Are Black Brides under-represented in the UK Wedding Industry? A Discussion on Diversity, Inclusivity and Representation

are black brides under represented in the wedding industry

Somethings been unsettling me for quite sometime.  I’ve wanted to write this blog post for so long now have found myself stalling time and time again through fear the subject matter was to taboo.  But no matter how hard I try I simply cannot shake this thing off;  why are there hardly any black brides or brides of colour on Love My Dress?  Why are there hardly any black brides on any of the wedding blogs I know?

It’s a fact I’ve been acutely aware of since I started to build the now vast archive of real wedding features on Love My Dress almost four years ago. Perhaps it’s my experience in policy writing that has made me extra sensitive to balance, fairness, equality and diversity etc, but when I look at bridal blogs I mostly see a sea of white brides. Beautiful, gorgeous, inspiring, unique human beings. But almost always white.

Why is this?

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Photography by S6 Photography
See Naomi’s full wedding feature on Love My Dress

Love My Dress is an all-inclusive blog – I work very hard to ensure our content is appealing to all those looking for wedding inspiration – be it a civil ceremony or civil partnership, a heterosexual bride, disabled bride or a gay/lesbian bride.  I don’t turn down a submission based on a brides size, age or the colour of her skin. I enjoy blogging all types of wedding that fit within the aesthetic we love to promote here at Love My Dress – that generally being honest and effortless.

The fact the bride uses a wheel chair (with flashing wheel lights!) makes no difference to me.  She has amazing bridal style, is intelligent, articulate and has an interesting experience to share.  Taking all this in to account, you can hardly say we’re not diverse. So why is the number of beautiful brides of colour gracing these blog pages so low in number?

I received an email last month from a recently newlywed black bride.  Her name is Nova, and some of you in to the UK wedding blog scene might recognise her as the lady behind the blog Nu Bride.

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Nova of the Nu Bride wedding blog (JK Photography)

Nova is an approachable, friendly and intelligent woman and her blog Nu Bride is a beautifully curated dedication to the black bride seeking inspiration online for their wedding day.  Nova connected with me through an enthusiastic email, within which she shared some of her personal observations on the UK wedding blog community and wedding industry in general, and how it has a tendency to overlook black brides. Like me, Nova observed that there are a surprisingly small number of real black brides that feature on UK wedding blogs and within UK wedding magazines.

And I hate to tell you this, but Nova is not the first black bride to have shared this observation with me in private.

Before I go further, I’m keen to talk a brief moment about the term ‘black bride’. Race can be a sensitive subject, which is why people don’t talk about it. I believe that this is why a conversation needs to be had about it, so that a healthy and open discussion is raised. Some women don’t want to be defined by their race, and this is of course perfectly acceptable and understandable. We shouldn’t have to be defined by race in this way, and one day, I hope we won’t have to.

Maggie Sottero and Gold Bootees For a Joyful Wedding at Northbrook Park. Images by M&J Photography.

Images by M&J Photography
See Kay and Sam’s full wedding

I’ll not deny having almost copped out of publishing this post at all, but my gut instinct kept on pushing me real hard to be brave.  I also shared my concerns about use of the term ‘black bride’ with Nova.  I also shared my feeling of ignorance at not knowing if the term ‘black bride’ was offensive.  I found Nova’s response reassuring…

In terms of the terminology ‘black bride’, yes that is perfectly politically correct, and what I describe myself as. I am a black woman, (well brown if I really want to be pedantic!). Therefore, a black bride. Others will prefer Bride of Colour (broader and more of a US term) but neither are un-politically correct, or offensive, in my opinion. (Nova, Nu Bride)

Nova also underlined the importance of the use of specific keywords like ‘black bride’ when blogging, (ie, tagging blog post images/adding keywords to Pinterest image posts etc), and how important they are in generating more useful search results on search engines and popular inspirational image tools like Pinterest.  It’s part of the reason I recently established a ‘Beautiful Black Brides/Brides of Colour’ Pinterest board and set up a beautiful brides of colour page category on Love My Dress.  After all, if you wanted to search for an image of a red open rose, you would type in ‘red open rose’, not just ‘rose’, wouldn’t you?

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Photography by Aki Akiwumi
See Sammy’s full wedding on Love My Dress

Nova shared more about her experience of using the internet to search for specific brides of colour wedding inspiration; ‘I searched for ‘black bride’ when I was looking for visual inspiration as a bride-to-be and interestingly didn’t get much luck at all. Usually random images of black items of clothing or Caucasian models wearing a black dress popped up in my Pinterest and Google searches. I eventually found that typing in ‘African American’ generated a lot of visual images and this is where I found inspiration in Munaluchi BRIDAL and other US blogs, Pinterest and publications.’

‘I really don’t think it is anything to do with personal ignorance why you had to ask me if the term was offensive either.  I think it has a lot to do with political correctness gone mad in the UK, which often causes confusion and anxiety about what may or may not be classed as offensive – because the goal posts often change. This has resulted in many people being afraid to ask intelligent questions, or challenge behaviours and opinions around race through fear of being branded a racist.  This is nonsensical in my opinion and does nothing but fuels an unwanted fire and closes the lines of communication.’

It was this honest, eloquent and no nonsense reply that gave me the confidence to finally publish this post in the hope that it will raise awareness and initiate intelligent and healthy debate around the issue of representation for black brides in the UK wedding industry.  Nova and I intend on using Love My Dress and it’s social media channels to address this matter in a positive and helpful light only.

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Photography by Grace Elizabeth
See Joy’s full wedding on Love My Dress

I asked Nova to share more of her experience as a black bride to be, who looked to magazines and wedding blogs for inspiration for her own wedding.   She writes about the experience on her own blog beautifully here and here.

‘To be honest, I found turning to blogs quite welcoming. I turned to wedding blogs after buying a bundle of mainstream wedding magazines and indirectly feeling excluded because it was there I first noticed that black brides were largely under-represented.  Although I found more representation for myself via US blogs, ultimately yes, unfortunately I do believe black and other ethnic brides are also under-represented, particularly in UK wedding blogs.’

eliza jane howell, modern london wedding, city chic, nabeels camera, eight members club weddings

Photography by  Nabeel’s Camera
See Sian and Chris’s full wedding

What a genuinely sad, and worrying concusion for Nova to have arrived at.  Sadder still that this issue isn’t just confined to the industry I adore.  This Guardian piece highlights the uncomfortable issue that black models were barely seen on the catwalk at last month’s London Fashion Week. And Nova has thoughts on this issue too; ‘I believe the fashion industry embraces diversity a whole lot better than the bridal industry, but nevertheless there is still clearly a long way to go to find a diverse happy medium, particularly in the UK.’

‘I’d like to invite Love My Dress readers to take a look at the ‘Dark Girls movie preview. This was one of the main inspirations behind me starting my wedding blog, Nu Bride; to empower all brides to feel beautiful about themselves, from the inside out and to create an avenue that showcases positive images of black brides. Because as black women, if it is possible for some of our own race to think this lowly about ourselves, then we have very little chance of influencing mainstream fashion and bridal industries about how they continue to market their brands.’




Oprah Winfrey previewed the Dark Girls documentary earlier this year and I first came across this in 2011. It made me cry, because I myself struggled with massive self-esteem and identity issues as a child. I suffered racism at school, which ultimately led to me feeling I was inferior because of the colour of my skin. It’s quite powerful. Kleenex at the ready!’

‘The scene with the little girl around 2 minutes 20 seconds in identifying pretty from ugly particularly touched me and is a driving force behind doing what I can to empower others to embrace diversity in beauty.  I really think it’s important to get the message across to our children and generations to come that beauty comes in different variations and have this echoed in all media – catwalks, magazines – and wedding blogs.  I am not just talking about black models either, but other gorgeous ethnicities, shapes and sizes – to reflect the cosmopolitan UK we live in.’

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Photography by Clare Tam-Im Photography
See Taffy and Christian’s full wedding

‘Now of course there are a lot of complexities thrown into this documentary including self-esteem, education, ignorance, colourism and parenting etc. I’ve been lucky – I’ve had incredibly supportive parents who always told me how beautiful I was and how important I was. But it didn’t stop me or others struggling with self worth and identity difficulties – when all I was surrounded with were ideals/images/media, that I could not identify with.’

‘As consumers we are often presented with an ideal or an image, over and over again. To me this indirectly instills that certain races, shapes and size of women are not considered beautiful or marketable. I think subconsciously this has an impact on younger generations too. I think there is a powerful ‘unspoken’ message through advertising and media that plays a big part in influencing what children identify with and what is deemed as beautiful, and/or acceptable.’

An Effortlessely Elegant Florida Wedding in Shades of Pretty Peach

Photography by Carrie Wildes Photography
See Lyani and Darren’s full wedding

‘That’s why I am passionate about asking the UK mainstream wedding industry to seriously consider how it continues to market the  ‘bridal image’.  As Iman says in her article on London Fashion Week in relation to diversity on the catwalk; “Silence is unacceptable”.  Iman’s article goes on to say: “It’s widely accepted that many designers, publications and catwalks do not want to use black models, claiming they don’t sell their product”.  Where is the evidence of this? Is this now a meme? Should this response be accepted? If we don’t intelligently and articulately challenge and ask questions, then we as an industry or nation will never evolve and grow.’

We will never evolve or grow.  It’s a scary prospect – certainly as a mother of two little girls, I take all this very seriously.  I want my girls to understand that the endless images of perfectly airbrushed skinny white girls in the magazines are not wholly representative of the world they live in – that people, life, the world is so much more diverse.

