Welcome to Inclusive Wedding Planning

Plan your LGBTQ+ wedding with ease and comfort

We are here to support all couples throughout the process of planning a wedding wherever in the world you are! We know finding resources and information can be challenging and we’re here to help make the process easier and definitely more fun! 

Wedding planning is a daunting task, especially if you don’t have a professional wedding planner to help you!  There are a thousand details to consider, budgets to manage, vendors to hire, contracts to review, and family members to keep happy! 

Perhaps you are just starting the planning process and have no idea where to begin, maybe you have figured out a few things and are stumped on the next steps, or maybe you are in the midst of it and are feeling overwhelmed! Wherever you are in the planning process, we are here to help!

My LGBTQ+ Wedding Workshop

With our extensive wedding planning expertise, we know how to get it done. Let us bring our experience to your living room! Join us for virtual wedding planning workshops on important trending topics relative to planning an LGBTQ+ wedding. 

 If you answer yes to any of these questions we are here to help.  Our free workshop will cover the basics for how to get started planning your wedding! Join us and receive a free Wedding Planning Workbook.

‣ Are you just starting planning your LGBTQ+ Wedding and have no idea where to start?

‣ Do you need help navigating how to determine the best budget for your wedding and how to spend it? 

‣ Have you picked a venue but are having trouble finding LGBTQ+ supportive vendors in your area?

‣ Do you have family members you are trying to please - OR do you have no family support and you are missing that? 

‣ Do you have an idea of what you want but don’t know how to pull together the details?

LGBTQ+ Wedding Planning Community

Planning a gay wedding is exciting, challenging, joyful, frustrating, creative, stressful, and filled with mixed emotions! Thousands of details need to be decided and everyone has an opinion on how you should make them! Sound familiar? If so, we’re here to help you navigate the complexities of planning your LGBTQ+ wedding wherever in the world you might be. Our team is here to be your virtual Fairy Godmothers and have your back wherever you may be in the planning process.

Cathy Chats: LGBTQ+ Wedding Conversations

Join me, Cathy O’Connell, for candid conversations about LGBTQ+ weddings with industry insiders and wedding couples. I will focus on the current state of gay weddings, how LGBTQ+ couples feel the wedding industry supports them, and what vendors and venues are doing to create inclusive awareness practices.

About Cathy O'Connell



I'm a gay, married wedding planner with a passion for joy and fun! My wife Dorry Winham and I co-founded COJ Events, a Destination Event Design & Planning studio based in Palm Springs, CA that helps discerning multi-cultural clients create memorable celebrations worldwide.  

As one of the premier LGBTQ+ event planning company in the world, we are committed to supporting and uplifting our community. My Creds: Degree in interior Architecture from San Jose State University and a Doctorate in Divinity from the American Institute of Theology, I am also an Ordained Inter-Faith Minister.  So I  can marry you too!

COJ Events weddings have been featured in notable industry publications and blogs including Vogue Magazine, Martha Stewart Weddings, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, “My Fair Wedding” with David Tutera and “Say Yes to The Dress” US    & UK. We love helping people become the best they can be while celebrating lives filled with joy. Dorry and I spread our time between Palm Springs, Los Angeles and the Bay Area. We are self-proclaimed hotel junkies,  travel often for business and  fun bringing our canine and feline children along as much as possible!

Register for the FREE Embracing Inclusivity &  Diversity Mastermind

To attract the LGBTQ+ & BIPOC community as clients you need to demonstrate your support in your business practices.  We’re here to help you master inclusive practices that will represent your company or venue as one that is fully embracing of the LGBTQ+ and BIOPC community.

Stay Connected!

With our extensive wedding planning expertise, we know how to get it done. Let us bring our experience to your living room! Join us for virtual wedding planning workshops and training on important trending topics relative to planning an LGBTQ+ wedding.