May 22, 2013beach wedding, lesbian wedding, same-sex

debbie & tracy

Mandy from Love Above Photography writes, “I truly enjoyed the whirlwind of this destination beach wedding. Tracy’s father and stepmother own a beautiful home right on the beach, so it seemed a natural fit for them to get married in such a special place; double bonus that Washington is a same-sex marriage state. It seems almost fated the way things came together.

Shooting Civil Unions or Same-Sex marriages is double the fun, especially so when there are TWO amazing brides! There is double of everything, all the fun details – two dresses, two bouquets, two sets of awesome Chuck Taylors… you get the idea.”

May 20, 2013beach wedding, classic wedding, lesbian wedding, same-sex

kim & tonya

forrealequalityweddings Leave a comment

Luminaire Foto spent an evening photographing Kim & Tonya’s wedding in Naples, Florida. They share, “Kim and Tonya wanted their guests to take the journey that they took to get to where they are now. Seeing that they ended up in Florida together we decided to create a “florida” ceremony with the beach and palm framing the scene. Bt the most important time in their lives was when they met and went to school together in New York City. It was important to Kim that the reception be lush and green while Tonya wanted something a little more high energy so we thought the perfect combination would be to theme the reception after central park. We had an ice sculpture of the Brooklyn Bridge, Taxi cabs to escort the guests to the tables and even the Empire State Building for the cake. The beautiful couple wanted to wear the traditional gown for their wedding but then changed into a tux to dance the night away. After Kim surprised Tonya with a song written and sung to her, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. No better way to spend their 9 year anniversary than with their wedding day!”

Vendors

Event Planner: JET SET WED; Kehrin Noel, Charmed Weddings

Floral Designer: Botanicals on the Gulf

Lighting: O’Ryan Sound and Lighting

Event Venue: Naples Bay Resort

Photographer: Luminaire Foto

April 26, 2013classic wedding, lesbian wedding, same-sex

erin & christine

forrealequalityweddings 2 Comments

Kristin LaVoie wrote, “Erin & Crissy’s beautiful Chicago wedding was AMAZING! We started with incredible first look photos outside the MileNorth, and popped into their wine cellar for a couple shots before tour hitting parks and the lakefront throughout the city. Their incredible ceremony and reception took place at the MileNorth hotel rooftop, C-View, which is the highest rooftop bar in the city. IT WAS CHILLY! But you never would notice in these heartwarming photos! They opted for a Post-Wedding session “Mrs & Mrs” so they include their beautiful baby Sophia with her Mommies. The weather was so opposite; sunshiny and warm! It was a perfect end to their October nuptials!”

the couple met at The Daily Bar and Grill in Lincoln square in Chicago on New Year’s Day through a friend. they share their proposal story & some details about their day: “in may 2011 Christine and I took our dogs out for a walk at our favorite dog park. It’s a beautiful forest preserve where the dogs can run off leash and it is one of our favorite places to go. We were walking through the trails and Christine stopped walking got down and one knee and asked me to marry her!”

Mooney_Mooney_Kristin_La_Voie_Photography_IMG5532_low

“We were really excited about our photographer and loved all the photos, she was amazing and we could not have done better. We took pictures before the ceremony and reception and it was fun to spend the day together.”

Mooney_Mooney_Kristin_La_Voie_Photography_IMG6126_low

Mooney_Mooney_Kristin_La_Voie_Photography_IMG6128_low

Mooney_Mooney_Kristin_La_Voie_Photography_IMG6148_low

Mooney_Mooney_Kristin_La_Voie_Photography_IMG6256_low

Mooney_Mooney_Kristin_La_Voie_Photography_IMG6262_low

Mooney_Mooney_Kristin_La_Voie_Photography_IMG6281_low

Mooney_Mooney_Kristin_La_Voie_Photography_IMG6339_low

“Our officiant handed out blessings for some of our guests to read during the ceremony and that really was beautiful to have our guests be a part of the ceremony too. Our ceremony was personal and the officiant really took her time to tell our story and include our guests and we were so glad it was personal, it kept the ceremony intimate.”