So, wedding blogs.  I asked Nova for her general thoughts and how good they are at representing and connecting with black brides…

‘I go to specific blogs for specific things. Some are brilliant at using an inclusive narrative voice, others aren’t. I also think that the ‘personality’ behind the blogger carries a lot of weight over content. For example. Its not uncommon to see posts about getting your wedding hair or make-up right that only talks about European hair/light skin. Or articles on tanning products.’

Bold colour and angel wings for a dramatic vintage drama meets whimsical elegance wedding. Images by Miki Photography.

Photography by Miki Photography
See Ronke and Len’s full wedding

‘With regards to ‘visual inclusivity’, I have seen very little visual representation of black brides on the UK blogs via real weddings.  I would really like to see more real weddings out there on the wedding blogs, promoting a gorgeous mix of ebony and porcelains!  I think the reason this isn’t happening as much as it could be right now is probably down to a number of factors.  For example, the number of real black bride submissions are often much lower – this may be due to the fact that magazines and blogs aren’t connecting with a wider demographic, so they automatically don’t submit.  Or perhaps images of black brides are less favoured? I really don’t know and I would love to find out!’

Nova has a point about submission numbers, and I have to be honest, Love My Dress simply doesn’t receive very many submissions of brides of colour.  I’m practically on hyper alert for them arriving in my inbox and  I’m sensitive to the fact that I don’t want Love My Dress to come across as excluding black brides.

But why aren’t we receiving the submissions?  Nova shares more of her thoughts…

‘I am of Jamaican heritage and as a HUGE generalisation, we can often be depicted as quite private people in contrast to other cultures. (I am an exception to the rule. Obviously! Tee hee) I even notice on Nu Bride, that not many of my readers comment directly on the blog, but will send direct messages or emails to express opinions or congratulate.  Also, with the few submissions I do receive of black brides, sometimes there are issues with the quality (photography, lighting for example) of the submission and I often can’t use them.’

An Essense of Australia gown for a Caribbean Nigerial fusion wedding in London. Photography by Nicholas Lau.

Photography by Nicholas Lau
See Alicia and Michael’s full wedding 

‘The US bridal industry is quite different. Much more inclusive in terms of wide range of ethnic diversity in the ‘mainstream’ bridal industry, catwalks, blogs and publications. Have you seen press images of the eclectic mix of catwalk models currently on the Bridal Market catwalk in New York? Gorgeous. It is in stark contrast to White Gallery London. It’s so interesting.’

‘Of course it is incredibly important to acknowledge there are many aspects to a wedding that are universal and have no relevance to race whatsoever (culture yes, but not race). Culture to me is a separate entity and not what I am addressing. If I were looking for something culturally specific, I would not go to a mainstream blog or magazine, that is not what their purpose is. No one blog fits all.’

‘I would also dearly love to see ethnic diversity in the choice of models that are used to showcase designers’ new bridal collections.  I would love to know how designers choose to market their products on and off the catwalk and if diversity is even on their minds. For example, I get copious amounts of submissions from PR companies or designers asking me to showcase their new collections and invariably the images are of Caucasian models with blonde hair.’

Chioma wore a David's Bridal gown for her Christian and 1920's vintage glamrous inspired wedding. Photography by James Green.

Photography by James Green
See Chioma and Isaac’s full wedding

‘Beautiful? Of course! But as always, I want to showcase diversity (from skin colour to hair colour) for my readers. I often have to go back and ask if they have any other images showcasing ethnic diversity. The small majority do and it makes me wonder why they don’t send those images first, but the majority don’t. It doesn’t stop me from using them, but it is such a pity.’

‘I would also LOVE LOVE LOVE it if one leading mainstream UK wedding magazine would take the lead, be the shepherd, consider the potential negative impact this continued ‘ideal’ may have on demographics of women that don’t fit that ideal. And one day it would be wonderful to see an image of a black ‘princess’ on the front cover.’

Incidentally, readers, Nova and I had a discussion about the images that are conjured to mind when you think of the term ‘princess’.  What do you see when you think of who a princess? A Cinderella type with a big dress, blue eyes, porcelain white skin and blonde hair? Disney has made efforts in the past few years by using characters with black skin as their movie leads (see The Princess And The Frog), but on the whole, their heroines are usually white skinned.

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Photography by The Hendrys
See Bethany and Ajay’s full wedding

So, are wedding bloggers getting it wrong? Do we need to be focusing on being more inclusive and representing more black brides than we do?  I was really interested to hear more of Nova’s general thoughts on how wedding blogs in the UK are promoting the black bride – and could be doing it more effectively;  ‘I reached out on Facebook and a mutual friend suggested I contact the delightful Charley Beard of the London Bride blog for some planning tips. Charley’s was the first blog I stumbled across and I loved it – she introduced me to some other US and UK blogs for potential inspiration. In the end, I found I got all of my visual inspiration as a black woman from American wedding blogs. I found images of women in dresses that looked like me and also a larger selection of curvy real brides too, which made me smile.’

‘I think it’s important for brides, regardless of ethnicity to find a blog/magazine that feels like the writer is speaking to them. Brides like to be made to feel special don’t they? How can they feel special when they don’t feel like they are being represented?’

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Photography by Simon Brettell Photography
See Tiwo and Daniel’s full wedding

‘The beauty of using wedding blogs for me was the ease of dipping in and out for specific inspiration from various blogs. Bit like a pick ‘n’ mix – picking your favourites from each blog. I don’t think one blog ticked all the boxes for what I was looking for as a bride-to-be; whilst that would have been lovely, I don’t think it was a negative at all.  Having choice and variety was so important to me during my planning.  However, for mainstream bloggers with a wider reach, I think the changes need to be subtle. Simply by considering visual inclusive representation. Whether that is via real weddings, the models and advertisers they use or by using an inclusive voice. These subtle changes could only bring about positivity.’

‘For me it doesn’t need to go into full culture about each race and religion. That to me is not the issue and is an impossible feat to represent every single culture in detail. Brides will find specific cultural resources for their religion or culture via their local communities, cultural specific blogs, or families. But I think it would be simple and could only be very effective to slowly start increasing the number of images of women of varying ethnicity and shapes and sizes on an even keel.  Some beautiful blog features that have inspired me and that I’d love to see more of the same of can be found here, here, here and here.  I say it all the time – we are all beautiful and we all matter.’

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Photography by Thierry Joubert
See Imô and Setor’s full wedding

I’ve loved connecting with Nova over this issue and would like to thank her for her support and for being so helpful.  I’ve made a lovely new colleague and friend and Nova’s  intelligent, articulate and very well balanced thoughts and suggestions have given me immense food for thought.  Love My Dress isn’t trying to appeal to everyones personal aesthetic taste, but we don’t ever want to discriminate against any members of our reader community based on race, skin colour, age, height or weight.  After writing this feature and after having connected with Nova, I feel committed more than ever to make this as diverse a blog resource as I can.

  • Do you think the UK bridal industry have an issue with diversity?
  • Are they under representing black brides? 
  • Is there more that wedding blogs and wedding magazines could do, or be doing differently? 
  • Is the term black bride acceptable to you or do you think political correctness has taken a wrong turn somewhere? 

We appreciate and understand why some of you may prefer to comment anonymously to this feature and that’s completely OK with us.

You might also want to explore our Beautiful Brides of Colour category.

Annabel

 

NB: The images in this feature were updated in June 2017. You can see more images relevant to this feature here. Main image via this post on Love My Dress, captured by Andrew Brannan Photography.

Annabel

Annabel View all Annabel's articles

Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.

96 thoughts on “Are Black Brides under-represented in the UK Wedding Industry? A Discussion on Diversity, Inclusivity and Representation

  1. Aaah. This article is exactly why I love LMD. Food for the brain. What a well written and thought provoking article. Thank you for shaking me out of my white, middle class ignorance.

  2. This was one of the things that really struck me since starting to read wedding blogs, and to be honest shocked me a little. I’m really pleased to see the issue raised.

  3. It’s not just an issue of ethnicity, it’s an issue of diversity in general. The wedding media, just like other forms of media, generally represents young, white, able bodied, heterosexual people. Ok so people who do not fall into these categories are represented occasionally but it’s the exception rather than the norm.
    Language used In the industry is is not always inclusive. For example even this post, with its talk of brides, excludes grooms from the discussion entirely. I am pretty sure if black brides are under represented then black grooms are too.
    This is a bit of a soap box issue for me as I spent 10 years in working in the public sector doing casework around hate crime and harassment and also delivering diversity training, so diversity and equality of opportunity is something I’m really passionate about.
    I would like to see a more inclusive wedding industry, although as Nova says people from different cultures are often likely to want that culture to play a big part in their wedding so people who know that culture, like friends and family members, are likely to be more of a resource than a wedding blog.

  4. You’ve raised such an interesting point Laura about the use of the word brides and the exclusion of grooms. Although I suppose it can be partly seen as a reflection of the fact bloggers believe {probably quite rightly} that the majority of their audience is female so they often write in a manner that addresses them directly. Either way you’re right though, there needs to be more inclusivity within the industry.
    Franky xxx

  5. I love that this issue is being discussed and Brava to Annabel and Nova.
    However I am going to stick my neck out and say that from experience that life has never been fair and there will always be some sort of ism to deal with. The best thing we can do is to be proactive, support one another and make sure that the quality of our work speaks for itself.
    Even within the black community how many of us go out of our way to actively promote and nurture talent in one another? When I organised the first Afro Carribean inspired wedding shoot, a few bloggers gave me great advice including Annabel (your tip to reach out to Munaluchi was fab) and only a couple of main stream UK bloggers were brave enough to blog it. However, through sheer tenacity and resilience the shoot went viral which was quite an achievement for all involved
    I suppose my point is don’t wait for the mainstream to come to you. Do something positive about it. Again, thanks for

  6. This is something I hadn’t really noticed – I think due to the fact that the weddings I’ve been to have been incredibly diverse and there is also a lot of diversity among my contacts within the industry – but you’re right, that is absolutely not how it comes across on blogs and in magazines, and I can’t believe I hadn’t realised that.

