When portrait photographer Belle Ancell visited event planner Cristie Rosling's pop-up wedding show in the spring, she noticed there was a queer couple in attendance.

"As they walked away, I said to her, 'I wonder how they feel in this space? Do they feel comfortable and safe?'," Ancell told the Georgia Straight by phone.

Rosling said she wondered about that too, prompting Ancell to joke that they should plan their own gay wedding show. And the rest is history.

Same-sex marriage and trans rights may have been legalized in Canada, but that doesn't mean it's game-over for the need for LGBT–positive or -inclusive spaces. Rights often take a long time to translate into lived reality, with many generations having grown up, within Canada or from abroad, in a different social environment where homophobia or transphobia went unchecked, or where LGBT people and issues were invisible.

Discomfort or a lack of understanding about LGBT issues remain present, as both Ancell and Rosling can attest to.

Rosling, also on the line with the Georgia Straight, said when one of the vendors at their wedding show was getting married herself (to another woman), she picked out a photographer she wanted to use. However, the photographer informed her that she couldn't work with her because it was a same-sex marriage.

Ancell said she knows a couple who went to a wedding show where the partner was not recognized as part of the couple.

She said the problem often isn't overt but usually a result of people not understanding, feeling comfortable, or not acknowledging LGBT people or issues, such as gender expression.

"Couples just don't feel comfortable and safe in that kind of space because they can't truly be themselves," Ancell pointed out.

And so, Ancell and Rosling decided to take action. The duo is launching their inaugural Union LGBT+ Wedding Show, which will showcase LGBT–friendly wedding businesses, services, and products where attendees can browse in a social environment where they can feel accepted rather than uncertain.

"We're trying to achieve a safe and fabulous environment for any couple to come and meet amazing vendors that are all friendly to any sort of relationship that you're in or any sort of marriage you're getting into, no matter who you identify," Rosling said.

And yes, straight people are welcome, too.

Exhibitors cover the wedding spectrum from wedding celebrants and photographers to caterers and florists.

There are even entertainers such as Queer as Funk, the Queertet, and DJ Krista.

There's also North Vancouver clothing company Peau de Loup, which makes masculine clothing tailored for female bodies. For example, Ancell explained that Peau de Loup's shirts are smaller in the shoulders and wider in the hips.

What's more, the company will be launching its first wedding attire line at the show.

The event will be held on Saturday (October 22) from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Beaumont Studios (326 West 5^th Avenue) and admission is $5.

Ancell and Rosling hope to hold it as an annual event and any businesses who want to become a part of their resource list on their website can contact them to register.