Your wedding story is a unique representation of you and your partner. The food you serve, the eco-friendly decor decisions you make, the dress you buy, the venue you love and the vendors you choose to stand as a testament to everything you believe in. When you spend so much time and effort finding the love of your life, wouldn't you want your special day to be thoughtfully put together too? To be honest, wedding planning is a lot of work, and it might be great to just trust your wedding planner or a vendor your cousin recommended, you will never regret putting that bit of extra thought into a day that you will look back at for a long time! When it comes to going to great lengths to create your ideal wedding day, the sky's the limit! The wedding reception dinner should be the topic of conversation for your loved ones for months, the dress you select should be the exact gorgeous work of art that you have always pictured, and the invitation suite should make your wedding guests eager to be there for your special day! Everything should be carefully chosen, come from intention, and be full of love. While you're at it, why not choose black-owned businesses when choosing your wedding vendors? In honor of Black History Month, we want to highlight some of the amazing companies run by black entrepreneurs so that you get exactly what you want to make your wedding day picture come to life! If you want one reason why to choose a black-owned business for your special day, well, we have about ten!

Firstly, while it might make a small difference to make some thoughtful decisions and conduct adequate research before making a purchase, doing so actually encourages conscious visibility and community celebration. Inflation, labor shortages, and supply chain issues have all produced issues for business owners. This is made worse for many black business owners, including a lack of access to funding and higher rates of financial stress than white-owned businesses. Supporting black-owned businesses and bringing them to the mainstream wedding industry can be incredibly beneficial for those businesses, and rewarding for you! Even though the majority of us have the greatest of intentions, we often struggle to find the ideal company to support. The process of organizing a wedding already involves a lot of elaborate research, so adding more to that can be time-consuming and exhausting. That's where we come in and make that process easy for you! Listed below are some of the best black-owned businesses in the industry, some big, some small, and all equally fabulous!

Wedding Dress Designers

Amsale Aberra of AmsaleAmsale Aberra, an Ethiopian wedding dress designer, is frequently credited with creating the modern bridal gown due to her ageless, elegant, and traditional style. Her adventure and desire to make a difference in the world started when she was looking for a wedding dress for her big day and realized that the bulk of the styles out there at the time was overly dramatic and flashy. So, after getting tired of searching for the ideal wedding dress to showcase her simple and minimalist aesthetic, she decided to create her own gown. Amsale started selling personalized wedding dresses out of her flat in New York City in the years that followed, catering to couples much like herself! She passed away at the age of 64, but when a bride wears an Amsale wedding dress, she exudes style and assurance in spades. She will surely make an impression on her wedding day with refined elegance!

Ese AzenaborA designer born in Nigeria, Ese Azenabor started her career creating unique evening wear. While searching for her wedding dress, Ese noticed that many of the designs on offer catered to women with lighter skin tones. Because of this, it doesn't match when a bride of color wears that style of wedding dress, and they are forced to wear something that wasn't really made for them! Since then, Ese's design portfolio has expanded to provide bridal alternatives, especially for curvy brides with darker skin tones. Ese Azenabor brides are definitely not shy and safe players. She has toured the world, is courageous, radiant, and is completely aware of and appreciative of what it takes to create a masterpiece.

Andrea Pitter-Campbell of Pantora BridalThe owner and creative director of the Brooklyn-based bridal shop Pantora Wedding is the gorgeous Andrea Pitter. To address the lack of inclusion and diversity in the bridal gown design industry, she decided to start this business! Wedding dresses from Pantora Bridal are perfect for beautiful brides who aren't scared to try new styles. The Pantora brides are all without a doubt self-assured, feminine, and graceful, but most importantly, they have a great connection to reality. All upcoming brides can expect reasonable luxury from Pantora Bridal! Brides in Pantora will always value comfortable clothing. Most brides adore the unique yet appealing design aesthetics that this designer brings to the table.