  7. What an interesting article- Ann (commented above) directed me to it this morning in our usual ‘What’s on LMD today’ chat and its a very interesting issue- this is why LMD is my ‘go to’ blog (and hopefully will continue to be after my own wedding)- because it isn’t just about the fluff that surrounds weddings, its about the deeper issues, and more than anything, about people and society.
    As a white middle class woman I’m afraid it hadn’t really come to my attention that black brides aren’t featured heavily in the wedding industry in this country (I don’t read many US magazines or blogs but I imagine its not far different there) but now you’ve pointed it out its so obvious. I have to admit that when a black bride (or groom, as someone pointed out above) is featured I tend not to pick up on their skin colour as much as their smile or the styling of the day or how happy they look, and in a way that’s good, but its easy to say that from a white background where the vast majority of things are catered towards me and women like me (colour wise). In some ways there should be no distinction between white brides and black brides- what is the difference really, other than skin colour? (As Nova says, culture is a very seperate thing), but it hadn’t occured to me that black brides were actually missing out because there wasn’t something speciafically inclusive- Nova’s comments about hair and skin articles, or make up, not featuring anything for black women made me stop and think.
    How incredibly sad that some little girls think they aren’t beautiful because they are ‘too dark’ and they don’t look enough like a disney princess version of beautiful (interesting point again Annabel- do any of us really look like that?)
    Thanks for bringing this issue up, and for making me think on this (very!) wet October morning. It would be fabulous if more black brides were featured on LMD (same goes for Asian brides, Brides of (any) cvolour, disabled brides, lesbian or gay brides etc) Its fabulous that this is a place of such inclusivity and I hope to see that continue to grow.
    As you say, its a difficult area to discuss, because you worry so much about being offensive, but talking about these things and getting it into the open is one of the major things we can do to make things equal and create the world we want. I hope nothing I’ve said in this comment can be viewed as offensive, if anything is to anyone, please be assured it isn’t meant as such. More than anything I believe we are all equal and all beautiful, beauty is on the inside and certainly isn’t dictated by the colour of one’s skin.
    Shona

  8. I think if you put a call out on facebook and twitter for more diversity (in all forms, as Laura said) promoting submissions that would be a really positive move. I wonder if sometimes people shy away from submitting as they expect bloggers to want more of the same of what they’re currently posting?

  9. Oh and if anyone is looking for more real bride inspiration I remember modern vintage bride’s wedding being stunning. I’m pretty sure hers was featured in a magazine too.

  10. This is a great article Annabel. Although this is not directly related to the wedding industry, I have even noticed that my daughter who started school in September has toned down her ‘Nigerian-ness’ – she has always been super proud of her big hair, brown skin and African culture and though I know she still is inside, every day she’s asking me for a ‘long ponytail’ like the other girls (she’s one of only two non white-british in her class), and is suddenly not so keen on wearing her African print clothes for parties and playmates. At her age, I know it’s natural to want to fit in at first and I’m hoping as she settles in, she’ll become more confident in celebrating her uniqueness. The positive influence of seeing black or mixed girls in her favourite shows, in magazines, and all the media she’s exposed to is so palpable and I only hope that when she’s a Bride-to-be one day, this will be a strong theme in the wedding industry too.

  11. Wow, wonderful thought provoking conversations happening here.
    Thank you all so much for taking the time to read the post and share your views. I promise to respond to you all individually before the day is out xx

  12. This article is incredible.
    I would have to say it definitely speaks to a larger issue of subconscious racial perceptions – and I love that Nova pointed out the Dark Girls documentary. It’s really incredible and very moving. I haven’t gone through the comments above, so I apologise if I’m being repetitive, but this definitely extends further than black women. It obviously includes not only their male counterparts, but to be honest I feel like very often other races are excluded from the discussion completely – i.e. Indian, Asian and Latin couples.

  13. Not sure that I agree with most of this of this ( Shona has made some very valid points). So are you saying that if a black bride submits her wedding photographs and write up of her day than wedding blogs don’t publish? or is it basically that black brides as you call them have simply not submitted their weddings for inclusion? I personally think that they are not and will not be discriminated against. Surely to be part of an intergrated society you should not single them out or highlight and perhaps this is part of the problem it’s being turned into an issue. There are also white people in this country that also have idenity issues for various reason, disability being one of them.
    My daughter has married a lovely young man of mixed race, but we don’t see his colour of skin just him as a lovely person. He doesn’t see himself identified by the colour of his skin but rather who he is as a person and what he achieves on his own merits like anyone else. Personally not sure that articles like this help intergration but rather highlight difference that until todays article I had not noticed. There have been plenty of mixed race and black weddings that I have seen written about but I don’t really look at the colour of their skin more about how happy they look and what their day was like.
    We must also remember that we are living in GB which was a white nation and that it almost seems to be a sin to be “White and British” in our own country these days. We too, have values and traditions that we like to uphold just as those from different countries do and if we went to live in those countries we might notice that the indeginious population still hang on to their culture, fashion, traditions and values and to intergrate fully we would need to mix and live as they do and we would not necessarily be the majority in their media.
    A lot of the “White” weddings you feature are all very similar in theme ( vintage) so it could just be that regardless of colour of skin some brides just feel that their wedding might not be what you are looking for.
    Intergration is key and if you want to be treated differently all the time that is not going to happen. Why come to live here if you don’t want to just be apart of our country and love our way of life and history. Nobody would then notice the colour of your skin and make a fuss about it. If you feel you are not being represented for what ever reason, then do something about it but in a positive way.
    I am certainly not racist and equally feel that we shouldn’t be made to feel bad for being white and british either and for upholding our traditions and I feel strongly that this is something that is being eroded away from us too, how about an article on that, or is that not PC. As a nation I feel we are embracing of all culture, creed and colour possibly far more than any other nation. Intergration is two way. It’s difficult to put down into words for fear of offending which of course is not what I want to do and I don’t think most people in our country would either.
    So brides & grooms what ever your colour, faith, sexuality or disability submitt your wedding day write up to blogs and let us all enjoy reading and seeing the pictures for the happiness and beauty of the day without making an issue of it!

  14. This is a fascinating blog post, not just because it dares to address a subject many others wouldn’t, but because it does so in a very honest and open way. Reading it makes me feel I was a part of the authors conversations about this before the post was even blogged. It makes me feel included.
    I really hope that other bloggers, magazine editors and really anyone working in the wedding industry that has an influential role or responsibility for portraying inspirational images, reads this and considers featuring more brides of ethnic origin.
    I’ve been reading lovemydress for about 6 months now and it is by far my favourite wedding blog because it is so thoughtfully written. Great post Annabel.

  15. Thank you for bringing this sensitive but very valid subject up Annabel. As a designer of couture bridal gowns and a Black man myself,I guess I’m guilty of second guessing bloggers by just assuming they may not want to feature images of my black bridal clients to avoid my disappointment if the images are rejected politely or otherwise. I have a vast amount of beautiful images from such weddings and I will make more of an effort to share them with bloggers after reading the very positive replies to this post.
    I will be sending you some images Annabel for consideration. I have to admit you had voiced your concerns about this matter to me privately in the past, but I thought you were just trying to let me down gently ( silly of me in retrospect of course!!).
    Once again, thank you for this post.

  16. Surely everyone is unique? You should be proud that your daughter wants to intergrate and just enjoy life and be happy. Is it not possible to have a positive influence from ” white people in her favourite shows, magazines and media? What sort of a message is being sent that she needs only to embrace her African culture when she doesn’t actually live in Africa but lives in GB ? This is why we have racial problems. It shouldn’t matter, what colour, faith or race,just live in harmony with one another and embrace the country you choose to live in. Hopefully your daughter will enjoy long, happy friendships with her “white” friends at school as well as the other ” non white child” and all will value each other as “unique” individuals.

  17. “What sort of a message is being sent that she needs only to embrace her African culture when she doesn’t actually live in Africa but lives in GB?”
    So people should forget their cultural heritage because they live here now?
    Actually I think attitudes like that are why we have “racial problems”.

  18. I agree, Franky, but LMD has featured civil partnerships in the past and if a civil partnership is between two grooms, don’t you think the non-gender neutral language we use might not sit quite rightly with them?
    All of the blog questions for couples I have ever seen talk about the bride and groom. And the dress and the suit. The language used is not inclusive to gay couples.
    That’s just one example really .

  19. I’ve been thinking about this blog post on and off all day, and each time I think about it I change my opinion on how I feel about it.
    I’m a bride-to-be, mixed race and gay (yup, ticking almost all the boxes!) and I’m an avid reader of wedding blogs. It irked me when I first started reading them (and the many magazines) that there weren’t a lot of gay weddings or weddings showing women of colour. For me it was more about the practicalities, I wanted to see the work of make up artists and hair dressers who have had afro-caribbean clients. I wanted to see how gay brides navigated the question of walking down the aisle. I gave up in the end on trying to find either.
    I would like to see greater visibility of both communities but without having to make a huge deal about it. I’ve grown up having to deal with positive discrimination, wondering if I was picked for something because I was good enough or because I ticked the right minority boxes. I don’t want to see weddings from either community just because, I want to see them because they are beautiful, stylish and full of love.

