International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. These are just a few women we admire who are leading the charge in bringing innovation and excellence to the wedding industry.

LaToya Papillion-Herr | Wedding Officiant

LaToya Papillion-Herr, lovingly called Minister Toya, is a wedding minister, author, and marriage and spiritual coach. You may recognize her as a wedding officiant on season 11 of the Lifetime series “Married at First Sight,” for one of the series’ favorite couples, Woody and Amani. With roots in Southern Louisiana and Native American ancestry, Minister Toya uses her spiritual work and voice in the wedding industry to challenge the status quo and boldly advocate for all marriers to see their love stories as worthy of celebration!

Diana Ganz and Jeanne Foley | SuitShop Cofounders

The idea for SuitShop was born from Jeanne’s personal experience planning affordable outfitting for the wedding party at her 2013 New Year’s Eve wedding. Using her fashion industry experience, Jeanne set out to create a new solution for black-tie attire: a sharp-looking tuxedo that could be purchased for less than the cost of a traditional rental. Diana, her longtime childhood friend, joined her efforts and together they launched SuitShop in 2016. Today, Diana oversees marketing and branding, and Jeanne leads product design and development.

 

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Terrica | Wedding Planner, Business Coach and Educator

Award-winning wedding planner and designer Terrica brings 18 years of experience to the exquisite weddings and events she produces in and around Coastal Georgia. Passionate about the industry that has given her so much, Terrica also spearheads the Unity Through Community initiative to make the industry more diverse and inclusive.

Riley Glenn | Wedding Photographer

Riley Glenn is a destination wedding, elopement and engagement photographer based out of Austin, Texas. Her love of travel and love stories led her to a career filled with capturing those special moments and advocating for anti-racism and LGBTQ+ inclusivity. She also offers boudoir, portrait and trash-the-dress/suit sessions so you can express yourself in all the creative ways.

Judy Maligaspe | Event Planner

Judy Maligaspe is an event planner in Atlanta, Georgia, specializing in multicultural weddings and social events. For more than 14 years, she has helped marriers create the celebrations of their dreams. Her company, Wera Events, plans luxury weddings and events in Georgia, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

 

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Marisa Suarez-Orozco | Floral, Paper and Event Designer

Marisa Suarez-Orozco is the floral, paper and event designer behind Tropic of Flowers, a boutique event design studio operating in New England and California. The lack of diversity she saw in the wedding industry is part of what motivates her work. Suarez-Orozco told The Knot, “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. I knew I wanted to dedicate myself to working with underrepresented communities (people like me, and my friends).”

 

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Tirzah | Wedding/Premarital Coach and Officiant

Dever, Colorado, coach and officiant Tirzah spent eight years as a licensed social worker and uses her therapeutic skills to help people through her business, Newlywed Coaching. Her coaching and officiant work is highly adaptive, and she is a strong advocate for inclusivity in the wedding industry and beyond. On her website, she shares, “It wasn’t until after I was engaged and planning my own wedding that I realized the process was harder than I thought. I wished that my wife and I had a support system outside of friends and family to help us navigate the emotional elements that arose while planning the biggest event of our lives!”

Sapna Pandya | Wedding Officiant

Sapna Pandya is a queer Desi wedding officiant who serves the LGBTQ+ community and does advocacy work for immigrants and public health issues. Pandya chose to become an officiant as a way of honoring her grandfather, who was a priest. After the experience of planning a wedding with her Pakistani Muslim wife, Pandya recognized a need for officiants focused on LGBTQ+ ceremonies. “I try to give more of a feminist and egalitarian lens to it,” she told SEEMA. “All religious traditions…have patriarchy baked right in and I try to bake it right out.”

Featured photo courtesy of Capture Studio and LaToya Papillion-Herr