Wedding Planners

Andrew Roby EventsBoth a military veteran and an accomplished wedding planner, Andrew Roby runs a team that plans exciting and romantic events from his base in Washington, D.C. In order to concentrate on their clients, whom they refer to as a family, they limit the number of events they take on as a boutique firm to no more than two weddings and six corporate or social events each month. Over the past ten years, their clients' events have been truly wonderful because of their capacity to listen to the clients and create an experience based on their personalities and tastes. Whether it's a conference, an LGBT wedding, or a philanthropic event, Andrew takes delight in producing experiences that surpass your expectations and focuses on giving clients great service that is personalized to their unique needs.

ellyB EventsA company called ellyB Events specializes in designing events with distinctive design elements. The event coordinators here will make sure that you and your guests have a wedding day to remember and be proud to call your own. ellyB Events take great pleasure in every detail, from your fiancé's lone tear to the laughter brought on by the union of two families. Eliana Baucicault established ellyB Events by fusing her master's in business with her natural talent for event organizing. The extrovert award-winning celebrity planner wants her couples to enjoy themselves on their wedding day while she takes care of the logistics and the touches. In addition to running a planning business, she is the publisher, editor, and author of "B Inspired The Book" and The B. Collective.

Tinsel Experiential DesignBy merging their talents in experiential design, brand strategy, and digital marketing, Erica Taylor Haskins, Liz Castelli, and Adette C. Contreras are upending conventional wisdom in event design and experiences. Eight years ago, the partners founded their business in the kitchen of a Brooklyn apartment, and since then, they have grown it into a multimillion-dollar firm. They are proud of 10,000 Small Businesses alumni of Goldman Sachs. Thanks to a team of over 100 experiential designers and event producers, they will directly address the more discerning target audiences of today and offer experiences that will impress, please, and be memorable.

Cakes and Caterers 

GetPlated CateringThe husband and wife team of Keyon and Alexandria Hammond are the proprietors of GetPlated Catering in Washington, D.C. GetPlated is renowned as the source of sophisticated, cool, and polished cuisine. It creates, prepares, and serves personalized menus for any occasion, whether formal or informal, rustic or classic. With GetPlated Catering, you can count on strong flavors, curated and personalized services, and a genuine passion for assisting people in creating unique memories. The boutique-style meals and creative presentations create the perfect atmosphere for exceptional occasions in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

Cakes by La'MeekaOver 10 years ago, La'Meeka Edwards started her business as a hobby. Since then, she has prepared and embellished hundreds of desserts and cakes for customers around Georgia. La'Meeka has gained experience along the way by creating cakes for a variety of Atlanta celebs, such as Ne-Yo, Phaedra Parks, and Kandi Burress of The Real Housewives of Atlanta!

Cantrell OccasionsAtlanta, Georgia native Chef Ro has had a lifelong love of food. After receiving his bachelor's degree from Savannah State University, he began studying for his Culinary Arts degree at the Art Institute of Atlanta. Chef Ro Cantrell of Cantrell Occasions' top priority is to give customers fantastic food, first-rate service, and memorable occasions. In 2012, he established his own catering business in Atlanta after graduating from the Art Institute of Atlanta with a degree in culinary arts.

Chops by Rera LLCChef Rera O is a graduate of the International Culinary Center and owns Chops by Rera LLC in Washington, D.C. Her business focuses on serving delicious dishes made with fresh, regional ingredients. To make sure that your wedding day meal is exceptional, the culinary staff developed a strong menu using locally produced ingredients. A variety of cooking techniques from many ethnicities are used in her dishes.

Makeup and Hair

Jamila TarisaiIconic Bride Magazine was founded by Jamila Tarisai, who also founded and runs Beauty to Behold Luxury Events. To assist clients with their hair and cosmetics goals, Tarisai and her hired stylists pay visits to them in their residences, places of business, or hotel rooms. Tarisai was trained at Paul Mitchell and currently resides in Atlanta. With a combined 20 years of experience, her chosen stylists and makeup artists help customers with tight schedules achieve their goals for beauty, fashion, and event styling.

The Heir SalonKindale Godbee started the Heir Salon and Family after graduating first in her class from Paul Mitchell and earning certifications in coloring, natural hair, microblading, eyelash, and hair extensions. Godbee's goal is to assist all Heir Family members in discovering that beauty in all elements of hair and life.