  20. Aaaah! :o) Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and for thinking about the content Ann it means a lot. I love that you are an avid LMD fan, as I was too as a bride-to-be, for many different reasons.

  21. You’re very welcome. I am very passionate about this topic and would like to do anything to help raise awareness is a positive light, so we can help the industry evolve and be better. We can all, always be better.

  22. Laura, I think that statement was taking out of context. If you read both the original and my reply, than you will see I was making the point that it is essential for intergration that as well celebrating your own culture you also embrace that of the country that you choose to live in and then that will stop friction and create harmony. I have a son-in- law of mixed race who is much loved by us. So I am afraid your comment is incorrect, I do not have an attitude that would create racial problems. Just looking at the problem from both sides.

  23. Hi Laura,
    Absolutely and I think I touched on that briefly in my ramblings, that an inclusive wedding industry is not just about addressing ethnicity but shape size, weight, age, etc. Absolutely.
    I think for this post I am purposefully not including grooms, because I am responding directly to my experience as a black bride-to-be. However, you are quite right, in general our handsome chaps are left out of the equation, when they shouldn’t be.
    Oh Laura how I love thee and I love your soap box. Thank you for you honest comments and support.

  24. Hi Gracie, thank you so much for taking the time to leave this comment. I think, at least I hope the message that Nova and I put through this piece is that we completely agree with you – we’d like to see greater visibility of other communities of brides without having to make a big deal of it.
    I absolutely have to reassure you however, I would never blog a wedding just because or based on some kind of positive discrimination, I would blog it because it fit our aesthetic – fair and square – because I know that the style and flow of the wedding will resonate with our readers and represents our brand, regardless of the ethnicity of the bride.
    I hope that makes sense.
    Thank you so much again Gracie and I do hope that you will continue to visit Love My Dress and be able to draw inspiration from these pages. Lots of love and luck planning your wedding day 🙂
    Annabel xXx

  25. Hi Yemi, you are very welcome, and thank you for taking the time to reply.
    You *must* make more of an effort to share details of your brides and the weddings you contribute towards making so beautiful. If they suit our aesthetic and we know they will appeal to our readers, we would love to feature them! We don’t pick and choose based on skin colour, we look to the details, the dress the general feel, aesthetic and overall tone of the day – I like to call it the wedding day love story 🙂
    We look forward to hearing from you in due course Yemi!
    Thank you again,
    Annabel xXx

  26. Thank so much Sonia, really helps to know that this feature has connected with our readers in a good way.
    I’m really grateful for your kind words about Love My Dress too.
    I hope we continue to inspire you in the run up to your wedding day.
    Annabel xXx

  27. Your reply to my comment is pretty extreme. Of course we encourage both cultures and yes, of course there is no reason whatsoever why she shouldn’t feel inspired by and look up to any positive influences and images in the media. I think either I didn’t articulate my feelings particularly well or you have completely misunderstood me. I don’t think that attitudes like mine are cause of any racial problems in society.

  28. Hi Laura,
    Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment – this so reminded me of a conversation only last week I had with my husband, I can hear his voice now ‘men get excited about getting married too you know, they have all the same things going on and look forward to it, it’s not just about the bride’.
    This also made me think about the language I/we use on Love My Dress, which I admit is almost exclusively geared towards women. That is because I set this blog up predominantly for women, to inspire brides and I know from statistics that over 90% of our readers are women. But I’m most definitely going to be more thoughtful about the language we use in the future.
    Thanks again Laura, always really appreciate your feedback x

  29. Hi Jenny! Thank you so much for taking time to comment, I really appreciate it. I was so interested to hear you talk about your little girl too and how her behaviours and attitudes have adjusted a little since she’s started socialising at school. I love that you make the comment too about how palpable the positivity is in seeing black and mixed race role models in her fave shows; before you had even left this comment and as I was finishing writing up this feature, I thought about the film ‘The Princess And The Frog’ – you know that one? The Princess is a little black girl – I love that movie and really hope that over time stuff like that doesn’t seem so rad and cool but just, normal, you know?
    Thank you again for taking time to share some thoughts, we really appreciate it and welcome your opinions any time.
    Much love,
    Annabel xXx

  30. You are absolutely right Elizabeth as usual. A supportive and proactive environment can only have a positive impact.
    No, life is not fair and is very much about how we actively ‘choose’ to respond to a situation.
    Humbled that you have taken the time to contribute to this discussion, as you know it is something very dear to my heart.

  31. It’s interesting isn’t it Amy, I hadn’t realised either until I was engaged and made comparisons with the media in the US wedding industry
    Thanks so much for your comment. ;o)

  32. I have quite a large number of black brides as clients and also send a lot of designs to Nigeria. I have a few black brides in my gallery who look stunning I just wish I had more images to share as when I’ve seen them trying sparkle on it always looks amazing on them, I’d love to see more such images and weddings featured on blogs!

  33. Hi Shona,
    Thanks for your wonderful holistic comment.
    As I mentioned to Ann, above, I did not notice either, until the early stages of my engagement. And the wedding industry for the most part is universal, so at first, I didn’t notice, nor did it matter, until I was seeking inspiration for beauty e.g; with hair, makeup, dresses etc
    And I agree, inclusive diversity as a whole is something the UK mainstream wedding and fashion industries could really evolve with.
    You’re right, race is a very emotive subject – most of us have really strong powerful opinions about race based on our personal experiences, values and beliefs. No opinion is right or wrong but it can be so difficult to disassociate our feelings, which sometimes prevents, intelligent and positive and articulate conversations around the subject.
    Shona you are an absolute delight. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts! x

  34. Hi Jenny, Thanks for commenting.
    It’s interesting isn’t, as human beings, we are all perfectly individual and unique, but I guess by human nature there can be an innate pull to want to conform, be normal. To be accepted.
    I am not sure what to say really other than that I am sure you are already doing wonderfully with your daughter, by being open to letting her explore both her African and Western Culture, to evolve and understand her identity. Hopefully the best of both worlds. :o)
    I too hope that by the time your daughter finds that special someone, inclusive diversity in beauty will be portrayed in the media.
    Thanks so much for sharing this with us. x

  35. Hi Kevin
    Thank you for taking the time to watch the Dark Girls documentary. It is thought provoking.
    Absolutely it certainly does extend further than black women – we touched on this lightly in the feature, whilst my own direct experience is as a black bride to be, inclusive diversity of course should encompass other ethnicities who are equally overlooked in the mainstream.
    Thank you so much Kevin

  36. Hi Gracie,
    Thank you so much for commenting.
    You completely get the essence of what I am trying to say and how I felt at times as a bride-to-be. For me it was most importantly about the practicalities.
    This pull between noticing there is an issue but not wanting to make it into a ‘race issue’, like you having experienced positive and negative discrimination.
    But hopefully by having honest open discussions like this, it will help to encourage intelligent conversation, that will hopefully go some way to make a subtle shift . So that inclusivity in the mainstream wedding industry becomes the ‘norm’ and ‘labelling’ and discussion posts like this are no longer required. ;o)
    Virtual round of applause and all the very best with your planning Gracie!
    Nova x

  37. How lovely, thank you for commenting Yemi. It is really insightful to hear this from your point of view around making assumptions on what would or would not be rejected by wedding magazines / blogs.
    I concur with Annabel and I look forward to seeing more of your work too.
    Nova x

  38. Hi
    Thank you very much for sharing your views and commenting.
    As you suggest; Shona does raise some wonderful points. I do however fear you may have missed the essence of this piece. I am so sorry if my writing has led you to believe we were suggesting something else.
    This post is not about defining what is British and what is not. Nor is it about culture. Nor is it about playing races off against another. Quite the contrary.
    The post IS about my experience and observations as a bride-to-be, it is about raising awareness in the mainstream UK wedding (and fashion) industry, to work towards educating generations about diversity in beauty.
    Like you mention, we live in a wonderful multicultural UK, but currently this is not reflected in the media that is used in UK mainstream wedding industry; and we are simply raising awareness about the importance of inclusive representation *in media* that reflects the society we embrace and live in.
    Opinions are opinions, neither is right or wrong, we are all brought up with a set of values and beliefs which of course are all important to us. This means by nature we are not all designed to agree with each other, that would be dull. :o)
    But I wanted to shed some clarity because I do feel you may have misinterpreted the content and intention of this piece which would be a real shame.
    I wish you all the best and thank you again for sharing your views.

  39. Hi anon,
    Thank you for having taken the time to leave a comment today.
    Having to wave a little flag of support for Jenny here as I think you’ve possibly misunderstood Jenny’s comment. I don’t think for a moment that Jenny’s opinion could be any any way determined as a potential cause of racial problems which is how the comment kind of comes over.
    Thank you for taking time to leave your opinion however, I appreciate it.
    Annabel

  40. Thank you for doing this article. I think it helps to shed light on this subject and bring about a healthy conversation. I am a wedding blogger from the US and I was a black bride. I love reading blogs from the US and UK. I have to be honest and say that I did not notice that brides of color were under represented until I started blogging. Now that I’m part of the industry, I’ve found that I don’t get many black bride submissions. When I do a post that features a bride of color, it doesn’t get as may views as white brides. I think it is an issue of getting black brides on blogs and magazines more so that it becomes the norm for everyone.

