National Gay Wedding Association

The National Gay Wedding Association is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that offers professional and educational resources for Professional Wedding Creatives that are invested in implementing inclusive practices for LGBTQ+ couples. In the wedding industry we must learn appropriate language to talk about queer couples, understand innovative and new wedding traditions, and reimagine the institution of marriage as it has existed for millennia. As advocates, we must continue to pursue equitable standards of existing for queer people across cultures, and acquire new resources to support and uphold those standards. For LGBTQ+ Couples, we provide a network of established inclusive minded Professional Wedding Creatives and LGBTQ+ advocates who provide invaluable experience to engaged couples. Seeking inclusive experienced wedding professionals begins with NGWA. Visit our portfolio of vendors. Born out of the personal experience of our Founding Director Ric Simmons, the National Gay Wedding Association began as a resource for LGBTQ+ couples navigating the wedding planning process as queer people. After the landmark victory of Obergfell v. Hodges in 2015, same-sex couples were guaranteed their constitutional right to marry in all 50 of the United States. Of course, this decision was followed by a series of challenges from local government and private business owners, making wedding planning difficult for queer couples who were still denied services around the country. In response, we started “My Texas Gay Wedding” and eventually expanded to a national platform with “My Gay Wedding.” We soon realized that despite the excitement from vendors who wanted to implement inclusive business practices, there were few resources available to make that possible within the wedding industry. National Gay Wedding Association answered the call to become the go-to source for wedding vendors and professionals in search of LGBTQ-specific resources and tips on implementing inclusive business practices.