Looking for tips on how to throw a gender-neutral wedding?
You’ll definitively want to check out our overview below.
We’ll touch on everything from the ceremony to the reception!
Plus, if you’re attending a gender-neutral wedding, we even have some tips on choosing great cards!
How To Throw A Gender-Neutral Wedding
In today’s world, a lot has changed about wedding ceremonies.
You should not be restricted by the guidelines of heteronormativity when throwing your wedding.
After all, it is your wedding and you can make it exactly the way you want it.
Here are some tips for throwing a gender-neutral wedding.
1. Gender-neutral Wedding Party Titles
Words like “bride and groom” or “Mr. and Mrs.” are all gender-centric, so they’re the first thing that has to go.
You might want to try something new.
There are several rules for correctly addressing and titling people and, for example, using a husband’s name first to address married couples before the wife’s name, or using Mrs. to address a married woman.
Most of these rules are archaic, and attempting to follow them can be time-consuming because you wouldn’t want to get it wrong.
However, you do not have to go through this stress when throwing a gender-neutral wedding.
You can decide to spice things up and put anything you want on the invitations!
2. Gender-neutral Bridal Party Names:
Names such as bride, groom, groomsmen or bridesmaids are also highly gender-specific, and you might want to try something different.
For someone who is androgynous, calling them “the bride” or “the groom” may not be appropriate.
What are you to do? I highly doubt you want to be called the “broom,” right?
Again, just go with your own names to refer to yourselves.
For the rest of your party, simply call them that, your wedding party.
Or, refer to them as “our best people.” After all, that’s what they are!
3. Gender-neutral Wedding Pronouncement:
The standard way wedding pronouncements are done either with the “husband and wife,” “Mr. and Mrs.,” “man and wife,” and so on.
For a gender-neutral wedding, you can decide to try something different.
Instead of, “I now pronounce you husband and wife,” you can try something more intriguing like, “I now pronounce you joined in marriage.”
4. Gender-neutral Wedding Vocabulary:
The vocabulary used in a wedding ceremony script also matters.
Traditionally, most scripts are usually filled with “Mr. and Mrs.” or “husband and wife.”
You do not need this if you want to throw a gender-neutral wedding.
Traditionally, after pronouncements have been made, you will both be referred to as Mr. and Mrs., this is not needed for a gender-neutral wedding.
Rather than saying welcome Mr. and Mrs., you can ask your DJ to say welcome the happy couple, and then the DJ should call out your first names.
5. Gender-neutral Wedding Cards
So here you have it. Follow these tips, and your gender-neutral wedding will be a blast.
Remember that it’s your day and you want everything to be perfect.
You will want all the love and support you can get and effective planning with the use of these tips will help you achieve your goal of a memorable gender-neutral wedding.
Importance of Using Gender-Neutral Language
Gender-neutral language isn’t something that many people are exposed to. In fact, the mainstream wedding industry is still clueless to the use of specific names and language. This is why you need to exert enough patience when dealing with such scenarios.
Another option is to be vocal about your preferred terms with your guests and your suppliers. In doing so, you can make sure that everyone’s on the same page on your big day. Here’s how you can let your guests and suppliers know how to use gender-neutral language:
Your Guests
When sending out invitations to your guests, you can make your gender-neutral term choices clear on written stationery. Some ideas include:
- Writing “newlyweds” instead of “bride and groom”
- Using the right pronouns like Mx. instead of Mr. or Ms.
- Use “broom/gride” instead of “bride and groom”
- Saying “Mx. and Mx. (last name)”
Your Suppliers
The same thing can be done with your suppliers. It’s best that you get to know your wedding supplier before choosing them. Try to check if they are open to the idea of being your supplier so that you will not encounter any issues along the way.
Another option is to look for LGBTQIA+ suppliers so they will be 100% fully supportive of your wedding.
Remember, this is just an overview on planning a gender-neutral wedding to get you started.
We’ll be diving into each of these tips in more detail soon.
Also read:
- Can you Wear White to a Wedding? Comprehensive Guide to Wedding Guest Attire
- Gender-Neutral Wedding Songs
- Wedding Guest Captions
FAQs
Can a Nonbinary person get married?
In the US, anyone can get married in any of the 50 states without worrying about their gender. This is a breath of relief for transgender people since they have long been denied of the right to marry. With the law now providing them this right, they no longer have to worry about their marriages and partnerships getting disrespected by other people.
How do you make a wedding gender neutral?
The simplest yet most powerful way you can have a gender neutral wedding is to be knowledgeable of the terminology being used.
Try to avoid using terms like “bridal” and opt for the word itself, like in bridal entourage, use entourage instead. You can also swap out the term “bridesmaids” or “groomsmen” for “attendants.”
What are gender neutral alternatives to Mr and Mrs?
The gender neutral term for Mr., Ms., and Mrs. is Mx., which is pronounced as [ miks ] or [ muhks ].
Although it isn’t popularly used, documents show that the first instance this pronoun was used was in 1977 as a less-sexist alternative to the traditional ones.
What do you call a nonbinary bridesmaid?
For your non-binary friends and family members who will be part of your wedding, you can use the word bridesmate or mate of honor. This is a suitable alternative for bridesmaid or maid of honor.
Do you have any favorite gender-neutral wedding tips? Share below!
