My wife and I founded InclusiveWeddingPlanning.com to create a community for engaged LGTBQ+ couples to find a place for inclusive support, education, guidance, and fun! 

We’re Cathy O’Connell and Dorry Winham: married LGBTQ+ wedding planners based in Palm Springs, CA.  We love weddings and celebrations and are passionate about serving our community with love and support! 

Our wedding planning studio, COJ Events, has been creating fun and fantastic weddings for all couples for over 15 years.  As we’re in very LGBTQ+ supportive Palm Springs, we have had a large number of LGBTQ+ weddings every year since we started, even before our weddings were legal in the US.  On June 26, 2015 (that date should have a holiday) LGBTQ+ marriage was legalized in the US, and from that day forward we have been blessed to help more and more couples with their inclusive wedding planning. 

We’ve realized, however, that while we love our LGBTQ+ couples who journey to Palm Springs for their wedding or bring us with them to Mexico or Hawaii, there are many other LGBTQ+ couples around the world that need support and guidance on their wedding planning journey.  Many LGBTQ+ couples around the world live in areas that are not supportive and inclusive, or they don’t have access to vendors who understand and/or are willing to work with LGBTQ+ couples. 

LGBTQ+ weddings are similar to traditional weddings, and at the same time, they are very different. The similarities are based on love - two people who come together to share a commitment to join their lives together with family and friends.  But after that, the similarities can diverge. There are no rules for anything that comes after love in an LGBTQ+ wedding and slogging through the options can be daunting! 

Family dynamics can also be a challenge for LGBTQ+ couples. Everyone could have parental issues, but some LBGTQ+ couples often don’t have the support they deserve from family members.  Even navigating loving but insensitive relatives can put stress on relationships and the process of wedding planning. 

That’s why we are here to help. Our goal with InclusiveWeddingPlanning.com is to be a source of information, support, and education for you on this exciting journey of planning your wedding! Through our training programs, our blog posts, guest interviews, our private FaceBook group, we are here to give you a safe haven as you navigate the journey!  

We are here to honor and support YOU on your journey with LOVE and JOY!