  41. Thanks very much for this post, It’s been a pleasure to read as well as the comments above.
    I’ve been engaged for almost a year and I’ve just started looking for a wedding dress and thinking about hair and make up for my day.
    I would love love love to see more blogs/pinterest pages/magazines with images/articles of black women in wedding dresses. I’ve been very surprised to try on dresses which look stunning on white women to see it simply doesn’t look right against my skin colour. This could simply be a matter of my taste, but I wonder about the amount of time (and money!) I could’ve saved if I’d seen the potential dress of my dream on a woman of colour. Dresses with a lovely lace detail look great in magazines but I’ve tried them on and the voile over my skin, practically changes my skin colour giving me a two-toned back! Again, this is a matter of individual taste and is part of my journey to finding the perfect dress, but it would’ve been lovely to start this very important search a bit more informed on what to expect.
    I haven’t started thinking yet about how to style my natural (4c) hair, or who will do it. I’m sure this will also have many exciting challenges!
    Nu Bride and Love My Dress Thank you I Iove your sites.

  42. I coincidentally read this after writing a blog post on a black couple. They were married in Oxford in an outdoor civil ceremony. It was a beautiful wedding with a beautiful couple. But I didn’t think to mention that the couple are black- I even assumed that it would be fairly offensive to mention it. At the same time, I understand that brides and grooms of colour find it difficult to find inspiration on blogs when most of the couples are white. So I guess that is my question- should bloggers mention race if it isn’t relevant to the wedding?

  43. Gosh, a group of us, quite a mixed bunch in fact have read your article. We were quite surprised by it really. And felt it was a contradiction in many places. We also felt like we were going back in time to segregation not inclusion when we saw that you had set up pintreast boards etc just for “Black Brides”. We thought in a civilised multicultural society you just look up Brides or Weddings. We can appreciate that perhaps there may not be so many “Black Brides” featured but surely this is not the way to go about it. Isn’t that down to “Black Brides” just not submitting their weddings for inclusion? A point that Nova even makes herself about her own blog site Nu Bride.
    What really puzzled us were the comments that you made Annabel. “Somethings been unsettling me. And unsettling me for sometime. I’ve ummed and arred about whether I ought to put this out there at all, but I’m not one to shy away from things I feel the need to address. There are important things to share with our readers, we need honesty, and no matter how hard I try I simply cannot shake this thing off.”
    “And I hate to tell you this, but Nova isn’t the first black bride to have shared this observation with me in private”
    We wondered if you felt this strongly, have you not approached all your many contacts in the wedding Industry to discuss inclusion and diversity? Why have those black brides who discussed their views with you,not sent you their weddings for inclusion? Additionally, in your book, Style Me Vintage, do you feature Brides or Grooms from ethnic minorities, disabled brides or grooms, larger and older couples? Or in any of your many promotional events? You could have set the wheels in motion by having a “black bride” on the cover of your book.
    There are so many people that are under-represented for one reason or another within the wedding Industry and that includes even the majority of “White Brides” as most of the images we see are of size 6, young, tall models that are airbrushed to create a flawless image. So most brides struggle with the reality of how they look in comparison. Female beauty and how we look has always been an issue for women regardless of colour of skin. Even those seemingly perfect models, have their own issues and struggle to keep within the parameters that the media and fashion industry wants. We should not forget the all important grooms as well, as men are now known to have their own hang ups, if to a slightly lesser degree than us women.
    We feel that a more general article of “IS THE WEDDING INDUSTRY TRULY REPRESENTING THE BRIDES AND GROOMS OF TODAY?” might have been more sensitive, appropriate and of course then would have created an open blog regarding diversity and inclusion of all.
    Just our views and hope we have not offended anyone.

  44. An interesting article and beautifully written Nova!
    I suppose I can only speak from my own experience as a white blogger, I don’t think I’ve had any ‘black’ bride weddings, I’ve had some mixed race, far eastern and Indian/ North African couples though but would not have categorised them as such, they’re just beautiful weddings.
    For me it’s that I haven’t had any ‘black’ weddings submitted that I’d publish and the ones I have had submitted have all been from US photographers with either shocking photography or themes we feel don’t fit in to Bride and Chic’s vibe.
    All I can say is that if I’d had your wedding submitted I would have snapped your hand off Nova, you and your husband look amazing!
    Xx

  45. Wow, so many things I want to say to respond, but I shall do my best to stay on topic.
    I guess first of all, I should introduce myself as a White skinned bridal fashion insider. (I feel the need to introduce myself as white, so that you can see where I’m coming from – somebody who has never as far as I’m aware who’s ever experienced abuse or discrimination against my race. I would, for the record like to voice my resentment against those who introduce themselves as ‘middle-class’ – is this not another tool to say ‘I’m better than you’, and akin to similar exclusion!?)
    I suppose the first thing to say is that this is a very important topic to raise, but also I fear it could make a gimmick of black brides . . . the power of blogs is so strong, especially LMD, that I now envisage a flock of black styled bridal shoots without much thought and care trying to catch the next black bride band wagon out of town.
    I’d hate for black brides to remain a ‘token’ thought, in the same way a gay marriage, disabled marriage feature could be considered gimmicks. Nobody should be seen as different, and until we start believing ourselves the same, or at least equal (because we don’t really want to be the same do we!?) we will remain in this cycle.
    Each blog has it’s style, and it’d be undermining of your own vision to accept a black bride feature if it did not suit the aesthetics of your blog
    , simply to fill a black quota. Which I feel could be more insulting?
    I think that while many ethnicities no longer feel the need to live by the cultures of their elders and origins, yet many individuals will still have to respect the wishes of their older relatives who still do. (eg, I recently made a dress for an asian bride who had a wonderful modern wedding which would have given brilliant inspiration to many, but did not want to blog it as it may upset religious relatives who did not attend).
    Perhaps brides simply do not wish to submit their weddings to the world and prefer to keep their wedding day private.
    The film ‘Dark Girls’ was really eye opening, I would never have imagined that so many black children, especially girls are taught by their parents and elders that they are less attractive and less intelligent.
    While the cause of this internally ingrained inferiority complex could be much debated too, the solution lies within.
    I can’t help but feel that to welcome all listing different types of people somehow segregates, the opposite of the initial intention, however well-meaning.
    As a bridal designer, I have never considered that black models don’t sell your product. Surely this view by companies is far outdated!? It seems such a ridiculous response and I have no answer to suggest. I have worked for many fashion houses, but each one uses black models, so I’ve had no experiences otherwise.
    To me, a beautiful girl is a beautiful girl regardless of colour.
    I wonder if a possible reason for not selecting a black model is that there is such great variation in skin tone, that some ‘standard’ bridal colours simply do not suit? This is just a pondering really, and something that I’ve noticed while making for my brides. For most white skins, it’s rare that a ‘standard’ bridal colour does not suit, but for my dark skinned brides, we may have to look through 10-15 swatches before we choose one that compliments the skin tone perfectly.
    For me, I have never used a black model (though I’ve not been running for very long!), but I have no reason, other than the agencies I request models from have never sent me one to be able to consider or choose her.
    I feel I’m not articulating what I originally set out to say, so I’ll stop here!
    In short, Nova, you look beautiful and are an inspiration to all brides.
    I hope that many black brides, who want to share their weddings will.
    I believe that growth should be organic, LMD and other such blogs are relatively new in the grand scheme, but I’m optimistic that diversity will spread.
    I would love to hear your feeling about what I’ve said Nova. I believe what I’ve said here today are my ponderings, rather that my fixed opinions, and would love your input! Xx

  46. You always hit the nail on the head Elizabeth!
    I left work early because I was eager to comment and have my two-penneth, but after reading everybody’s comments, there’s not much that hasn’t been said from various points of view.

  47. Ooh, Hello.
    I’ve been thinking about this article all afternoon, and left work early to come leave a comment. I suppose I have nothing much to contribute, as much has already been said that I might have.
    Perhaps a suggestion that bloggers commission articles rather than waiting for them to arrive in the inbox? I bet many artists would be hugely flattered to receive the request and put lots of effort into creating something especially for LMD, or other such blogs. That way, you can really set the standard for what you would like to feature, and lead the way.
    Best wishes
    Charlotte

  48. Hi Girlfriends/anon (same IP address)
    Thank you for your comment, I’ll endeavour to respond below.
    “We also felt like we were going back in time to segregation not inclusion when we saw that you had set up pintreast boards etc just for “Black Brides”. We thought in a civilised multicultural society you just look up Brides or Weddings.”
    This does seem to suggest that my action in setting up a Pinterest board for ‘black brides’ was an uncivilised thing to do – the feature does make a strong point for using key words and labelling images of black brides and brides of colour, so that other black brides and brides of colour can more easily seek out these images and be inspired by them. Currently, many black brides and brides of colour are having difficulty finding this type of imagery to be inspired by.
    “We can appreciate that perhaps there may not be so many “Black Brides” featured but surely this is not the way to go about it. Isn’t that down to “Black Brides” just not submitting their weddings for inclusion? A point that Nova even makes herself about her own blog site Nu Bride.”
    No, not at all, black brides and photographers of black brides do submit their weddings, but not all of them are accepted at submission stage – they are considered in exactly the same way a white, asian or bride of any other ethnic background’s wedding would be considered at submission stage.
    “What really puzzled us were the comments that you made Annabel. “Somethings been unsettling me. And unsettling me for sometime. I’ve ummed and arred about whether I ought to put this out there at all, but I’m not one to shy away from things I feel the need to address. There are important things to share with our readers, we need honesty, and no matter how hard I try I simply cannot shake this thing off. And I hate to tell you this, but Nova isn’t the first black bride to have shared this observation with me in private”. We wondered if you felt this strongly, have you not approached all your many contacts in the wedding Industry to discuss inclusion and diversity? Why have those black brides who discussed their views with you,not sent you their weddings for inclusion? Additionally, in your book, Style Me Vintage, do you feature Brides or Grooms from ethnic minorities, disabled brides or grooms, larger and older couples? Or in any of your many promotional events? You could have set the wheels in motion by having a “black bride” on the cover of your book.”
    Thanks for raising this question. I actually have approached many of my contacts in the industry to share my concerns privately. Yemi Kosibah for one – who has left a comment above indicating that I did this.
    The black brides who have raised these concerns have actually submitted their weddings – and been featured on my blog.
    In my book, I feature a black model, she features in the 1950s chapter. I actually insisted on featuring a black model in my book. I worked with a stylist and publishers in selecting the other models for the book. Sadly no, of the 10 real weddings that feature in the book, none of them feature a black bride.
    I am not sure what you mean by ‘many of your promotional events’?? What events are you referring too?
    With regards having a black bride on the cover of my book – that decision was out of my hands – the publishers selected the imagery for the cover of the book.
    “There are so many people that are under-represented for one reason or another within the wedding Industry and that includes even the majority of “White” Brides” as most of the images we see are of size 6, young, tall models that are airbrushed to create a flawless image.”
    I can categorically confirm that most of what I publish on Love My Dress does not fit your description above as I try to be inclusive of all kinds of bride regardless of ethnic origin, height, weight etc.
    “We should not forget the all important grooms as well, as men are now known to have their own hang ups, if to a slightly lesser degree than us women.”
    Fair point. But, Love My ‘Dress’ is a blog with a specific female target market. Not sure many grooms will be in to wearing wedding dresses 😉 We don’t exclude grooms, but over 93% of our readers are female and we set out to target female readers.
    “We feel that a more general article of “IS THE WEDDING INDUSTRY TRULY REPRESENTING THE BRIDES AND GROOMS OF TODAY?” might have been more sensitive, appropriate and of course then would have created an open blog regarding diversity and inclusion of all.
    You’ve not offended me at all and I’m glad Girlfriends/anon have been able to contribute to this discussion.
    With thanks,
    Annabel

