You might’ve noticed…
how quiet we’ve been over the past year or so, because WE GOT MARRIED!
On November 10, 2018, we said our “I-dos” at Cecil Creek Farm, a beautiful farm-to-fork barn venue nestled in Mickleton, New Jersey, surrounded by the people nearest and dearest to our hearts. It’s a day we keep replaying in our minds over and over again – the laughter, the tears, the food, drinks, and dancing. It was nothing short of perfect.
We had less than a year to plan, but since we’re creatives at heart, we wanted a healthy mix of natural charm and DIY for our special day.
Our wedding was intimate and different from start to finish. One of our best friends got ordained to marry us and personalized the entire ceremony. We wrote our own vows. We had a choreographed first dance. We avoided a sit-down dinner and instead had cocktail hour for three hours, topped off with three custom cocktails and a gourmet donut and milkshake truck for dessert (we hate cake).
We’d describe our wedding vibe as vintage travel. It came together beautifully – check out more details and photos below!
Save the Dates & Invites
From the moment we sent our save the dates, we wanted to send the vintage travel vibe. Shea designed our save-the-dates in the style of a vintage postcard.
When it came to sending invites, Kristin Nicole Graphic Designs literally blew our minds. She captured our vintage travel theme perfectly with a passport-inspired design, vintage stamps, and calligraphy.
Videography
WARNING: PREPARE TO CRY.
Thank you to Darren Leary at VIP Video for capturing the essence of our day. No description necessary – it speaks for itself.
Photography
Let’s just say we now consider ourselves friends with our photographer, Kerry McIntyre. She treated us and our pups as part of her family and absolutely blew us away with her attention to detail, down to the itinerary. