Latin and Hispanic Wedding Vendors Open Up About Celebrating Diversity

Much like weddings (from Hispanic weddings to Asian weddings and beyond), cultural heritage months are a wonderful time for folks to reflect on their roots. They are also integral in deepening education and honoring the vibrancy, and diversity, seen across cultures.

But here's the thing: no culture is a monolith just how every wedding and every couple brings their own unique essence to their celebration. After speaking with wedding vendors of Hispanic and Latino heritage, one thing that was impressed upon me was just how many beautiful corners of the world these cultures occupy, and how they each look different. When I connected with wedding pros to understand what about their heritage is most important to them, I learned how integral community and gathering are to many of the traditions they celebrate. Wedding vendors are often the unsung heroes of beautiful weddings. While stunning images float around social media and couples reminisce about their perfect wedding day, it can be easy to overlook the dedicated teams that work together to bring wedding dreams to life. In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, we're celebrating some of the many hardworking Latin and Hispanic wedding vendors who also help couples from various backgrounds execute weddings that honor their respective cultures. Much like the diverse backgrounds and varied countries that these vendors hail from, the weddings they create and the inspiration they bring to the industry is just as beautifully diverse. If you're connecting with potential wedding vendors, our best advice is to get to know the person you're interviewing and don't be afraid to ask questions. What motivates them? Why did they get into the industry? What kind of legacy do they want to leave behind? At the end of the day, no matter who you hire, the important thing is that you select vendors with intention and build a team that you trust and whose work and businesses you are excited to support financially.

Pro-tip: The diversity filters on The Knot Vendor Marketplace were created to help you do just that. The Knot Vendor Marketplace diversity filters allow you to reach out to vendor businesses who've self-identified as Latinx- or Hispanic-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned, Black-owned, Asian-owned, Pacific Islander-owned, Native American-owned and LGBTQ+-owned so you can curate a vendor team purposefully and intentionally. To help you get a jump start on vendor selection, below we chat with some of our favorite Hispanic-owned and Latinx-owned wedding businesses about inclusivity in the wedding industry and what Hispanic Heritage Month means to them.

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Lucy Munoz on the Power of Belonging

Photo: Lucy Munoz Photography

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Event Planning: Elena Damy

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Venue: Solaz, Los Cabos

"I am constantly trying to comprehend where I fit in this industry as a female Latina wedding photographer," says Los Angeles-based fine art wedding photographer Lucy Munoz, owner of Lucy Munoz Photography. As a pro for over 18 years, Munoz is glad that conversations are taking place around this very topic. She explains that these conversations "help create allies across the wedding industry while fostering relationships with Hispanic- and Latino-owned businesses."

"By celebrating Hispanic heritage we are giving a voice to groups that have typically been marginalized. It is important that we keep sharing the works of these groups so that we can see more of our Hispanic and Latinx couples represented in mainstream media, more Latinx/ Hispanic vendors highlighted, and create a shift in the mindset of the wedding industry as a whole."

Marisa Suarez-Orozco on Strengthening Representation

Photo: Emily Wren Photography

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Floral and Event Design: Tropic of Flowers

"As a queer, Latinx, child of immigrants, I was struck by how white and straight the representation was in wedding blogs and publications when I started working in weddings in 2015," recalls Marisa Suarez-Orozco. The lack of diversity Suarez-Orozco saw in the industry when she first started her floral, paper and event design business, Tropic of Flowers, motivates her to make strides toward creating more inclusivity in the world of weddings.

"I knew I wanted to dedicate myself to working with underrepresented communities (people like me, and my friends)," recalls the pro. "I am very proud of my own hyphenated identity and am dedicated to continuing to serve my own communities as well as other under-represented communities."

"Representation is everything. For couples, it's great to think about who you are supporting when you are selecting vendors to work with. Are your vendors all straight and white? Seek out vendors of marginalized identities and support them by hiring them!"

