Held by Rosie

What do you offer?

I am heart-led, authentic and kind. Proudly Black, femme and queer. My work is great for folks who like their love and life outdoors, quirky and soulful. And ceremonies that give pass-me-the-tissues and give-us-a-hug realness.

Why do you want to work with the LGBTQ+ community?

‘Love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within’— James Baldwin.

In the world of weddings and all things love, to me there is nothing more important, vital and worthy of protection and celebration than bonding ceremonies within the LGBTQ+ community. The fight for the rights to exist openly and celebrate the simplicity and complexity of chosen relationships and love is still a daily struggle for many of us. The depth, courage and soul is extra magical for LGBTQ+ love birds. The visibility, the boldness of self-expression, the reclamation: revolutionary, courageous, fabulous and also wildly simple. I am here for it.

Held by Rosie is about valuing people for who they are, seeing them and celebrating them in their FULLNESS. For weddings, it’s about providing a deeply personal service for couples who value authenticity and beauty. Our communities host fierce champions and activists, and provide space for the embodiment of authenticity, beauty and celebration in the face of rejection, discrimination, violence and daily systemic oppression. I am passionate about crafting ceremonies that reflect the profound journeys, milestones, story, creativity, chosen family, values, personality and identities of the LGBTQ+ community in a beautiful and moving way.

Allyship

My goal with Held by Rosie is for folks to feel held and valued for who they are, being seen and celebrated in their fabulous fullness.

Representation matters in seeing ourselves reflected in the spaces we enter and occupy so as my portfolio grows organically, working with more LGBTQ+ couples, I will have more photos on my website to reflect us, with the permission of the couples who want to be visible advocates for inclusive celebration.

I maintain an anti-discriminatory stance. Let no one try it.

I daily affirm my commitment to creating safe, celebratory spaces for all.

May my communications be gender-neutral and inclusive from start to finish, asking for preferred pronouns and clarifying relationship dynamics rather than assuming traditional roles always. I completed LGBTQ+ cultural competency training with AJ at https://queerbirthclub.co.uk and actively seek resources from within the community rather than expecting folks I’m serving to educate me.

My ceremonies and work also come full of references to thought leaders and activists from BIPOC and queer communities.

So if you like your ceremonies with some Audre Lorde, bell hooks and James Baldwin, we should be talking. I also wear my own colours proudly as a cis, queer, Black-mixed celebrant on my website and wherever I am taking up space in the world of ceremonies.

For folks to feel welcome and celebrated with me, I must first do that for myself.

Inclusivity is one of my core values in my celebrant work (authenticity and beauty being the other two). It is central to the services I offer that folks feel welcomed and held, especially in ceremonial spaces with me. I am ready to learn and listen, and make changes to how I do things in the interests of inclusion, as a priority.

I use gender-neutral language, ask for preferred pronouns, and do not assume cis-/hetero-normative relationship status of enquiring couples. I ensure my contracts and language explicitly protect against discrimination, and my equity and inclusion statement was the first page of my website.

I enjoy my relationships with other LGBTQ+-affirming wedding suppliers to provide referrals and a healthy community around the folks I work with. I actively challenge discriminatory language and assumptions when I encounter them in my personal and professional life, and I make time to have those conversations when erroneous or ignorant thinking is presented, so others don’t have to do this labour. I actively seek continuing education on LGBTQ+ issues and ceremony traditions.