ABSTRACT
Etsy’s sign-up page for its wedding emails depicts a light-skinned couple and encourages readers to “Subscribe” and buy into its connection of weddings, heterosexuality, and whiteness. 1 This focus on lightness is underscored by the color of the bride’s clothing and the large expanse of cream-colored sky. The woman’s cream blouse and contrasting belt, which she wears over her big ivory wedding dress, mark her as a do-it-yourself bride who participates in Etsy’s culture of “unique goods.” 2 Rather than appearing with their family and friends in a church or groomed garden setting and following customs, the couple act as Etsy’s proxy and stand alone in an overgrown field. The music for their personalized ritual seems to have come from the guitar, which now hangs over the groom’s shoulder. The couple underscores their tie to each other and Etsy, rather than a proximate community, by looking at the sign-up form and each other. They hold between them a handmade string of pennant flags that is imprinted with the word “love” and two hearts. These hearts connect them to Etsy because they are handcrafted versions of Etsy’s “Favorite” icon, which lets individuals express an interest in listings and the culture that the setting markets. Such wedding images are featured on web-based advertisements, photography sites, social networking pages, fashion and wedding forums, and image sharing settings. Sites such as eBay and Etsy use these heterosexual weddings to stand in for their members and ethos.