Mooney_Mooney_Kristin_La_Voie_Photography_IMG6353_low

Mooney_Mooney_Kristin_La_Voie_Photography_IMG6364_low

Mooney_Mooney_Kristin_La_Voie_Photography_IMG6496_low

Mooney_Mooney_Kristin_La_Voie_Photography_IMG9097_low

“We really tried to focus on what we wanted to do and not get wrapped up in all the “shoulds” and expectations of weddings. We wanted it to be a smaller, intimate celebration and we kept it that way.”

vendors:

dresses: David’s Bridal – White by Vera Wang
hair: Maxine
makeup: Jennifer Barila
cake: Kathy Simkus, Golden Goose Catering
florist: Westgate Flower & Plant Shop
caterer/reception/ceremony location: C-View at the MileNorth Hotel

April 15, 2013classic wedding, lesbian wedding, same-sex

stephanie & corrine

forrealequalityweddings 6 Comments

i have “internet known” stephanie & corrine for quite some time now… i followed their wedding planning on their own blog, check out the furry friends on instagram regularly, and even helped make them an inspiration board! i couldn’t wait to see their wedding images, and these were definitely worth the wait. stephanie & corrine are two beautiful women who really put a lot of thought into their wedding day. they were married on october, 13th, 2012 in NYC. their photographer was Erica Camille.

they wrote, “On 2/13/11, Corrine proposed to Stephanie first at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, CT near the penguin exhibit. On 2/26/11, Stephanie proposed to Corrine at Grand Central Station in NYC through the “Whispering Wall.” Wedding planning commenced and we were legally wed on October 13, 2012 in NYC at the Midtown Loft and Terrace.

Our friends and family gathered on the terrace in 45 degree weather to show their love and support. Among our 100 guests included our amazing bridal party: Andrea (Stephanie’s best friend), Yvonne (Corrine’s best friend), Jason (Stephanie’s older brother) Madison (Our boxer puppy), Natalie (Cori’s younger sister), and Debbie (Stephanie’s older sister). The greatest moment before the ceremonial music commenced was being able to sign legal marriage documents, indicating that we will be recognized as wife and wife in the state of New York.

The ceremony began with our officiant’s beautiful opening words, followed by the “We Dos.” Afterwards, our officiant officially welcomed the guests, and then Corrine’s younger brother, Patrick, came up to the alter and read an excerpt from dive for dreams by e.e. cummings. We chose this reading because it speaks about following and trusting your heart. An invocation was done next, followed by our personal vows. We wrote our own vows and kept them a secret from each other. We are both writers and could not imagine not being able to speak our own words during such an intimate occasion:

Corrine’s Vows:

There are moments when I look at you that your beauty takes my breath away. Your strength empowers me to be stronger. Your faith helps me believe. I see amazement and wonder in your eyes. And I admire your quest for adventure and gladly join you in this journey called life. I promise to always encourage and support you. I promise to stay true to you and always keep open communication. Life is complicated and simple, beautiful and ugly, long and short depending on how you look at it and the only way I look at it is with you by my side. I am yours and you are mine until the sun rises in the west and sets in the east.

Stephanie’s Vows:

Your captivating soul captured my heart, leaving me defenseless in the best possible way. Not only do you have my beating heart, but you also have the air in my lungs and the bones in my spine. Every muscle beneath my flesh surges with you. With every fiber of my being and every inch of my soul, I promise to love you feverishly and without reservation. I promise to light up the sky when the sun sets on your path, always holding your hand along the way. I promise to be your wings, helping you to stand tall and I promise to remind you how extraordinarily beautiful you are, inside and out, every single day. Holding true to my promises is the least that I can do because you, my love, have so much more than just my heart; you have everything that keeps me alive.

The ring vows and the hand-fasting were done towards the end of the ceremony, during which Stephanie’s older brother, Jason, delivered a reading, i carry your heart by e.e. cummings. We chose this poem because it’s always been significant in both our friendship and romantic relationship.

As a whole, our wedding was both eco-friendly and animal friendly. Paper and silk flowers were used and vegan chocolates were given as favors. The proceeds from the chocolates went to animal shelters in the NYC area. Our menu was strictly vegetarian and our wedding cupcakes were vegan! We learned the waltz for our first dance song Existentialism on Prom Night by Straylight Run and the evening ended with an epic dance party to Paradise on the Dashboard Light by Meatloaf.”

what a party! congrats ladies!

April 10, 2013barn, lesbian wedding, same-sex

karen & bailey

forrealequalityweddings 2 Comments

this wedding was submitted by Intuition Photography. Photographer, Janine Bell shares their story. “The wedding was held at the Flying U Ranch in British Columbia, Canada. Karen grew up going to the Flying U Ranch in 70 mile house BC. Both her mother and Step-father used to take her there for family vacations. She continued the tradition introducing her partner, Bailey to the ranch. It became a special place for both of them and was a natural choice when deciding on a wedding venue even though they currently live in Victoria.”

