which had me sitting there with a lump in my throat for most of it. For the first time, I discovered how my sister and her friends saw the world through different filters. Even when I spoke to her about the masterclass, her response was, “Yeah sis, that’s how it is.” I cried and felt like I owed her a lifetime of apologies... The Masterclass changed my life…. I highly recommend The Equality Network Inclusivity Training for those who want to be genuine in their care when working with LGBTIQA+ individuals.

Training format

Take the course face-to-face
4 x 150 min workshops
10-12 hours in total
2 half days, a week apart
minimum of 8 to conduct course
interactive, engaging
When completed, gain ongoing access to the course content online
Get access to additional scheduled online support (Q&A sessions)
Course fee: POA

Take the course live via Zoom
8 x 90 min workshops
10-12 hours in total
timing negotiable
minimum of 6 to conduct course
interactive, engaging
When completed, gain ongoing access to the course content online
Get access to additional scheduled online support (Q&A sessions)
Course fee: POA

Course Description

Take the course face-to-face, or live via Zoom
Gain ongoing access to the course content
Work with actual LGBTIQA+ wedding case studies
Get access to scheduled online support (Q&A sessions)
Take the course over a nominal 10 hours
Complete the course and become a member of The Equality Network
Stay up-to-date with additional resource materials

Are you using LGBTIQA+ inclusive language in your weddings for LGBTIQA+ couples, as well as in your workplace, events and meetings? What about on your website and in your social media posts, and the emails etc you send? Are they accessible and truly inclusive for everyone?

LGBTIQA+ awareness is crucial if you want to build a safe, inclusive space for everyone in the weddings you’re involved in.

In this course, you’ll learn about some of the language, history and culture of the LGBTIQA+ community and ways to make LGBTIQA+ people feel safe, comfortable and valued as you help them plan their wedding.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of what you’ll learn:

Why you’re here – benefits, objections and outcomes of being inclusive
Quick test – what do you know?
The relationship between LGBTIQA+ people and weddings
Language 101 – key LGBTIQA+ terms
The LGBTIQA+ acronym
Pronouns – why they’re important; how to use them
Terms to avoid using, and why
LGBTIQA+ flags – symbolism
‘In the closet’ and ‘coming out’
Where are the gay couples in Victoria? What do they earn?
How’s your gaydar?
LGBTIQA+ stereotypes and their effect
Those offensive little questions
Milestones in various phases of LGBTIQA+ people’s lives
Equality, equity and liberation – an explanation
Legal rights of LGBTIQA+ people
LGBTIQA+ friendly countries / unfriendly countries
Major events in the struggle for rights – US and Australia
Let’s talk straight (or not)
Marriage equality around the world
How safe is it in various situations for LGBTIQA+ people?
Guided fantasy – walk in our shoes
Mental health statistics of LGBTIQA+ people – implications for your business
What are the pressure points for your wedding business?
Sensitivities and concerns that LGBTIQA+ people may have at weddings
That first phone call about an LGBTIQA+ wedding – how to respond
Dealing with the politics of an LGBTIQA+ wedding
Things that may surprise you about LGBTIQA+ weddings are different
LGBTIQ+ wedding rituals and traditions
What could possibly go wrong at a non-inclusive LGBTIQA+ wedding?
Impacts of your wedding business not being LGBTIQA+ inclusive
LGBTIQA+ health check of your wedding website and business
The LGBTIQA+ calendar
Tangible tips to help you be an LGBTIQA+ inclusive wedding business
Developing an LGBTIQA+ inclusion policy or charter

About the trainer

Bronte Price

The person who will train you is Bronte Price (he, him), a cis gay man, who is not only a qualified trainer but who also works in the wedding industry. He’s a registered marriage celebrant and is qualified to train other marriage celebrants. Bronte came out as a gay man at the age of 42, having been married to a woman and having had four sons. He lives with his husband, Clint, and their rescue kelpie, Bingo.

It’s Bronte’s lived experience as both a straight man and a gay man that informs this LGBTIQA+ inclusion course. He understands the pressures on people who know they are LGBTIQA+ but can’t come out for a range of reasons; he’s experienced the stigma of being labelled ‘homosexual’ when to be so was a criminal offence; as a gay man, he’s faced harassment and discrimination from family members and in the workplace; and he continues to marry LGBTIQA+ couples who struggle with not being able to be their authentic selves.

He’s on a mission to help other wedding professionals provide LGBTIQA+ couples with rainbow options for their wedding, rather than beige copies of straight weddings that have little meaning or relevance. As a former senior public servant, Bronte understands how to treat people with respect. He knows how to create safe spaces for LGBTIQA+ couples wishing to get married and for those who undertake his LGBTIQA+ Inclusion Training.

And he’s conducted arguably more LGBTIQA+ marriage ceremonies than any marriage celebrant in Victoria, if not in Australia. You get all those years of lived experience as a gay man crammed into a 10 hour course for the costs of what most will charge for a low-budget wedding.

Get started on your journey to be a LGBTIQA+ Ally!

If you’re wanting to do the right thing in working with LGBTIQA+ people in aged care but aren’t sure of what the right thing is, or you’re worried about saying, doing or assuming the wrong thing, then this course is for you.