  49. If you look up Yemi Osunkoya’s comment above, as follows
    ‘I have to admit you had voiced your concerns about this matter to me privately in the past…’
    Thanks so much Girlfriends/anon.
    Annabel

  50. Hi Charlie,
    Thank you so much for taking the time to comment – I really appreciate it.
    “Each blog has it’s style, and it’d be undermining of your own vision to accept a black bride feature if it did not suit the aesthetics of your blog, simply to fill a black quota. Which I feel could be more insulting?”
    Goodness I really must emphasise again that we would never ever do this at Love My Dress – I hope I do make that point clear in the feature above.
    “I think that while many ethnicities no longer feel the need to live by the cultures of their elders and origins, yet many individuals will still have to respect the wishes of their older relatives who still do. (eg, I recently made a dress for an asian bride who had a wonderful modern wedding which would have given brilliant inspiration to many, but did not want to blog it as it may upset religious relatives who did not attend).
    Perhaps brides simply do not wish to submit their weddings to the world and prefer to keep their wedding day private.”
    Good point.
    “The film ‘Dark Girls’ was really eye opening, I would never have imagined that so many black children, especially girls are taught by their parents and elders that they are less attractive and less intelligent.
    While the cause of this internally ingrained inferiority complex could be much debated too, the solution lies within.
    I can’t help but feel that to welcome all listing different types of people somehow segregates, the opposite of the initial intention, however well-meaning.”

    I get where you are coming from, but the intention is 100% to assist our readers in finding information and imagery that is relevant to them – that is what they have set out to look for. I see it from an ‘information architecture’ point of view’ – the general public is clearly struggling to see the visibility of black brides on wedding blogs and of black models on the runway – I’m trying to build this blog so that this information can be viewed/seen/obtained more easily – by using key words and specific image tags.
    “As a bridal designer, I have never considered that black models don’t sell your product. Surely this view by companies is far outdated!? It seems such a ridiculous response and I have no answer to suggest. I have worked for many fashion houses, but each one uses black models, so I’ve had no experiences otherwise.”
    Your observations are really interesting and I know that black models are used but from what I see and hear, they aren’t being used enough. Listen to this interview http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03f9bg9 on Radio 4 womans hour – with Naomi Campbell – skip to about 32 mins in and she starts talking about her Diversity Alliance and the use of black models (or lack of) in London Fashion Week and by major fashion houses – she makes some really key points.
    “To me, a beautiful girl is a beautiful girl regardless of colour.”
    I really would hope you know that both Nova and I could not agree more with this statement.
    “I believe that growth should be organic, LMD and other such blogs are relatively new in the grand scheme, but I’m optimistic that diversity will spread.”
    That’s so reassuring Charlie, thank you. Love My Dress is dedicated to diversity and being an inclusive blog.
    Thank you so much again for taking the time to leave a thoughtful and considered comment, I’m really grateful.
    Kind regards,
    Annabel

  51. Hi Rachel,
    Thank you so much for leaving your comment. I totally understand and appreciate your opinion – as the feature above suggests, I too assumed the term ‘black bride’ was offensive when I was researching for this post. It’s such an interesting/good question you pose above and I’m going to copy a response I left to another comment below.
    I see it from an ‘information architecture’ point of view’ – the general public is clearly struggling to see the visibility of black brides on wedding blogs and of black models on the runway – I’m trying to build this blog so that this information can be viewed/seen/obtained more easily – by using key words and specific image tags. The intention is to help and assist – absolutely 100% it is. Maybe I need to make this intention clearer somewhere within the blog, I’m not sure. I would not mention race in the title of a blog. I would however add the blog to the ‘black brides’ category – a discreet reference – that way anyone clicking on the black brides link will be presented with a list of real wedding features only of black brides.
    My intentions are genuinely to assist and be helpful, though I’m pretty sure you already know this 🙂

  52. Hi Rachel,
    Thanks for your comment.
    In terms of ‘labelling’ submissions, personally I don’t, like you say if it is not relevant to the feature.
    What I did find helpful as a bride-to-be searching for images of brides of colour for inspiration, was accurate keywords. So using tagging, keywords or html code in blog features is really helpful for helping others search for ‘specific’ visual inspiration. So for example #blackbride #outdoor wedding #brideofcolour. Getting a bit technical now, but does that make sense? 🙂

  53. Hi Vicky, well what a delight you are. You can come again! 🙂
    Thank you for taking the time to read the post and for your thoughtful and kind comments.
    I also mentioned something about quality sadly also a contributory factor to not being able to use some submissions from brides of colour, which of course happens across the board,, but when you have a smaller demographic submitting, of course it becomes far more noticable.
    It’s really interesting to hear your experience as a blogger too!
    Thanks very much Vicky, although can I have my hand back please. te hee! Do keep in touch. 🙂

  54. As someone who’s newly engaged who isn’t 100% white, I noticed right away there wasn’t a lot of diversity on wedding blogs — and I would absolutely group US blogs in with UK blogs (I think yours might be the only UK blog I’ve bookmarked, tho!) It definitely gives me a kick to see brides of color — and from a less emotional, more practical standpoint, it’s absolutely helpful to get ideas for hair & make up with representatives who have my skin tone & hair type.
    Just wanted to comment that it isn’t UK blogs alone, and to thank you for raising the issue at all.

  55. Hi Rachel,
    Thanks for your comment.
    In terms of ‘labelling’ submissions, personally I don’t, like you say if it is not relevant to the feature.
    What I did find helpful as a bride-to-be searching for images of brides of colour for inspiration, was accurate keywords. So using tagging, keywords or html code in blog features is really helpful for others searching for ‘specific’ visual inspiration. So for example #blackbride #outdoorwedding #brideofcolour. Getting a bit technical now, but does that make sense? 🙂

  56. Hi Vicky,
    Thanks for your thoughtful and kind comments!
    What a delight you are, you can come again. 🙂
    Yes absolutely, as mentioned in the post, I do acknowledge that unfortunately the poor quality of some submissions limits what can and can’t be used, though of course this issue of quality is universal; with a smaller demographic of submissions from black brides, it is by default much more noticeable when quality is an issue. Plus yes of course submissions must match your blogs ‘feel’.
    Really interesting to hear your experience as another blogger!
    Thanks so much Vicky, although, can I have my hand back please? Tee hee . Please keep in touch 🙂

  57. Hi Charlie,
    Thank you for your reply, it’s wonderful to hear from another designer on this topic.
    Yes absolutely; Gracie, another commenter and I, talked about the potential rippling effect of then being used for ‘positive discrimination’ and this is not what this feature is about. The use of any model should be out of want and authenticity in keeping with the values / style of a blog/media- not to fill a ‘quota’ to be seen to be politically correct. That to me defeats the object entirely and as you say, could be seen as insulting.
    Use of models regardless of gender race or size should be used because they are beautiful. What I wanted to draw attention to was that there is ‘diversity in beauty’ which is reflected effortlessly in society, but not represented in UK mainstream fashion and especially wedding media.
    I too agree that there are many layers to why black and other ethnic brides are under-represented in UK real brides submissions. Through similar experience to yours, one of these layers seems to be attributed to privacy and sometimes religious / cultural beliefs.
    As a designer it was really useful for me to hear the process you go through with regards to going through 10-15 swatches to get the right skin tone to match your dresses. Do you mean for photography purposes or catwalk or both?
    Would you consider asking the agencies you use to source your models, to provide you with options which showcase ethnic diversity, so you have more choice with how you choose to market your brand? What do you think?
    Thanks so much for your lovely and honest comments . I really do hope I inspire others, even in some small way.
    I absolutely agree, the movement should be organic. Hopefully by having this discussion it will raise awareness and allow others with influence to apply a slightly different ‘filter’ to how they tackle inclusivity, on a small or wider scale, only if the intention is genuine and organic.
    I am optimistic too. 🙂 Thanks Charlie.
    Nova x