McClean_Washbrook_IntuitionPhotography_b3uajt54

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding1061_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding1070_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding1123_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding262_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding274_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding276_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding306_low

“The Ceremony was incredibly heart felt. it was performed by Bailey’s longtime best friend Sarah. She got ordained just to be able to perform the ceremony. At first the couple looked for officiants willing to perform the ceremony, but 70 Mile House is a small remote town and they couldn’t find anyone willing to perform a same sex marriage. Sarah stepped in with the solution. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when the ceremony was finished. Both Karen and Bailey wrote their own vows. which were lovely and included promises such as, ‘I promise to open all your pickle jars’ ‘I promise to walk Bow (the couples’ dog)’”

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding317_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding319_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding340_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding363_low

McClean_Washbrook_IntuitionPhotography_b3uajt541

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding482_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding520_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding532_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding537_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding596_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding616_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding723_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding7942_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding788_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding713_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding871_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding882_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding903_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding941_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding949_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding899_low

“Bow (the dog) carried the rings down the aisle and served as maid of honor

The girls each had wedding dresses that were mirror images in colour. Karen in a large fluffy white gown with a champagne sash, that suits her girly personality. Bailey in an elegant champagne dress with a white sash that suited her understated nature.

After the ceremony, because it was sooooo hot, everyone changed, ran down to the lake and jumped in. So the reception ended up being everyone in jeans and t-shirts, around a campfire.”

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding646_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding671_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding676_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding682_low

“Bailey’s family has a long standing tradition of a cake topper. Every woman in their family when they married (going back 4 generations) had the same small silver bud vase with a white rose in it as a cake topper. Bailey’s grandmother brought it with her and placed it on top of the cake, told everyone where it came from. there were lots of tears!”

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding688_low

McClean_Washbrook_Intuition_Photography_KarenBaileyWedding702_low

April 1, 2013city hall wedding, elopement, lesbian wedding, same-sex

sara & shannon

forrealequalityweddings 3 Comments

De Nueva Photography wrote, “Sara and Shannon were married on September 28th, 2012 in Brooklyn. They are from North Carolina and decided to elope to NYC to make their marriage legal. They were married at City Hall and then they took portraits around lower Manhattan, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and Brooklyn Farmacy.”

Their story: “Shannon and I met through a dating website, curvepersonals.com. Our first date was to a Gillian Welch (who I had never heard before) concert and to Tyler’s tap room. Shannon is a beer enthusiast and this restaurant had a ton of beer! She is a very outgoing person and has no trouble talking to anyone, but this night, she was very nervous. She had cotton mouth. I was completely oblivious. We had planned to just go out as friends, since she wrote on the dating website that was all she was interested in. After the concert we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. 2 days later, she invited me out for a beer and we were pretty inseparable ever since.”

Their Proposal:

Sara’s to Shannon: May 27, 2011. My delivery was less than stellar. We had been talking about getting married for a little while and looked online at rings. We both really liked the ring that Jane Lynch had. I spoke to my dad’s friend who is a jeweler and he was able to custom make a similar ring for us and mailed it to me. One day I sat on the couch in our house and asked Shannon to sit next to me. I can’t really remember what I said, but essentially I shoved the box in her face and smiled. She said something like “whoa really??”. Then I got nervous and said I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her but didn’t want to rush the wedding.

Fast forward to August 2011. We were at the beach on vacation with my family. Shannon told me she needed some alone time and wanted a new bathing suit and was driving to Target. I was not allowed to join her. She was sneaky and even checked into Target on FourSquare. Apparently she was driving to the jeweler’s store to pick up my ring. When she came back w/o a bathing suit, she told me she couldn’t find one. We agreed to go to the beach. she wanted to go ahead of me. When I met her there, she was sitting on the sand next to a heart that she drew with a shell in the center. She told me to look under the shell (after digging a little bit), i found the ring.

Initially we were going to have a wedding in North Carolina with our friends and family, however, we also decided to buy a house. It was getting very overwhelming. Plus, we cannot legally get married in NC. So, my friend was already getting married in NYC. We decided to elope. We brought one of our close friends with us as a witness. The 3 of us went to the courthouse and got married. We were lucky to have been assigned a judge (Milton) who was fantastic! Shannon got his life story before we even got married.

