Melody Morrison, owner of Allegro Events, cuts anniversary ribbon at Chapel & Hudson’s Cellar. (Photo by Aidan Carmody)
ORLANDO | Allegro Events hosted its one-year anniversary ribbon cutting Sept. 23 with local LGBTQ+ businesses and caterers at the Chapel & Hudson’s Cellar in Hannibal Square, Winter Park.
“We are looking to connect with couples, to celebrate their love together and continue just to make the world a better place,” shares Melody Morrison, owner and creative director of Allegro Events.
Allegro Events is an LGBTQ+-owned event planning and staffing company that specializes in bartenders, waitstaff and support. Prior to starting Allegro Events, Morrison served as the food and beverage director for Come Out With Pride and still remains active in the local LGBTQ+ community.
“It’s really important whenever we’re talking to couples that we understand the dynamic,” Morrison says. “We know a lot in the wedding industry, you might see bride and groom and that’s not always the case with everybody. So it’s really important to know what their pronouns are and just really make them feel included when it comes to the community.”
Allegro Events invited Janay Evalisce Photography, founded by an LGBTQ+ and Hispanic couple, Janay Rivera and Daniela Yepes to share their work with couples locally and abroad.
Janay Evalisce Photography specializes in travel weddings and elopements. They also provide services connecting clients with LGBTQ+-friendly vendors and venues.
“Here in Florida, it’s so needed just because of the climate that we’re in right now, where a lot of our queer couples just really don’t know what vendors are like, safe and not safe, in which vendors they can be comfortable around and not, not even just who’s comfortable, but who will also celebrate them,” Rivera says. “Because people are happy to take your money, but you want someone that’s going to celebrate with you as well.”
Yepes and Rivera focus their work on creating a safe environment for couples to feel celebrated anywhere in the world. They are also both models that do individual and couples photoshoots. They focus all of their work on creating a more inclusive industry and environment for all couples.
“We spend the same amount of money, we have the same resources, we love the same, we look exactly the same,” Rivera remarks. “You just have to open up your heart a little bit if you haven’t been used to it before.”
Allegro Events also invited Yasmine Colon-Maldonado who owns Perfectly Planned by Yas, a Latina-owned wedding and event planning company. Colon-Maldonado and her assistant Alexia Clark work together to provide a stress-free event planning service locally or abroad for clients that are inclusive and positive.
“Not everybody, sadly, unfortunately, does LGBTQ+ weddings, let’s be real,” Colon-Maldonado says. “I like to be sure that my vendors do accept that and then make sure that my couples are comfortable with that as well.”
Chapel and Hudson’s Cellar is an LGBTQ+-friendly event venue that has a small chapel for couples to get married in and an underground cellar for receptions or cocktail hours. Allegro Events, Planned by Yas and Janay Evalisce Photography all work together in the Central Florida area to connect couples with vendors and venues that are LGBTQ+-inclusive.
“We have to be more open minded, when it comes to this, because love is love is love is love,” Morrison says. “I cannot say it enough.”
Watermark Out News attended the ribbon cutting ceremony and you can view our photos below.
Photos by Aidan Carmody.
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