  58. Thanks so much Ambika,
    Really encouraging to hear your thoughts and I absolutely agree with the ‘practical’ point you raised about the importance of seeing hair / make-up ideas on women who look like you. Simple when you break it down isn’t it.
    And most importantly. Congratulations on your engagement Ambika! Enjoy this wonderful, wonderful journey! 😉 Keep in touch.
    Nova x

  59. Very insightful and thought provoking piece. Having worked with many brides of Afro-Caribbean descent, I’ve heard the same point whispered repeatedly. Despite the best of intentions, many mainstream bloggers within our industry have quite a singular “world view” and seem more comfortable promoting and publishing content and images that are in line with their experience and a direct reflection of self. Opening up such a controversial can of worms is often distasteful to many who prefer to find comfort in the status quo and will accuse you of trying to rock the boat and stir up contention.
    Kudos to you Annabel for being brave enough to tackle this subject, as it’s definitely worthy of debate, and similarly well done Nova for raising some very interesting points. I myself will be sharing this article to all my networks as this seems to be a common experience, so any dialogue about it is a very positive thing. I hope you don’t mind my featuring this on our blog itsmymagazine, directing readers here for the full article. Keep up the good work ladies, very fascinating reading! Scuttles off to click share…

  60. HI ItsMyMagazine,
    Thank you so much for your supportive and articulate comment.
    See to me I don’t think the subject is ‘controversial’. I feel that with ‘whispers’ or without challenge, we / the industry will never evolve. Change forces us to grow. Can you imagine if someone didn’t initially stand up for and challenge a woman’s right to work or vote?
    By tackling this subject head on, I do understand that race can evoke such powerful opinions and emotions. This is why Annabel and I wanted to address this subject in an open and sensitive way, not to discredit what others are doing, because there are some wonderful resources in the wedding industry, not so that everyone is in agreement, but so there is a little more awareness and thought for inclusive diversity. And more importantly so that any change people decide to make, is with the right authentic and genuine intent.
    Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and for sharing the love. ;o) Nova x

  61. Annabel, Nova, bravo for writing this post!
    I agree that it is important (essential even) to start an open dialogue about how very ‘white’ and uniform the mainstream wedding industry is – not to single out black brides (or white brides, or any particular group of people according to their skin colour/culture/sexuality/weight/physical abilities etc.) but just to move things in the right direction. Which is, in my opinion, a far more diverse and inclusive wedding industry and wedding media.
    I’ve been trying to write a post on this subject of a lack of diversity in the wedding industry ever since I started my wedding blog nearly 3 years ago! I was acutely aware of it even as a bride! As you know, Nova 🙂
    I just haven’t been able to articulate exactly what I wanted to say…and I’m not sure that my blog is the right platform to say it on. Unlike on LMD – deep/topical discussion posts are far and few between on Bridal Musings!
    But you’ve definitely inspired me to put pen to paper (well fingers to keyboard) on this sensitive subject.
    Such a well written, thought provoking read, ladies.
    Thank you for having the courage to talk about this – you’re both such an inspiration to me. xx

  62. Beautiful Elizabeth! Thank you so much for your contribution.
    Absolutely, a topic we are both passionate about and I remember our exchange about when you were a bride-to-be dearly! I am so elated that Annabel and I have inspired you in some way.
    Thanks as ever for your support. We really tried hard to make this post open, honest and sensitive – and to do exactly what you said – provoke thought!
    Hope to see you soon!
    Much love
    Nova xx

  63. I personally love this article! I am a black bride planning my wedding at the moment, and have been really encouraged by this. Having a black brides tag makes perfect sense, as it’s much easier for me to see what styles of dress will suit my skin tone/shape. It may sound really silly, but some photographers have a habit of making black skin look bright red!So I wish more of my favourite wedding photographers had examples of black brides – so I could have a better idea of what I will actually look like in their photos. I’ve been through at least 50 awesome fine art wedding photographer’s portfolios, and I don’t think I’ve even seen one black bride! That is obviously nothing to do with racism, I can only assume black brides are opting for a different style of photography. But it still makes the process of choosing a bit harder (although I’m certain they’d all do an amazing job). I will definitely be submitting my wedding in 2015,I’m marrying a designer so hopefully we’ll have enough of creative pizazz to make the cut!

  64. Hi Kay!
    Firstly many congratulations on your engagement! Wonderful news!
    I am so thrilled that you have been touched by Annabel and I’s article.
    Your comment reinforces what I am trying to articulate, that it is not about ‘racism’, but about a sensitive and practical approach to being helpful and more importantly inclusive.
    Thank you for your comment about photography. That is so accurate and a point I forgot raise. Something I have also been acutely aware of.
    I learnt this from a photographer when I was working in theatre, they talked to me about the importance of finding a photographer who can capture black and other ethnic skin with the correct lighting, to eliminate red/ green /blue tones.
    It certainly is hard to choose when you can’t see a respresentation of ‘you’ in their work. As a bride-to-be, there were many photographers I did not book because there was no evidence in their work of whether they could/ how they capture ethnic skin.
    So another interesting layer to add to the discussion! Thank you Kay!
    If you would like some recommendations I’m sure Annabel and I can send lots of talented photographers your way. I’ve met many who are wonderful at their work.
    Thank you so much for sharing your views. I wish you well in your planning and if there is anything Annabel or I can do to help, get in touch! Ps….I for one can’t wait to see your images in 2015! Nova

  65. Oh Elizabeth, thank you so much for taking the time to leave this, you are one blogger who is always so incredibly supportive of your blogging community – who always takes time to leave a good word – it really is very much appreciated and I am so delighted that Nova and I have been able to inspire you, that really is so good to know.
    I’m must so pleased that this piece seems to have generated the response we really hoped for – sensible, thoughtful, considerate replies – we really hope it’s made people think and raised awareness of the issue in all the right places.
    Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and share your thoughts, it’s great to know that we have your support,
    Annabel xXx

  66. Hi ItsMy Magazine, huge huge thanks for leaving this comment, it is really very much appreciated, and thank you so much for your email too – I hope by now you’ve received my reply.
    I defintely am not and never have been ‘comfortable’ as a blogger promoting that singular view so do try very hard to be more inclusive, but at times that is a challenge for reasons I outlined in the post above. I’m determined though and really believe that by opening up and talking about issues like this in a constructive, helpful manner, that it will help lead to change, which even if only small, can only be a good thing.
    For example, I’ve received a few real wedding submissions featuring beautiful black brides since writing this piece that I know are a direct result of this piece, and that is BRILLIANT as it means I will have more diverse content to share with my readers.
    Thank you for sharing the article across your network too and for your encouragement – I personally really very much appreciate it.
    Annabel x

  67. Hi Nova,
    Thanks for taking the time to reply.
    It’s a relief to know that I wasn’t imagining the photography issues! I’ve even had family say, ‘please don’t choose a photographer that will make me red!’
    We’ve decided to approach the photographers who’s style we like the most – and be open with them about my concerns. Hopefully they will see it as a great opportunity to diversify their portfolio, and future black brides will feel like they can make a more informed choice.
    Thanks again for your reply, and I will definitely be in touch if I need some more pointers 🙂

  68. That’s excellent news Kay! And some great feedback for the photographer too to consider diversifying their portfolio, to help future couples.
    My pleasure, you’re most welcome. Happy planning! ;o)Nova x

  69. Hi Nova
    Sorry it’s taken me a month to respond! I’ve been busy, but this has been on my mind . . .
    To answer a few of your questions:
    Actually to side track slightly for a moment – about size, which you mentioned. I do agree, but (and this is not an excuse) dress samples are a huge expense, for me as s small bespoke maker, and even as a huge design house, it would be impossible to make a whole range of samples in different sizes without putting yourself in debt and out of business.
    The thing with larger sizes (and by this I mean 16+ perhaps), there is much more variation in body proportion, and less chance a standard sample will fit, and look good in promotional photographs.
    To swing the other way . . . many designers don’t really like their samples on super thin girls, because that too is not feminine and aspirational, and also, with such a tiny dress there’s not much room to display your talents.
    This partly though, and I’m not shifting the blame, is governed by the models – or rather the casting agents – I have witnessed as casting agent say to a model “Oh, you’ve lost weight – excellent” – she was a UK4, and 6ft tall! It was ridiculous, the dress fitted to her for the catwalk literally had to be chopped in half to fit her, my designer boss was so upset, because the dress was pointless – the ‘design’ had been cut off.
    So in a sense, model size has become a vicious circle – models become tiny, the dress made smaller, models think that’s a sign to lose weight. . . . .
    So back to colour . . .
    working for big design houses, they use a casting director, who will create an image for the catwalk show and select the models – so essentially, the design house doesn’t have much influence over it – unless they sack the casting director, but the next one will be just the same.
    Where black models are used, there’s never been a feeling of ‘oh we’d better get a black girl in to make ourselves look good’, once booked, everybody is part of the team so I can’t really comment otherwise and say I’ve seen any negative activity.
    With booking models for myself, if I ask an agency to send me available girls, I have to choose from who I am sent.
    To trawl through the books of a model agency would be amazingly time consuming, there are so many!!
    I suppose previously I felt that to actively ask for options that showed ethnic diversity, would be unnatural – in the sense that I consider us all to be the same, so why would I ask for somebody ‘different’ when I don’t believe that we are.
    But I suppose that is a little stubborn and ignorant of me, to think that others feel the same as I do. Some things, like it or not, have to be more clearly displayed before they are fully accepted.
    When I spoke about colour swatches – I mean for my bespoke brides.
    It would be impossible to so so for a catwalk as you don’t know who the model may be. Generally, a model will have the confidence to wear the most ridiculous colour for her skintone.
    But for a bride, the colour has to be perfect.
    It’s really a simple process to find a colour – draping different shades of fabric around the body, sometimes you can tell straight away that the colour is not right. It’s about a mixture of personal image, skin tone, and confidence. No exact formula.
    Forgive me if I’m being totally silly here, but when it comes to black models – is it a question of photography?
    I have a very basic knowledge of lighting for photography, but would it be more in depth for photographing a black model? Picking up the features on a darker skin tone?
    Xx

