Kirsten Palladino

Harvard Book Store welcomes award-winning editor and writer KIRSTEN PALLADINO, cofounder of EquallyWed.com, for a discussion of her book, Equally Wed: The Ultimate Guide to Planning Your LGBTQ+ Wedding.

About Equally Wed

By and large, most wedding books in the market are still centered around one bride and one groom. And yet, the advent of full marriage equality in the United States has made a new, polished wedding planning book dedicated to guiding LGBTQ couples both timely and essential. Kirsten Ott Palladino will fill that need with this definitive book to inspire couples everywhere who are seeking a meaningful, personal ceremony and a momentous beginning to legally married life. 

Equally Wed brings author Palladino's expertise as the founder and editorial director of the world's leading online resource for LGBTQ wedding planning to the page. Ott Palladino walks readers through every step of the notoriously costly and arduous planning process with wisdom and accessibility. From how to incorporate hot trends among LGBTQ couples to advice on how to incorporate children into a ceremony to more serious hurdles like dealing with homophobia among family members and hiring equality-minded wedding pros, Equally Wed has it all. The author includes an accurate picture of wedding budgets for couples from all backgrounds, and shares her invaluable insider tips for making the most of each vendor; she also addresses fashion advice specific for LGBTQ readers, such as suiting up a transmasculine person or attending fittings as a butch lesbian or a transgender woman. And best of all, she does it with the celebratory, joyful approach that all couples deserve. 

With a beautiful 2-color package, a total absence of heteronormative terms and assumptions, and a wealth of advice on every wedding-related topic imaginable, Equally Wed is set to be the go-to LGBTQ wedding guide just as every couple is finally free to wed.

Praise

"No matter what kind of relationship you're in or what kind of wedding you have your heart set on, one thing is guaranteed: You're going to need the right guide if you want to get hitched without losing your mind. Luckily, Kirsten Palladino has got you covered. From using social media to get friends and family buzzing about your upcoming nuptials to effortlessly navigating the in's and out's of registry etiquette, her beautiful new book, Equally Wed, is all you'll need to make your dream wedding a reality." —Noah Michelson, Editorial Director, Voices at Huffington Post and Executive Editor, Huffington Post Queer Voices

"When I first met Kirsten, she said something that I will never forget. She said, 'I'll know I can stop fighting when my job is no longer needed.' How beautifully stated and how true in its purest form. We have a long way to go before Equally Wed is no longer a resource that this world needs but every day, Kirsten and her lovely wife, Maria, get us closer and closer to that goal. The idea that a wedding is a wedding is a wedding—and love is, indeed, just love—are what we hope our children will know as truth. Without hesitation or doubt. I feel grateful to be a part of this book in some small way and am thrilled for the soon-to-be's that get to experience it so fully." —Abby Larson, founder, Style Me Pretty

"Equally Wed seeks to simplify the wedding planning process for the LGBTQ+ community in a safe, comfortable and fun space! Take it from me, wedding planning is a laborious task to begin with—add to that the uncertainty surrounding the LGBTQ+ traditions and customs. My favorite feature in this book is the personal stories from real couples that have gone through the wedding planning process from a similar point of view. It's always important to be reminded that love is the reason behind every wedding, because love is love and love never goes out of style!" —Colin Cowie