As a company that is always celebrating love, The Addison Grove, as well as all of the Heyens Holdings companies, is committed to inclusivity and acceptance of all people. Creating a space for love is at the core of who we are, and while we constantly strive to make room for all of our couples to feel seen and loved, it is also just as important to us that those who take part in making The Addison Grove everything it is also feel welcome as well! We are thrilled to celebrate Pride month and uplift the voices of our staff members throughout the month of June!

MEET STARLA!

While the majority of you may already recognize her, Starla Queen is our Operations and Programs Manager at The Addison Grove! Always found with a smile on her face, Starla has played a huge role in creating a space for our couples to feel welcome! She simply is the biggest fan of love and that is what drew her to the wedding industry!

“It is the most beautiful emotion to witness. I am the hopeless romantic, the one who does the small things as I know they carry a huge impact - seeing this every day at our venue is such a blessing!”.

While she dedicates so much of her time to making other people feel loved, we also wanted to highlight her this month and all that Pride means to her!

“Pride is a time to highlight a community that has so much love to give and share. It ist a time we get to feel unapologetically ourselves and celebrate one another.”

While some naturally gravitate towards the elaborate celebrations and parades to honor Pride month, Starla shared with us that it was more of the recognition of growth that she was looking forward to than anything else:

“It is amazing to see the small towns surrounding Austin hosting their own Pride this year - a first or second year for MANY of them!”

MEET LP!

The one behind a summer margarita or a warm spiked winter cocktail, Laura Paige is our Bar Manager at The Addison Grove! LP constantly creates a welcoming environment for each and every guest through her joyful spirit and we are excited for you to get to know her better! LP found herself in the wedding industry because of the exciting opportunities that it provided for her throughout her college experience. “I love making drinks for people and having conversations, a lot of times it doesn’t feel like a job,” LP says!

She’s inspired by those who strive to make positive change in their lives and people who constantly put forth effort each and every day! While she spends so much of her time celebrating other’s love, we are also uplifting her and her voice as we celebrate Pride month!

To LP, Pride means “to be authentic and unapologetic in every way that you show up.”

She encourages those to stand up for their queer friends and constantly foster an environment where people feel welcomed. LP reminds us to love unconditionally and without hesitation each and every day and we are so grateful for the light and joy she is at The Addison Grove!

MEET ELIZABETH!

Elizabeth helps make the magic happen on wedding days through bartending and event management! Elizabeth is an artist at heart and is inspired by the world around her to create work and do what she loves! She joined our team at The Addison Grove after gaining experience at restaurants and bars and realized she wanted something a little different in the service industry!

“My favorite part of my job is interacting with wedding guests! Hearing about how they know the couple and just finding out more about their stories,”  says Elizabeth.

While Elizabeth devotes so much of her day to lifting others up and celebrating their love, we wanted to bring her voice to light and share all that this month means to her!

“To me pride means being proud to be able to live and love authenticity and the ability to express my true self,” says Elizabeth!

Through every word and action, Elizabeth fosters an environment where people feel that they can simply show up, exactly how they are and are loved for their authentic selves. While Elizabeth celebrates love with us every month, the month of June is filled with so many things that she loves, such as attending queer art and maker markets and support queer artists!

“Oh and drag shows, who doesn’t love a good drag show,” says Elizabeth!

She encourages those to take part in Pride month by showing up to events, as well as donating to community programs such as Out Youth, which offer youth of all ages and gender identities a place where they are loved, acknowledged and accepted for exactly who they are.

As a company that is dedicated to a lifetime of love and inclusivity, we are always striving to knock down walls where love feels bound and are so excited to be celebrating Pride month and heightening visibility of the LGBTQ+ community!

Cheers to a lifetime of loving unconditionally!