Some Supplier Love: Meet Rebel Love Collective
For every day this December, I’m gifting a little treat, all the way up until Christmas Eve. I’m keen to showcase fellow suppliers, share some stories and give away lots of freebies and discounts. It’s my way of spreading some festive love! On Day 18, we’re meeting the fantastic team behind the UK’s most LGBTQIA+ creative wedding collective: Stef (she/they) and Ells (they/them).
I’ve worked with them on styled shoots, weddings and now I’m very honoured to say I’m designing stationery for their own wedding celebrations. They’ve welcomed me to the Bristol wedding scene with open arms, and their strong community is built on creativity, friendship and allyship. They’re both a joy to be around and provide photography, videography and education for wedding vendors around inclusivity, alongside running an absolutely epic wedding fair and wedding supplier directory.
So for today’s treat: the story behind the scenes of Rebel Love Collective. Grab yourself a mulled wine (or a cup of tea if it’s too early to crack open the wine), cosy up and let’s get started!
Photo by Ruby Walker
What and who is RLC?
Rebel Love Collective is our little queer empire - built from the road, fuelled by joy, and rooted in creating safer, more affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ couples in the wedding world. It started with Rebel Love Club, our photography and videography brand, and has grown into an inclusive wedding supplier directory, a wedding fair, and full LGBTQ+ allyship training for suppliers.
It’s run by the two of us - Steff (she/they) and Ells (they/them) - a photographer + videographer duo who spent the first few years of our relationship travelling the world and documenting our experiences. This is where our love of photography and videography was born. We are unapologetically queer, activist-minded and committed to dismantling the cis-het nonsense that still dominates the industry.
We also have a great team helping us; Money (they/them) - our second photographer/videographer and our graphic designer. Ruby (she/her) - our Community Manager who deals with 99% of our directory enquiries and Lauren (she/her) - our PR babe working on our SEO and getting our name OUT THERE.
Couples who book you like…
…that we are people who get it.
Our couples usually find us because they want to feel like themselves, no posing that makes them cringe, no assumptions about gender or roles, no diluted version of who they are. They love that we hype them up, hold space for their identities, and never make them feel like their queerness is a “theme.”
They also want storytelling: movement, emotion, real moments, and a team that genuinely cares about their experience, not just their photos.
What’s your wildest wedding day tale?
Probably one of the very first weddings we ever shot. It was during Storm Eunice - the wind was feral, trees were dropping like confetti, and the to-be-weds rocked up a full hour and a half late because the roads were absolute chaos.
To make things even more fun, the bride absolutely refused to go outside because she didn’t want her dress to get wet, and it made photos… interesting, to say the least. Imagine us trying to find flattering light and workable backdrops while the storm was basically trying to peel the roof off.
And then at the end of the night, Steff had to physically drag Ells off the dance floor so we could get home before the storm swallowed us whole!
Is there any place or thing you’d love to shoot that you haven’t yet?
Honestly? A queer elopement in the middle of a fjord in Norway, up a mountain in New Zealand or on a beach in Thailand.
Tell us about Rebel Love Wedding Fairs, the training you offer and the directory!
Rebel Love Directory is the UK’s only fully vetted LGBTQ+ wedding supplier directory - which means every supplier is checked, vetted, and prepared to show up for queer folk in meaningful ways. No rainbow-washing. No assumptions. Real commitment.
Rebel Love Education is our training arm, where we teach suppliers how to unlearn cis-het language, create safer spaces, understand intersectional identities, and embed allyship into their actual workflow.
And Rebel Love Wedding Fair, that’s our pride and joy. It’s a fully LGBTQ+ affirming wedding fair - colourful, community-centred, gender-neutral, wheelchair accessible, and full of suppliers who actually get it. It’s the first fair where queer couples don’t have to shrink themselves or explain themselves.
Why do you love your job?
Because we get to celebrate queer joy for a living. We get to witness families being built and chosen families showing up. We get to capture moments of people being wholly themselves, often in a world that still tells them to tone it down.
And selfishly - we love the creativity, the chaos, the dancing, the emotions, the travel, and the people who trust us with their memories. It’s the best job in the world.
Tell us about your engagement experience.
We got engaged at Lake Louise in Banff this year, surrounded by mountains, ice-blue water, and that “holy shit this is happening” feeling.
As wedding suppliers, we thought we’d be chill about it, but the instant it happened, everything flipped. Suddenly we were on the other side of the lens… and we had a whole new appreciation for what it feels like to plan a wedding while trying to stay present and soak it all in.
How does it feel being on the other side and looking for suppliers?
It’s wild. You suddenly realise how emotional, overwhelming, and vulnerable it all is. Choosing suppliers becomes less about aesthetics and more about how they make you feel.
We’re now gravitating toward people who aren’t just talented, but who make us feel safe, seen, and excited. And it’s reaffirmed why our own work, especially the directory and training, matters so much.
Is there any advice you’d give to folk planning their wedding?
Pick your people based on how you feel in their presence, not just their portfolio.
Create your own traditions - or scrap them all.
Don’t shrink your queerness or your identity to make anyone else comfortable.
And whatever you do: build space into your wedding day to breathe and reconnect with each other.
What’s your ultimate dancefloor banger?
Anything Chappell Roan, but especially HOT-TO-GO , it’s definitely this generation’s YMCA.
Is there anything you’d like to promote and shout about?
Yes! The Rebel Love Directory - the UK’s only fully vetted LGBTQ+ wedding supplier directory.
The Rebel Love Wedding Fair - the most affirming, inclusive wedding fair in the UK.
And our LGBTQ+ Inclusivity Training for wedding suppliers - because the industry desperately needs better education.
Basically, everything we’re building to make the wedding world safer for queer people.
Describe your perfect Christmas
Fairy lights, good food, a winter walk somewhere wild and chosen family, playing board games and watching shit TV.
Here are some examples of the gorgeous photography captured by Rebel Love Club.
Follow along on Instagram every day of December to get more treats, like art card downloads, freebies and some cheeky discounts on your wedding stationery!
Happy holidays!
Carly ✌️