Amy Anaiz on Dismantling the One-Size-Fits-All Narrative

Photo: Amy Anaiz Photography

New York City-based photographer Amy Anaiz emphasizes the importance of National Hispanic Heritage Month as a conduit to celebrate "how beautiful and diverse our culture is." The pro, who boasts more than 19 years of experience, notes that "the Latinx community comprises over 18% of the population of the United States and that's huge. This month gives people outside our communities a call to action to learn more about our heritage and how it has influenced and benefitted the United States. I am proud of my Afro-Latina descent."

Anaiz goes on to emphasize the importance of "understanding that we are not a 'One Size Fits All' people. There are distinct cultural differences between someone who is from South America, Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, Spain—etc. Just like these geo locations are spread out globally we as a people have incorporated unique traditions from the regions we are from. Truly taking the time to learn about each individual that you meet and understanding that some of us are the first generation to live in the US while others are the fourth or fifth. The experiences of each look very different. Knowing that we are not what the media portrays us to be—here trying to steal jobs from Americans. Many of us are born Americans too who work just as hard and usually 10 times harder to try to get the same opportunity as our white counterparts."

Eve R. Avila on Honoring Previous Generations

Photo: Eve Rox Photography

"I am proud to be Hispanic and to come from a background of hard-working people," says SoCal-based photographer Eve R. Avila, owner of Eve Rox Photography. "This culture gives the word family a totally new meaning. We are in each other's lives no matter what. I love that strong bond that we have."

For Avila, National Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to remember "all that our ancestors have been through to make it here and give us this life. It makes me appreciate my parents even more knowing that they came here as immigrants and never gave up so we could have better lives than they did. I can speak for myself that I have to work extra hard for something that others with a more privileged background might have an easier time achieving. But that will never stop me and I will never feel sorry for that. I will work hard and get up there no matter what. Anything to represent my community in the wedding industry."

Yasmin Gomez on Cultural Vibrancy and Joy

Photo: Evan Rich Photography

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Event Planning: Always & Always Events

"Hispanic Heritage Month provides me an opportunity to show the pride I have in my culture," says Yasmin Gomez, owner of Always & Always Events, a Florida-based full-service wedding planning company. "It is a time to reflect on the influence the Hispanic and Latinx culture has had in our society and around the world. Our culture is so diverse and this month is a chance to show others the vibrance of our people, music, food and history. It is such an exciting time for the Hispanic and Latinx culture because it feels like we are being seen more. This month is to rev up that exposure and keep showing the world that we are here. We exist. We are beautiful."

Jacqueline Vizcaino on Innovation and Creative Contributions

Photo: Melody Smith Portrait

For Jacqueline Vizcaino, founder and principal planner of Tinted Events Design and Planning, National Hispanic Heritage Month is a time "to celebrate and recognize the contributions of Hispanic Americans. It's also an opportunity for us to reflect on our heritage and our ancestry. For me, it means celebrating my family's Afro-Latino roots in the Dominican Republic, filled with a rich history, traditions, and creativity."

Vizcaino is especially proud of the growth of creativity and innovations she's seen in the wedding industry toward "Hispanic and Latinx couples—celebrating the ethnicity of the couples and their families. From bilingual ceremonies and staffing to infusing traditional menus and the fiery rhythms of Latin beats to create an endless vibration throughout the night, which is only possible when we, as industry professionals, genuinely educate ourselves about the wide ethnic variety of the Hispanic and Latino community. On that note, allyship and advocacy begin with embracing all colors, bilingual services and valuing each as a heart-centered creative."

Rev. Mercedes Ibarra on the Importance of the Spanish Language

Photo: Jose Alvarado

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Officiant: Rev. Mercy Ceremonies

"For me, Hispanic Heritage Month is a time for the country to reflect on the immense impact we Americans of Hispanic or Latinx descent have made on this country—from our food to art, music, clothes, and even the English language has been impacted by Latinx people," says Rev. Mercedes Ibarra, a bilingual wedding officiant and owner of Rev. Mercy Ceremonies in Los Angeles.