The plan was to fly into NYC and arrive at 7:30am, take a shuttle to the hotel, change clothes, and get to the courthouse by 11. The weather did not cooperate. Our flight was delayed because there was a dent in the plane (they had to repair the dent..grr), so our flight was an hour delayed. When we arrived in NYC, it was POURING. We opted for a cab which took us 1 1/2 hours to get close to Manhattan. We told the driver to take us directly to the courthouse. We dragged our suitcases in the pouring rain into the bldg. The clerk asked if we were moving in. I said “maybe”. After getting our license, we were directed across the street (in the rain) to the courthouse to get the waiver signed so we didn’t have to wait the 24 hr waiting period to get married. They kindly told us that a judge could marry us right then! We went into the disgusting NYC public bathroom and changed into our wedding dresses. We went back to the courtroom to meet the judge and to pay for the wedding. I handed the clerk a credit card to which she said “We only take cash”. So, I ran down to the basement to the ATM to get cash. I ran back up while shannon was hurriedly texting our friend to get there, and slapped the $25 on the table. We were ready to go

Milton the judge did a fabulous job with our ceremony. He was so personable and said just the right things. When we were pronounced spouses, we ran back across the street to have our photo shoot with Nicki (which was a blast!). Then we went back to our hotel, changed into jeans, and grabbed a beer at the closest pub

My dad was in NY for our friends’ wedding, so he and kelli met us for a beer and a snack. Later than night we had dinner with my best friend from high school and her fiance. It was a fabulous day!!!

We are planning a party in NC in June for our friends to celebrate with us. It’ll be at a local wine bar with food and great music.”

their advice: Communication is the key. We don’t fight very often and I think the reason is because we talk about everything. We don’t go to bed angry. Communication and honesty is what will make our marriage last

March 29, 2013lesbian wedding, same-sex, wedding

candice & abigail – married

forrealequalityweddings Leave a comment

Fenna Blue of Short Girl Photography shares the story of Candice & Abigail’s wedding: “Following their awesome engagement, Abigail and Candice were married in the cutest little one-room school house on the outskirts of Wooster, OH on September 8, 2012. In keeping with the “Country Chic” theme of their engagement shoot, their wedding was full of the most awesome details! From the school house, to the antique car used to take them from the ceremony to the reception, to the preserves given as wedding favors, everything was just wonderful! Candice and Abigail used a local florist, Fruitful Flowers, who grew all of the flowers for their event and arranged them. They had a chalkboard artist create a country scene on the blackboard that ran the length of the wall behind their ceremony stage. They had dried lavender bouquets for Candice and her bride’s maids.

The College of Wooster, where Abigail teaches, also played an important part of the day. We met for portraits before the event at Kauke Arch on the college campus, and they were led into their receptions by a student bagpiper wearing the traditional uniform of yellow and black kilt. The reception was held at The Wooster Inn, a wonderful restaurant that is also LGBT owned. Standing outside the reception, directing people into the space, was a crossroads sign featuring cities where important events happened for them, with the distance to that place from Wooster. The seating arrangement was hung in a frame on a table that included their guestbook, some antiques, the favors, and photos of their family members. The table centerpieces had little booklets with a request to give them advice for the year of their marriage that coincided with the table number. Every detail from their ceremony to reception was really well thought out and very personal. It was a lovely day with plenty of sun and lots of awesome, Ohio, country details!

The rehearsal dinner was held at Broken Rocks, a cafe in Wooster. They used the Black Squirrel Inn for Abigail and her bride’s people to get ready. Photography by Fenna Blue and Nathaniel Allen of Short Girl Photography.”

A note from Candice: “It was important for us to have our wedding in the community in which we live. Our message being, LGBTQ people should be able to marry anywhere, we believe someday we will.”

Vendors:

The Wooster Inn

Broken Rocks

Black Squirrel Inn

Short Girl Photography

March 27, 2013lesbian wedding, same-sex

jenna & jenna

forrealequalityweddings 2 Comments

i love this wedding. it is so traditionally beautiful, yet also has so many adorable unique aspects to it that really make this truly the jennas’ wedding. i do have to say though, that being a UVa grad, it was a bit hard for me to publish a Virginia Tech grad’s wedding, but i got over my hang-ups quickly because i was just too excited to share this with you all! also, their proposal story reminded me so much of my own – and in fact would have been almost exactly the same had our flight to San Francisco not been delayed…

there are many things that i love about this wedding, but my favorites are definitely the matching embroidered button-downs for hair & make-up, the casual porch gathering during wedding prep, the emotion on their parents’ faces, the dad-daughter first look, the impeccable details of the reception, the epic dance-party that ended the night, and of course, the morning-after bridal party mug shots!