  70. Hi Charmin,
    Apologies for the delay in responding to you, I’ve only just stumbled across your comment!
    I’m so glad you enjoyed the post and have enjoyed reading both Love My Dress and Nu Bride. You are the reason we write!
    Huge congratulations on your wedding engagement! And congrats on starting your wedding dress journey.
    Yes, I understand – for me I think it is down to inspiration and practicality – practically seeing how hair, make-up, dresses etc will look on someone who looks like ‘me’ a real help. And hopefully we are moving forward in the industry to showcase much more ethnic diversity to help a wider demographic of brides with their visual inspiration.
    If you need some recommendations for natural hairdressers / stylists, I’d be delighted to help, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
    Happy planning Charmin . Enjoy this exciting time!
    Nova

  71. Thanks taking the time to comment Deborah and for sharing your observations and experience.
    I didn’t notice either, until I was a bride-to-be!
    Really interesting to hear about your blog statistics too. Another really interesting layer to this discussion. Thank you !
    Nova

  72. Hi Charlie
    Lovely explanation and valid point about sizes and ‘proportions’ at BOTH ends of the spectrum and the implications. Something I am personally aware of and something that can easily be overlooked – especially at the smaller end of the spectrum, with the pressure some brides are put under to lose weight – they may be limiting their design options!
    RE: Models – I guess from my point of view, I suggested asking, so you have more choice over who represents your brand and your work and can be seen to moving the industry forward. You said your casting agents simply don’t present you (or other designers) with any models of colour to choose from. So my thinking was, if you don’t ask them to suggest models for you with a mix of ethnicities for choice, then perhaps they will never suggest models outside of a certain demographic, thinking that this is what you always have, like or prefer, simply because you have never said you’d like more choice / anything different ?
    Food for thought I guess. Easy for all of us to make assumptions when things aren’t spoken about. Actions and the unspoken word can be so powerful.
    RE: Photography / lighting for a variety of skin tones: Absolutely. I certainly don’t know the ins and outs, but interestingly I was contacted by a photographer recently who explained that there is great difference and skill required with understanding, managing and working with light and exposure with darker v’s lighter skin tones.
    So fascinating! I could talk to you about this for hours Charlie! Do keep in touch if you would like to.
    Much love
    Nova x

  73. Great thought-provoking article!
    We are wedding videographers and photographers and I am very proud of how culturally and racially diverse our portfolio of weddings is. We have filmed and photographed Nigerian, Zimbabwean, Indian, Chinese, Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Hindu and Muslim weddings, including many weddings with couples of different cultures marrying and incorporating both influences into their day. We really get a kick out of learning about and visually represening these different cultural traditions and I think suppliers who focus purely on traditional white British weddings are missing out. What tends to happen is that the more of a particular type of wedding you do, the more customers of that culture trust you to handle their day, so you do more and your portfolio becomes ever more eclectic. I am not an expert on wedding blogs, but I scan Twitter every day for beautiful shoots to retweet and I’m surprised how few ethnic weddings are featured generally. Britain is a very multicultural society. We personally live in a suburb of Manchester which is incredibly diverse and it does seem odd to me that this is not reflected more in the wedding blogs. By the way, we could supply some fabulous posts from a variety of cultures!

  74. Hi Jo,
    Thank you for taking the time to comment and for your support. You raise some great points too regarding familiarity. Absolutely
    I love to learn about other wedding cultures too, I find it fascinating and it also educates and inspires me with ideas. How very lucky you and your couples are to have to have such an eclectic mix in your repertoire!
    Thanks so much for your comment Jo. Always great to discover new photographers in the industry! x Nova

  75. Hello, and thanks for pointing me in the direction of this article. I am mixed race and got married a few years ago. I could have literally cried when I found that non of the wedding magazines in the UK felt it was important to represent woman of all shapes, sizes and colours, including those that look like me. I instructed my then fiancée to buy me a bucket load of bridal magazines from New York. We ended up getting married in New York too, I didn’t want anything to do with the UK wedding industry that implied that my big day was not important too. The wedding industry is not alone, most industries have not cottoned on to the fact that non white people have a lot of wealth and money to spend. Who wouldn’t want to see more beautiful Asian, Chinese and Japanese models? I am so bored of magazines generally. Quite simply we live in a diverse society and the wedding industry must do more to more to get out of its comfort zone and one size fits all mentality and reflect that brides and grooms are as unique as snowflakes, just not all white.

  76. Hi Denise,
    Thank you for taking the time to comment and for sharing your experience as a B2B.
    I felt really sad to read how profound your reaction was when you discovered the UK wedding magazines you purchased, did not represent you as a B2B. So much so, that it led you to completely reject the UK wedding industry.
    It’s so important to feel represetend / valued isn’t it, I think even more-so for brides-to-be.
    Your experience is another example of how the ‘silence’ can be interpreted in many different ways. For you, the interpretation was that ‘your big day was not important too’.
    You are right, this isn’t limited to the wedding industry, I agree a much more inclusive industry to represent the delicously diverse society we live in would be a great way forward.
    Thanks again for your comment Denise and I’m sure you had a beautiful wedding day.

  77. Just want to be sure you saw Nova’s reply to you Kay that she sent in November, not sure it came directly to you – this commenting tiered system is a bit confusing at times 🙂 xxx

  78. I just came across this article having seen it at the bottom of today’s blog (13/05/14) and found it very interesting. My background is that I was adopted from sri lanka as a baby (and therefore asian origin) but consider my heritage to be scottish. This is almost re-emphasised by my family being all white (except another sister who is adopted as well) but there is a mix of irish, english and scottish in the family! I am in a serious relationship with someone who is white and want to get into the wedding industry and we had discussed that if I had wanted to reference suppliers (e.g. dresses) that suit my skin tone, I would have to go to the Asian Wedding Show just for the makeup suppliers to make sure I was in the hands of someone who was used to working with various shades of darker makeup. I used to work in boots and had to mix/buy two different shades of makeup in order to get the correct colour which was very expensive and was put off by white saleswomen in bobbi brown who didnt give me the right shade and were more interested in the sale.
    I’ve noticed that on programmes such as DTTB and 4 Weddings there is sometimes a mix of cultures but usually the US/AU/Canadian versions are usually more diverse. I love buying magazines and browsing the various dress styles, but i don’t have a realistic idea of what that would look like against my skin colour-why don’t the major shows include features/runways on different cultures?

    Secondly, you mentioned disabilities- I am deaf/have a severe hearing loss and would need a loop system for the room for the wedding vows/speeches and guest blogs and subsequently subtitles in the videos later-but I don’t know who does this as standard and if I am being charged more for this-it’s not inclusive. I am currently learning British Sign Language so that I can become an interpreter who is directly involved in the wedding industry and therefore making booking/meeting suppliers easier and more inclusive for deaf people. I did a photo shoot and told the lady that I wanted a close up that inlcuded my hearing aid as my partner knows it’s a big part of my identity and wanted to feel proud of it. instead she covered it up with my hair and the shoot overall was a disaster in the that they re-touched my face to the point where i looked almost ghostly. 🙁 so my confidence was completely ruined.

    It’s great that you have brought up this topic and tbh, i think people of ethnic minorities/other colours would rather there was more diversity to acknowlege the diversity we see in the UK rather than try and google images and guess. Well done and keep up the good work!

  79. Hi, im a b2b who is black afro carribean. I brought 4 UK magazines in total because I wanted to get some ideas for our wedding next year . Going through all 4 magazines which is an approximate total of 500 pages an to my amazement, only saw 1 colored lady an she was a bridesmaid. so i had to result in online searching instead which is how i came across this article, However for a person like me i like to have a hard copy that i can browse through on the train etc . I am seriously appalled, im thinking of writing to these magazine. Your article is very helpful an the ladies who have commented raised some serious issues.

  80. I came across this old post while searching for something else. The editor of RocknRoll Bride wrote an article about the very some subject just a month ago which show’s there isn’t any change. .
    I never understood the logic of “it’s not an issue until you talk about it” referring to a comment in this thread.
    Lets actively change things and not just talk about it although we have to start some where.

    Thank you LMD and Nova x

  81. Nice article, however I must say, the weddings linked above aren’t exactly representative of black weddings in the UK at all. They are definitely simply lovely British weddings with a sprinkling of Black. If you want to see what African weddings in London look like, simply google it .. just saying 🙂

    1. You are welcome to just say, Didi! 🙂 Our problem is – we don’t often get sent multicultural weddings – its a real issue of mine that I try hard to make a non-issue, but it’s a challenge. I would love to share more multicultural weddings – also, we obviously have an aesthetic so whilst there may be some incredible African weddings in London, as you refer to, accessible via Google, not all of them might be a good fit for this blog, and that’s absolutely nothing to do with the fact they are black! It’s to do with the aesthetic of the wedding and wedding day vibe – and in that respect, every single wedding submission we receive is reviewed the same.

      I’m happy that we are featuring brides of colour, even if the weddings we share aren’t fully representative of African weddings in the UK – we are at least making as good an effort we can to ensure the brides whose wedding days we do share are of all skin colours.

      Thanks so much for taking the time to comment xx

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