Founder Interview with Jake Taylor, Functions and Gatherings
Photo by: Dressup Box
Jake Taylor, founder of Functions and Gatherings, has built an incredible business centered on creating vibrant, inclusive events for all, with a special focus on queer weddings. From a young age, Jake found joy in the artistry and celebration of special occasions, whether setting the table with fancy glasses at Thanksgiving or experimenting with the guest experience during his early professional years. After culinary school, Jake discovered his passion wasn’t just in the kitchen but in orchestrating the entire atmosphere of an event. This realization led them to study meetings and events management, ultimately creating a career dedicated to crafting meaningful experiences. Overcoming toxic work environments and homophobia in the industry, Jake channeled their resilience into building a business where they could fully embrace their identity and bring authenticity to his work. In late 2022, Jake transitioned Functions and Gatherings from a side hustle to a full-time endeavor, carving out a space for creativity and celebration in the events industry.
Inspired by the power of queer representation, Jake has dedicated their business to providing affirming, inclusive services for LGBTQ+ couples and clients. Functions and Gatherings reflect Jake’s ethos of combining equity, creativity, and community in every event. From volunteering with nonprofits to building relationships with like-minded professionals, Jake has established themself as a creative force who gets shit done in the event planning world. Their business not only celebrates queer love and individuality but also challenges industry norms, encouraging others to dream big and create events that truly reflect their identities.
Check out the interview below!
Can you walk us through your professional journey and how you got to where you are today?
As a kiddo, I always loved a special occasion! Thanksgiving was one of my favorite holidays because I'd get to spend time in the kitchen with both my maternal and paternal grandma. We got to set the table and drink from fancy glasses and use cloth napkins. I was really in my element! After high school, I went right into culinary school and while I loved learning to cook, I realized that my professional aspirations were for the front of house and shaping the guest experience. I transitioned from there to join a friend in Las Vegas at UNLV to study meetings and events management. As it turned out, I wasn't quite ready to be on my own in a city with so much opportunity for fun and distraction. I moved back to Seattle and started working more seriously in operations for a coat check company to network and build competency in the event world. I ended up in a toxic and homophobic day job and needed an out.
I decided to leave my toxic job after a series of incidents that made the environment unbearable, including vulgar language and homophobic jokes. During the Pulse tragedy, the owner tried to argue that we had equally marginalized experiences because he was an atheist, which was absurd coming from a basic cishet guy. On top of that, the overall work environment was terrible. One night at dinner, I told my husband, Max, how miserable I was. He pointed out that we had this conversation regularly, and things wouldn’t change. Max encouraged me to make an exit plan, teaching me about budgeting and saving since I didn’t have much experience with those. With his support, I started interviewing and eventually left by telling my employer I had another job, even though I didn’t. It wasn’t ideal, but I didn’t know how else to escape. Ultimately, Max’s encouragement gave me the courage and tools to leave.
With some encouragement and a series of other events, it became apparent that I needed to find work event planning in a way that I could bring my fullest, most authentic, vibrant self to the table every day, and Functions and Gatherings was born. In the early days, I was volunteering with nonprofits to beef up my resume, and eventually, I spent a few years planning corporate and non-profit events. In late 2022, it felt like it was time to bring Functions and Gatherings from a side gig to the main stage, and now here we are!
What inspired you to offer the services you provide?
When I was in a time of transition, plotting my next career move, I read "Equally Wed" by Kirsten Palladino and was inspired to bring my magic specifically to queer weddings. The book, written by two queer individuals, was inspired by their frustrating experience trying to find ideas, inspiration, and queer-friendly vendors for their wedding. The book began as their way of addressing the lack of representation in the wedding industry. It also highlights the unique freedom queer people have to break from traditional norms and create a wedding that truly reflects them. In addition to the book, they have a website with a directory and offer inclusion training for businesses to help make the wedding industry more queer-inclusive. The book provides examples of what other queer couples have done, along with ideas to inspire others, encouraging people to feel free to create the wedding of their dreams.
This was only 2 years after gay marriage was legalized, and even 9 years later, it's still a struggle to find affirming and authentic representation and vendors in the wedding industry for many different marginalized groups and especially queer people
Photo by: Diwas Photography
What is one of the biggest challenges you have faced in your journey as a service provider, and what did you do to overcome this?
