PRO
LOVE GEMS WITHOUT GENDER
J ES S HANN A H R É V ÉSZ + C HELS EA N I CH O LS O N SHE / HER
Los Angeles, CA
Cofounders of Ceremony, an inclusive jewelry brand @ceremony.us
When Jess Hannah Révész and Chelsea Nicholson founded Ceremony, an inclusive jewelry company, their vision was to create timeless designs that left room for “people to imbue our pieces with their own definition of love.” Révész and Nicholson don’t want to stand alone in the jewelry industry. They hope that other brands will realize how inclusive marketing is just as important as creating inclusive products. On its own, a ring or piece of jewelry has no gender. “Brands control the messaging—it’s up to them to be inclusive. Now more than ever, people want to invest in companies that align with their values, and we couldn’t agree more with this mentality. We’re hopeful this is a movement over a trend.”
Q+A
INCLUSIVE INVITES Q:
H O W C AN C O U PLE S RE W O RD T H E I R W E D D I N G I N V I T AT I O N S T O B E LE S S G E N D E RE D ? Couples often ask if they have to word their stationery like everyone else. And my answer is a resounding, “Hell no!” Your stationery should be an extension of you and your partner’s personality—have fun with it.
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W H AT T I PS D O Y O U H AV E RE G AR D I N G AD D R E S S I N G E N V E LO PE S W I T H H O N O RI F I C S ?
MOLLY HICKS SHE / HER
Lincoln, NE
Founder of wedding stationery company Revolution Paper Co. @revolutionpaperco
Bottom line: Feel free to forget the honorifics and only use the guests’ names. Honorifics can make people feel excluded. We should never assume we know our guests’ pronouns. Mr. and Mrs. are very gendered and some of your guests may be struggling with their identity. Avoiding gender in your stationery is a supportive way to let your guests determine their pronouns for themselves.
Q:
W H AT S T E PS C AN S T AT I O N E R S T AK E T O MAK E T H E I R B U S I N E S S E S M O RE I N C LU S I V E ? One of our jobs as stationers is to educate couples on the subliminal messaging their wedding stationery may be sending. The initial design draft I send to couples incorporates a pronouns line on the RSVP card. By including this as a default design element, it prompts a conversation with my couples about planning inclusively.
Q:
AN Y E N C O U RAG I N G W ORD S F O R T O -B E -W E D S AF R A I D O F I N C LU S I V I T Y M I S S T E PS W H I LE W E D D I N G PLAN N I N G ? No one is going to get all of this right 100% of the time. We are all human and mistakes happen. But if we are doing all that we can by acknowledging our shortcomings and encouraging love among all humans, then that’s something.
REPHRASE
ACT
It’s 2021, so it’s time to lose the bride-centric language that unfortunately still dominates the wedding industry. Weddings are for everybody, not just brides! — M A R I S A S U Á R E Z- O R O Z C O
Instead of just saying you’re LGBTQ+ loving, show it! Make your allyship clear by adding —J OV E M E Y E R a rainbow to your platforms.