congrats jenna & jenna!

their photographers, Kathy & Matt of Mathy Shoots People wrote, “The Jenna’s are too cute for words. They were married in early September among the vines at Running Hare Vineyard in Solomons Island, MD. The day was happy and relaxed all the way through. The weather was absolutely perfect and it went off without a hitch! The girls prepared separately with family and bridesmaids and waited to have their first look be from either end of the aisle. Classic romance. Proceeded by the flower girl carrying a “here comes the brides” sign, the Jenna’s came down the aisle one by one accompanied by their fathers. It was a beautiful ceremony that focused on appreciating the support and love they had felt from each and every one of their guests throughout the years. It was very touching. They also boxed a bottle of wine for their anniversary! The reception was a complete party. The Jennas booked a full band who absolutely rocked! There was partying and dancing through to the end of the reception and it followed to a bar after that! It was such a blast watching these two families come together bonded by the love of these two wonderful women! “

now, onto their story…

How did you two meet? Fate isn’t something either of us thought about in a relationship until we met in the Fall of 2009. Few words were spoken when we were introduced for the first time at a tailgate for a Virginia Tech football game. It was just a feeling that we both got instantly without knowing much about each other. When the weekend festivities ended in Atlanta, we exchanged numbers and spent every waking moment in contact with each other. Three weeks later, Jenna flew to Richmond for a short weekend, and we realized what we felt the moment we first met was an amazing love.

How did the proposal happen? (From Jenna Reich’s Perspective): It started as a race through the security checkpoint at Regan National Airport on our way to San Francisco. I didn’t take my eyes off the backpack the entire first 3 days of the trip. If Jenna couldn’t find something you better believe l looked for everything to make sure she didn’t look in the backpack.

After 3 amazing days exploring San Francisco and keeping the biggest secret of my life we were off to pick up our Jeep Wrangler to make the scenic drive from San Francisco to Napa Valley, where we would spend the next few days. Once we checked into our hotel I was off to figure out where to put the ring before heading to our first tasting. This may be the only time I have regretted not carrying a purse, for once I had something I couldn’t have Jenna hold on to for me.

Luckily for me Sperry’s little ties are the perfect security for an engagement ring. After the first tasting we pulled down a private dirt road into the vines. We got out and walked through the vines when it felt like the perfect moment. It was there in the Robert Sinskey cabernet vines where I asked Jenna to be my wife. Jenna had always thought she would be the one who would propose, so needless to say she was shocked and beyond ecstatic.

(From Jenna Nobles’ Perspective): What Jenna didn’t know when she proposed was that I already bought a ring for her. Originally, I planned on proposing while we were in California, but her ring didn’t come in for eight weeks. When we got back from vacation I was so anxious to pick up her ring.

A week after we got back to DC, the jeweler called and Jenna’s ring had finally arrived. I immediately hopped on the metro and went to pick it up. Luckily Jenna was working late that night, so I had some time to set up.

I had already decided that I wanted to do something at this little park behind our house in the city where we would always have picnics and take Kota for play dates. The timing was perfect by the time Jenna got off work and walked home.

I left Jenna a note at home that said I took Kota (our dog) to our spot if she wanted to meet us. We were waiting in the park as the sun set with flowers and a nice bottle of wine we brought back from Napa. When Jenna walked up the steps to the park Kota ran up to her with the ring tied around her neck. She said yes of course, and we made a toast to the past, present, and future.

Were certain traditions incorporated into the day? Both of us were walked down the aisle by our fathers where they traditionally gave us away. I went down first, and my dad and I waited as Jenna and her father walked down to Cannon in D. She was stunning in a form fitting sweetheart cut dress. My favorite thing about her was the birdcage. I had no idea she was wearing one.

One of our favorite touches was the wine box in place of the unity candle for our ceremony. Jenna and I wrote love letters to one another and sealed them in a box with a bottle of the vineyard’s wine. The officiate explained to our family and friends as music played that these letters were written to express how happy we were on this day. Neither of us knew what the other had written. If in the event we hit a rough patch we are supposed to open the box and read our letters in separate rooms to remember this day. The hope is we never open this box and on our 10th wedding anniversary we open the box, read the letters and share the wine.