Unsurprisingly, I've encountered a lot of homophobia on this journey. One big moment was at a business building conference in LA and we had been getting clear on our "why" and I was feeling good and excited about doing what felt so right! It came time to share with a neighbor in our vicinity and the woman next to me went first. After I shared my elevator pitch, she immediately launched into a vicious monologue defending business' right to deny service to queer couples if their religion doesn't believe that gay people have a right to be married. She was MAD. It was devastating. I was lucky to have been in attendance with friends that got it but it really took a good cry and several pep talks for me to bounce back from that.
Recently I had a national wedding advertising platform tell me that if I ever declined work from a religious couple or vendor that didn't align with my values (our right to celebrate queer love!!!) and it came to their attention that I would be removed from their site for being intolerant. They didn't get any of my advertising dollars and made it clear that they're willing to defend folks with hateful beliefs in the name of "inclusivity."
If you could give one piece of advice to future LGBTQ+ service providers within your field, what would it be?
Build community and relationships with like-minded pros, even if they're not in your immediate area! Many folks center equity and inclusion in their wedding businesses, including vendor-to-vendor connections. Community over competition is a common thread through these values.
For me, building community and relationships in my industry started with not shutting up about what I was doing. I made it a point to share not just my immediate plans but also where I wanted to go long-term. Early on, I went to a job fair hosted by GSBA, our local chapter of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, and met Alanna, who encouraged me to skip over traditional job applications and instead focus on starting my own business. Her advice to join the GSBA, learn everything I could, and pursue my vision was a game-changer.
I’ve found that being open about my goals, showing up authentically, and trusting my gut have been key. That includes knowing when to skip events that don’t feel right and focusing my energy on spaces and connections that align with where I’m headed. It’s about being intentional and unapologetic, even in environments that might feel unwelcoming.
Ask for the coffee date or the styled shoot collaboration. Attend the events! If the events aren't there, plan them! Find your people and build that business community.
Photo by: Jonas Seaman Photography
How does being openly queer inspire or impact your business?
Being openly queer has definitely influenced and inspired my business in ways I didn’t initially realize. A standout moment for me was discovering Famm through my website analytics when I noticed a click coming from your site. It turned out to be from Ryan Criswell’s article, where they mentioned that I had inspired them. That really made me reflect on how living authentically can have an impact.
I’ve found that by fully embracing who I am—whether it’s suggesting creative ideas that challenge people’s thinking, rocking hot pink velvet pants, or always having my nails done—I inspire others to push boundaries in their own ways.
Even small things, like showing up unapologetically myself, seem to give others permission to do the same. It’s about encouraging people to think beyond what they thought was possible, even if it’s as simple as asking, "What if we tried something completely unexpected?" If I can do it, why can’t they?
This could have easily been the longest answer in this interview. I think that the easiest summary would be to say that me living authentically gives other people inspiration and permission to do the same!
What brands or services by LGBTQ+ founders are your go-to's and why?
I love this question and there's no way I could narrow it down!
But I recently had my brand photo collaboration with Dress Up Box, which is a mobile photo studio here in Seattle. And it's just funny because Hannah likes to advertise it as a photo booth. But as someone who is fat and has the gender expression that I do, being photographed has always been a point of discomfort for me. But because Hannah's also a weirdo and has also built the concept of a mobile photo studio versus just a photo booth. It's like this real-life human is being there taking your photo. And like there's a better interaction. It's more personal. Yeah, and I just love working with Hannah and collaborating with others like super values-aligned vendors and personality-aligned vendors because sometimes we share values. We don't share personalities, or sometimes we share personalities, and we don't share values, and it's weird. So when we can hit like everything, it's cool.
Who is your favorite LGBTQ+ celebrity or figure, and why?
Recently I've been re-watching Project Runway (what a ride!) and have been reminded of my love of Tim Gunn. He's unapologetically himself and as a mentor, and he isn't afraid to say what needs to be said while making folks feel cared for and supported!
Can you share one fun fact about yourself?
I collect various types of vintage glass and carry a UV flashlight in my purse to identify uranium glass while thrifting!
Uranium is used as an additive to glass, giving it a slight green color. And it looks unassuming, and it's just like a light green. But when you put it under a black light, it glows like it's UV-reactive. And there are also different types. There's selenium, and I think lead glass glows pink, selenium glows orange, and other colors. So, they've added these UV-reactive minerals in specific vintage glass applications, which glow. So there's a lot of controversy around whether or not you like it; it shouldn't be your daily glass of water drinker because, like, you can get poison. After all, there's uranium in it. But, it's okay for extraordinary occasions to have this vintage glassware, and they still exist. It exists if you watch Blown Away on Netflix, and folks still use it. But it's nowhere near as standard for these household products as it was in the 30s, 40s, and 50s.