As a pro whose job relies heavily on speaking, Rev. Ibarra encourages "the wedding industry to think about promoting native Spanish-speaking vendors vs. learned Spanish-speaking vendors. Don't get me wrong; I do think it is fantastic when non-Latinx vendors make an effort to learn and speak Spanish. Still, there is something absolutely to be said about promoting and hiring actual Latinx and Hispanic speakers of Spanish. The most obvious reason is for the natural pronunciation and fluidity of the language, but there are more important cultural reasons. For example, a native speaker of the language is more likely to know that different Latinx countries use different pronoun tenses. Therefore, using one tense that is considered appropriate in one culture could be considered outright rude in another." She goes on to share how she "proudly promote myself as a bilingual Latina wedding officiant. I do this because, for my clients, both the language and the culture are important. The language is important because, like me, many of my clients' parents are immigrants to the United States who speak and understand a limited amount of English. Many of us have grown up translating for our parents when dealing with vendors, commercial establishments, teachers, customer service, etc. We understand how lost and often powerless our parents feel when dealing with situations where the main language is English. Their child's wedding shouldn't be a place where they feel left out. This is a moment where they should feel included, considered, and welcomed."

Cristy Fernandez on the Importance of Thoughtful Communication

Photo: Jenna Wren Photography

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Stationery Design: Lucky Onion

"Celebrating and honoring my heritage has shown me how we all have a way of life, a way of thinking about how things need to be done, and how they translate into traditions and religious practices," says Cristy Fernandez, owner and creative director of Lucky Onion Stationery & Design in Colorado. Fernandez goes on to explain how weddings are often deeply rooted in celebrating those ways of life. She emphasizes that stationery plays an important role in the journey of those traditions and she takes her role of creating thoughtful communication seriously. "It is important to make a home for these [traditions and beliefs] in how we communicate, especially in the stationery we create. For example, having a section explaining some of the traditions and their meaning in the wedding programs can help guests understand what they are experiencing."

Beyond acknowledging and honoring traditions through language, Fernandez sees Hispanic Heritage Month as an ever broader opportunity to "be able to commemorate my upbringing, celebrate my culture, and pay homage to my ancestry, which has all made me who I am today. The fact Hispanic Heritage Month exists is to be able to publicly share our experiences with the rest of the nation, to celebrate our roots proudly, and to be able to put a more concerted focus on eliminating the racial discriminations that do exist."

Martin Ramirez on Celebrating Differences in Weddings

Photo: Kathryn Ivy Photography

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Venue: Historic Mankin Mansion

Martin Ramirez, owner of the Historic Mankin Mansion, a Georgian-Revival wedding venue nestled in Richmond, Virginia, points out that an understanding of differences needs to be the foundation to all wedding planning, regardless of culture. "It is always nice to see fellow vendors listen to Hispanic and Latinx couples and honor their wishes to incorporate certain aspects of their culture into their big day. The Hispanic community is a large minority group, and when these couples get engaged, it is important to identify their particular background and traditions so that each generation feels welcome. Just like how California is different from Virginia, so is Mexico from Argentina or Guatemala. While we all share similarities, there are many differences between Latin countries and their respective traditions. It will be great for our industry when more wedding professionals understand and acknowledge those differences. For example, where is their family from? Are they first-generation, or have they been living in the United States for a while? It would be helpful for vendors to ask these questions of Hispanic clients who are looking to them for guidance on how to implement their wishes and traditions best. Additionally, caterers who offer authentic food to represent the clients' country specifically, Latin DJs, bands, or mariachis, will all help to reassure clients that their big day will be authentic to their culture."

Raminrez also underscores the importance of respect and compassion when it comes to running a business. "As a Hispanic business owner, I do my best to show compassion, open-mindedness, and respect for different cultures and ethnicities at every turn. My success in this industry has opened doors that were previously closed to me; now that I am respected within these spaces, I can speak on behalf of my community and lift up others who struggle to enter these spaces themselves. Leading by example, whether in my profession or with my family, is my legacy." He goes on to advise that "non-Hispanic couples and vendors to seek out minority-owned businesses to explore their culture and promote and welcome their business to the local community. I believe it all begins with acknowledging, respecting, and honoring our differences as well as our similarities. Only then can we work together to connect and care for one another as people and professionals."