What are a few favorite things about your day: Having two girls plan a wedding means details, details, details! Jenna and I had the time of our lives picking out bridesmaid dresses, color schemes, hors d’oeuvres, the whole nine. There were a few things that were non-negotiable in the planning process. We wanted a large band. We ended up booking an 8-piece band that quite literally blew the roof off the place. The dance floor was packed the entire night. My dad and I shagged for our first dance to Carolina Girl by Chairman of the board.

If we had to give our wedding a theme it would be ‘vineyard prep.’ From the groomsmen’s navy vested suits and mum boutonnieres to the bridesmaid’s slate gray dresses with pearls it was gorgeous. We used hydrangeas everywhere! They were on our invitations, they lined the aisle, and everyone in the wedding had some in their bouquet.

We spent many nights up late with DIY projects like the cork name cards, and table numbers that had our yellow lab Dakota on them. We were in our element. We wanted to put our special touch on everything. More importantly, we planned this wedding with our friends and family in mind. We wanted everyone to have a great time. It was all about the experience for us, and thanking everyone for their support.

A few words of advice to share with other couples: Just have fun — You’ll inevitably hear horror stories along the way about mother of the brides, budgets and day of mishaps, but remember the wedding is all about you and your soon to be wife/husband. Celebrate your love, and keep what makes you guys happy in the fore front of all of your decisions. If you ever get too stressed out with the planning… open a bottle of wine, look through old pictures and remember you’re doing this with your best friend.

March 21, 2013classic wedding, lesbian wedding, same-sex

soleil & shawna

forrealequalityweddings 4 Comments

this beautiful & patriotic wedding was submitted by Aubrey Greene Photography. soleil and shawna were married on july 4th, 2012. you’ve also seen her work in Katie & Alyssa’s wedding – lovely, as always!

From Soleil, “Shawna and I heard of one another through a mutual acquaintance and at that point had only seen one another’s photo. We began to email, which led to texting, soon phone calls followed, and Shawna tried her best to get me to meet up with her. I declined her requests every time not knowing what to make of our new budding friendship. We share a mutual love for the beach, so eventually after a month of eluding, I allowed her a “date” as long as somewhere in the day we could share coffee on the sand. We made it to the beach at twilight and, in Florida, the lightning strikes cloud to cloud (dry lightning) and it was just perfect, the cool sand in July, the constant comfort of the ocean waves, the longing look of each others eyes… and no first kiss. I never let Shawna live it down! What a perfect opportunity, right?! Still, we became inseparable throughout the months. Come early April, we are back at the beach, this time early morning, and I’m goofing off reminding her (again) how she wasted an opportunity to kiss me. In my goofing off, I begin to “rap” (yes, a hidden talent of mine that I’ve kept hidden for a reason… I’m TERRIBLE at it.) and, lo and behold, she finds this a PERFECT opportunity to propose! When… I’m… Rapping. OH, HEAVEN. Of course, I accept, finally after receiving that “perfect” kiss. And to sum it all up, we’re even now. She didn’t kiss me at the perfect time, I ruined a proposal with my awesome rapping skills. Way to go us! “

”What makes our wedding so unique is that 1.) we’re lesbians 2.) getting married in the first state to allow gay marriage (and Shawna’s hometown of Dighton) 3.) on the day that our country claimed independence and 4.) Shawna’s Republican and I’m a Democrat. Everything about our day screams “Activists!”. I’m sure a lot of people say this, but everything about our day was our favorite. Everything felt as it should be, no nerves ever surfaced. Even Shawna’s mother was comforted by the atmosphere of our day stating “Shawna’s not freaking out, Soleil’s not freaking out. I’m not freaking out! Everyone’s ok.” It rained that morning and cleared up JUST in the nick of time. Letting go of what we could not control was the BEST for all of us!!! No doubt!”

“Throughout our very short time period of getting the wedding ready, I learned that inner strength and desires trump all. We never gave up on what made Shawna and I who we are and that was “simplicity”. Choosing The Fourth of July symbolized everything we believe this country is and will be in the near future. All in all, we strive for the pursuit of happiness every single day… our wedding day was going to be no exception to that rule.”

March 20, 2013classic wedding, lesbian wedding, same-sex

allison & cindy

forrealequalityweddings Leave a comment

photographer Leanne Rose submitted these few glimpses into Allison & Cindy’s summer wedding. One of the brides, Allison, wrote, “We met at work, from that first day we became great friends and had an instant connection. That was eight years ago, we have lived together for five. During our first year of living together Cindy asked my mother for my hand, but not for marriage, but for her blessing. We are truly blessed to have each other and family who are just as happy. She is my best friend, my soul mate, and partner I get to spend my life with.