Juicy Looks by AbbyAbby Falore-Ayodeji, the proprietor and creator of Juicy Looks by Abby, has over 10 years of expertise in the beauty sector. She takes a distinctive and individualized approach to each client because she specializes in bridal beauty and special occasions and understands that makeup is indeed not one size fits all. 

 
Florists

Queen of Hearts Floral DesignBilen, the founder of Queen of Hearts Floral Design, transitioned from being an interior designer to the realm of high-end floral styling. She now designs lavish flower arrangements that are memorable and theatrical and make use of her intuitive sense of color, shape, style, and texture. Elegant, classic floral designs.

Kate Wren FlowersIf you enjoy delicate, elegant, and passionately romantic floral arrangements, Kate Wren Flowers is the florist for you. Her ideas for bouquets, aisle decor, floral installations, and centerpieces centered around delicate pastels and soft foliage, which she expertly combines with candles, crystal glassware, soft textiles, hints of gold, and deeper tones to create stunning tablescapes.

Preston BaileyKnown for creating distinctive flower displays, Preston Bailey is a well-known florist and top event designer. Bailey is also committed to helping the business and staying accessible to it, which is why he started the PB Protégé program, a collection of masterclasses that offer guidance and training to professionals in the field.

Wild BloomKristen Griffith-VanderYacht is the owner and operator of Wild Bloom Floral in Seattle. He served as a jury member for Netflix's "The Big Flower Fight," and his design style combines editorial with a preference for unique and natural viewpoints. His stunning and talented sense of design has revolutionized the way flowers are utilized at weddings and other special occasions. By bridging the gap between nature and contemporary living, floristry, in Kristen's opinion, enables people to live better, more sustainable lives.

Music and Entertainment

The Band MethodThe Band Method, a group of musicians, vocalists, and performers with bases in Florida and New York City, is certain to have your guests on the dance floor all night long. By selecting the components you want, you may personalize the band playing your big night. You can also hire smaller ensembles to play during your wedding ceremony or cocktail hour.

Titus Touch MusicThe group of DJs in the Titus Touch Music network is represented by creator Titus A. Huyghue and is available for hire for your wedding in Pennsylvania. Each DJ, including Huyghue himself, brings enthusiasm, vigor, and a love of love to your event.

DJ Will GillBased in Los Angeles, California, DJ Will Gill is a DJ, rapper, and choreographer all rolled into one. With his variety of musical genres, skilled transitions, and shrewd mixing, DJ Gill will keep your guests on the dance floor up all night using an "open format" DJ technique. 

Paper Goods

Model PaperModel Paper's Ashleigh Duhon creates elegantly contemporary invitations and wedding suites that may be kept as heirlooms and handed to future generations. Duhon handcrafts each suite from scratch, giving each couple a completely unique and stylish suite.

Lepenn DesignsLetrice of Lepenn Designs, based in Detroit, Michigan, collaborates with couples around the Midwest and beyond to design their distinctive wedding suites. She has been creating custom invitations for more than nine years and views herself as a creative chameleon who can change to meet the specific requirements of each of her clients.

Diona Nicole Design StudioYou can choose a pre-made design from Diona Nicole's stunning, sizable gallery or go the personalized way for your invitation suites and related paper items. In either case, Nicole's knowledge, insight, and design sense are unbeatable.

We only highlighted some of the businesses in this blog, but there is a lot more out there! By investing in and supporting a group that is vital to our society, you can be at peace with your wedding day in the knowledge that you did everything you could to uplift the community. While there should be no guilt associated with an important life event like your wedding day, you can check out some of the businesses mentioned in this blog if interested. No matter where in the US you are from, we are sure you will be able to find at least a handful of black-owned or BIPOC businesses, if not more which can benefit from the visibility and representation. This way, you will be amplifying black voices and breaking through a glass ceiling to have them trade and thrive as they should! There are a plethora of options available if you're looking for some incredible black-owned companies to make your wedding day a wonderful and joyous celebration not only for yourself and your guest but for the community too!