Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirsten and Maria Palladino.
Kirsten and Maria, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Kirsten says, “Maria proposed to me on Leap Year in 2008, and the comments we heard rocked my world. Many came in the form of congratulations but the rest were shocking. Some vendors didn’t want anything to do with us, while others offered to pray for us. A now-defunct wedding magazine told me they wouldn’t run my feature about our honeymoon because their readers weren’t ready for that yet. I felt like I had to come out to everyone before they had a chance to say yes and then switch it to a no upon finding out we were a gay couple. We were heartbroken that discrimination was a minefield we couldn’t seem to avoid when planning our wedding, something that’s supposed to be a happy time. We turned to the magazine racks and the internet for solutions but there weren’t any resources that we identified with. I’d already been a magazine writer and editor for ten years leading up to this, and I was shocked to realize I’d been blind to the lack of visibility of LGBTQ+ couples and their weddings.
Maria and I knew we had to do something to create change. We decided that as soon as we’d married, we’d devote ourselves to creating a wedding publication devoted to couples like ourselves, that lifted up a minority group and celebrated LGBTQ+ weddings. We worked all night for eight months, enduring long days with our current jobs, only to rush back to our fledgling publication to work on articles, sourcing images, interviewing vendors who wanted to work with LGBTQ+ couples, researching marriage equality around the globe, and shouting from the rooftops that a wedding is a wedding, no matter if the government or society hasn’t caught up to the reality that our love is equal and we deserve equal rights and protections under the law.
On March 22, 2010, Equally Wed was born. At that time, only six states in the U.S. offered full marriage equality. For ten years since then, we’ve been covering the history of marriage equality in the United States and beyond. It’s been a wild ride. But at the heart of what we’re doing is celebrating LGBTQ+ love at its finest, at its most committed, at its most tender. It’s been an honor and a privilege, and we’re thrilled to be able to do this in our own community. Last year, we created our educational platform, Equally Wed Pro, because so much of the wedding and event industry is in dire need of training in LGBTQ+ inclusivity. Event pros can enroll in our LGBTQ+ inclusive certification course at equallywedpro.com.
Has it been a smooth road?
Kirsten: It hasn’t always been a smooth road. I don’t think that’s possible when running your own business! One of the biggest struggles has been combatting trademark issues. We got the trademark for Equally Wed in the United States soon after launching but then an Equally Wed popped up in Australia too. When I contacted them, they pointed out I hadn’t gotten an Australian license. It didn’t occur to us to do so but we’re an international publication. Luckily they did remove all the content from their site that looked suspiciously identical to ours. When you’re an online magazine, it almost doesn’t matter where you’re based out of, so having a publication with the same name in another country focused on the same topic can be really confusing. Finally, they did change their name eventually to something else.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Equally Wed – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Equally Wed is an international online LGBTQ+ wedding magazine, book and education resource for LGBTQ+ couples and LGBTQ+ inclusive wedding professionals. Within our inspirational content, we focus on wedding planning, real weddings and engagements, marriage equality news and spotlights LGBTQ+ inclusive wedding vendors. Our content and founders have been featured in or on media outlets such as The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, CNN, Pop Sugar, Glamour magazine, The Knot, Huffington Post, Curve magazine, The Advocate magazine, Autostraddle, A Practical Wedding, NPR, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and AP News.
The other thing that sets us far apart is our dedication to true journalism and integrity. Our careers (mine in journalism and Maria’s in graphic design and web development) have led us to this moment, and it shows in everything we produce.
Maria says, “We’re most proud of the fact that we’ve lived what we’re showcasing. We’re a real LGBTQ+ couple who has been through planning an LGBTQ+ wedding. We know the hurdles and challenges as well as the joy. And, we take pride in still learning every day from the couples we feature on Equally Wed. We are a beautiful kaleidoscope of a community, and we absolutely love that.”
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I was born in this city! And Maria and I met in this city in 2003 at Hoedown’s, a now-closed country-western gay bar. We used to love the nightlife and now we love the restaurant scene. Atlanta has incredible restaurants. The traffic in Atlanta is pretty bad. I think we can all agree on that!
Pricing:
- Advertising on equallywed.com begins at $199/year
- Enroll in Equally Wed Pro’s LGBTQ+ inclusive certification course for $499
- Buy Kirsten Ott Palladino’s book Equally Wed: The Ultimate Guide to Planning Your LGBTQ+ Wedding anywhere books are sold, $17.00. Link to Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Equally-Wed-Ultimate-Planning-Wedding/dp/1580056709/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=equally+wed&qid=1598554417&sr=8-1
Contact Info:
- Website: http://equallywed.com
- Email: info@equallywed.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/equallywed
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EquallyWedmagazine
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/equallywed
- Other: http://pinterest.com/equallywed
Image Credit:
(K+M in NYC) Entwined Studio
(Next 3 images) Heidi Geldhauser / Our Labor of Love
(Step and repeat / logo background) Liz Barclay
(Evening indoor party) Cristina Gentile Photography
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