Same-Sex Wedding Expo Vendors Profess Passion for Serving LGBTQ Community

"Is it OK to come in?" Amy Krizanek, co-owner of Bombshell Bridal Boutique (http://www.bombshellbridal.boutique/) in St. Clair Shores, remembers when a lesbian called and asked if it would be alright for her and her partner to shop there for wedding dresses. "I was disgusted," she says. "This is 2016." But there are business owners, even now, who can legally refuse service to members of the LGBT community. Although the politics of LGBT equality have progressed, Congress is still divided, and it will be an uphill battle to pass bills such as the Equality Act (https://www.pridesource.com/article.html?article=72439). Until then, we have to support each other.
Around 110 inclusive vendors came together on March 20 to do just that during the Ultimate LGBT Wedding and Anniversary Expo, hosted for the sixth year by Between the Lines and Pride Source Media Group. To the lesbian couples who enter the boutique and feel like they have to hide it from the staff, Krizanek says, "You be you." That was the overall message delivered to LGBT attendees as they mingled in the MotorCity Casino Hotel's state-of-the-art ballroom, picking up goodie bags, gathering information and dreaming up their special day.
Most curvy girls feel ignored by typical stuffy bridal shops. Krizanek and her sister, Amanda, are paving the way for plus-size brides in Michigan as the only bridal gown boutique specializing in a voluptuous figure. They are both self-proclaimed curvy girls who "get it." Krizanek and her staff are "happy" to accommodate more hips, more bust and more waist sizes 14 and up.
"We want to make you feel gorgeous," she says. Sure, the idea of a traditional white bridal gown is "valid," Krizanek says, however, "things have changed" and what a girl wears on her wedding day is no longer dictated by history. Within a mix of traditional and couture dresses, the boutique carries blush, ivory, champagne and floral options.
After all that curvy talk, it made sense to grab another sample of cake. April and Michelle Anderson of Good Cakes and Bakes (http://www.goodcakesandbakes.com) in Detroit came to the expo for their first time with made-from-scratch mini cupcake samples full of organic, high quality and fresh ingredients. Side note: they are well-known for their gooey butter cake. April, a passionate baker, attended Macomb Community College for Pastry Arts where she gained knowledge on pastry techniques, artisan breads, French pastries and recipe development. During a time when anti-LGBT people are taking what April calls a "judgmental stand, not a religious stand," it makes sense for her and her wife of four years to "jump on this market."
"It's so crazy," she says, to think other business owners would not do the same. Julie Koleszar of the Orange Peacock Gallery in Jackson agreed.
"It's a horrible business practice and incredibly rude," she says, admitting she has not experienced much discrimination as a representative of AG Chocolates (http://agchocolates.com/) in Jackson. That could be a result of Chris Kitley's hard-to-resist handmade artisan chocolates. The classically trained chocolatier has been in business for 10 years.
Kitley provides a "full sensory experience" for his customers with decadent chocolate party favors that can include chocolate truffles in a variety of flavors such as lavender blackberry, Mayan chocolate tea, blood orange and passion fruit, to name a few. His love for the confection, art and beauty is apparent. Not only does Kitley customize chocolates with colored cocoa butter, he also uses Chocolography technology to decorate chocolates with a customers' photos, images and text. "Whether it's a gift box, a chocolate centerpiece or a single chocolate next to a cup of coffee, he knows how to make a memorable statement," says Koleszar.
Making memories is a huge selling point for the Michigan Renaissance Festival (http://www.michrenfest.com) in Holly. It would be hard to forget celebrating a wedding in authentic Renaissance style. A fairy-tale wedding, perhaps, with an open-air garden gazebo ceremony followed by a reception in either the Blackstone Castle or the Crystal Palace.
"This is truly about making it your own," says wedding coordinator Kim Petit. If you want to be a knight jousting in the field or a pirate plundering villages for loot, anything goes in the 16th Century Village. "We offer something unique for anybody that wants to be happy," she says.
If you ask DeVonna Snowden of Top That! Event (http://topthatevent.com/tte/) in Warren about ensuring happiness in the LGBT community, she will tell you, "It's about time. Somebody has to lead the way."
Snowden is the territory sales manager for Metro Detroit's premier full service event company, which handles coordination and planning, design, decor, linens, florals, entertainment, lighting, audio, visual, photography and videography, transportation, rentals, and stationary. Together, they are carrying out the legacy of the late Todd Lloyd, founder, who is remembered for creating that one perfect day, that one perfect moment, that one perfect memory.
"We are so happy to provide a safe space for LGBT couples to enjoy themselves," she says. Their inspiration comes from the latest trends — this year, Snowden says navy is the new black accented by coral or rose gold — and the excitement and anticipation of their clients. Top That! Executive Coordinator Cassie Lewis sums it up best: "No one should be deprived of a fabulous wedding."