Pride is in full bloom, and Bouqs Weddings wants to share how you can support the LGBTQIA+ community. This article describes why Pride is important to us, our ongoing Pride Sweepstakes, and local LGBTQIA+ vendors that would make a great addition to any wedding.
“Love First. Flowers Second. Kindness Always.”
It’s rare that a company motto so truly encompasses each of us here at Bouqs Weddings. With love at the forefront of every decision we make, we’re ecstatic for Pride Month, an entire month dedicated to celebrating the love of every couple; recognizing the self-affirmation, dignity, and equality for all transgender, lesbian, gay, bisexual, non-binary people, and beyond; and raising awareness while we recognize the struggles, riots, and political advancements that have paved the way for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Love First
This June, Bouqs Weddings is celebrating LGBTQIA+ love in three major ways. In the spirit of “Love First,” we want to foster an environment where individuals can share with us why an LGBTQIA+ couple is special to them, whether this couple has been a source of inspiration, strength, and encouragement during difficult times, or if this couple just has that “happily ever after” kind of love that warms your heart and gives you all the feels.
Flowers Second
To thank people for sharing these touching stories about LGBTQIA+ love and inspiring us to never stop fighting for equal rights for this community, we’re entering each couple into a weekly sweepstakes where we give away one $100 gift card to weddings.bouqs.com every Friday throughout the month of June.
How To Enter
To enter, simply fill out this short form and share a story with us about how this couple embodies our “Love First” philosophy. Winners will be announced each Friday on @thebouqscoweddings Instagram Story.
Our first winners certainly warmed our hearts.
@spicysesamenoodles
Mitch and Wilson got accepted to the same college and started talking online the summer before classes started. Realizing that they had so much in common (Mitch mentioned they “were truly the same person”), they started dating and never stopped, spending every moment together. They’ve currently been dating eight years, moved across the country from New York to Los Angeles, and are now planning a wedding for next June. We are so, so excited for this happy couple and can’t wait to help them get the perfect flowers for their Big Day.
We’ll be announcing another winner tomorrow, Friday, June 18th, and there’s still time to nominate a couple you love (or yourself, no judgement here!). Just visit our Pride Sweepstakes page, fill out this quick form, and tell us why this couple deserves to win a $100 gift card for wedding flowers, centerpieces, and bouquets.
How sweet are our second winners? Meet Ben and Warren.
@wzentz
Warren and Ben are from Washington, DC. where they live with our two pups, Potato (5 yrs.) and Junior (1 yr.) They met 7.5 years ago and never looked back. While COVID delayed their original wedding plans, twice, they feel so fortunate to be surrounded by the most supportive family and friends and can’t wait to celebrate with everyone later this Fall. Warren shared some words of encouragement about the power of love: "2020 was challenging for a variety of reasons. As we all work to heal and learn to appreciate one another for our differences, it’s important to remember that love heals all and to not let the little moments pass you by. With June being not only Pride month but the anniversary and celebration of Loving Day - we are so proud of our love, what it represents and feel fortunate for the brave women and men who fought to make space for our love to exist."
Kindness Always
While Bouqs Weddings strives year-round to support the political and social advancement of the LGBTQIA+ community, this June we’re spotlighting empowering changemakers in our own backyard. The following LGBTQIA-owned businesses embody our “Kindness Always” philosophy and dedicate themselves to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in their everyday business. Each proudly takes steps to show pride all day, every day, Pride Month or not.
Monster Coffee Roasters
Founded by Nancy and Shannon, Monster Coffee Roasters specializes in premium blends for all the coffee fiends who are “monsters” before drinking their daily dose of caffeine. While their priority is bringing everyone a “richer coffee experience,” the pair also encourages customers to support causes ranging from climate justice to LGBTQ+ rights.
Dapper and Urban
Dapper and Urban is a Chicago-based brand designing accessories that “complement dapper queer dressers of all genders.” Their gender-free catalog includes trucker hats, wallets, and bowties for humans and their pets.
Automic Gold
Automic Gold creates fine jewelry from reclaimed gold and prioritizes diversity and sustainability in all of their messaging. With styles designed free of gender or size expectations, each piece is a reflection of the brand’s commitment to radical freedom.
Wide Eyes Open Palms
Partners Kat McIver and Angie Evans are the feminists and food activists running Wide Eyes Open Palms, a café in Long Beach, CA, pouring the “queerest coffee in town.” The pair treasures sustainability and social justice, and uses IG-worthy dishes and brews to connect with others sharing their passion for creating a safer, more welcoming society for marginalized communities.
Otherwild
Otherwild is a woman, LGBTQ-owned store curating a catalog of goods by independent sellers. With hopes of “centering ethics at the core of business,” Otherwild’s LA storefront also doubles as an event space and design studio for projects that align with their goal of promoting grassroots activism and social justice.
Boy Smells
Despite its name, Boy Smells is a gender-inclusive brand selling luxury-level candles and intimate apparel. Dubbed the “Glossier of candles,” Boy Smells was founded by partners Matthew Herman and David Kien, who aimed to create a brand beyond the gender binary by “embracing masculine and feminine in a simple way.”
We believe Love is Love and appreciate what these and other businesses do every day to foster their local communities. We hope this article gets you excited to celebrate Pride and the love, strength, and kindness found within the LGBTQIA+ community, not just this month but every month. For more information about our Pride Sweepstakes, recommended vendors, or “Love First” philosophy, please reach out to us at bouqsweddings@thebouqs.com. To stay up to date with the latest Bouqs Weddings news, giveaways, and partners, follow @thebouqscoweddings on Instagram.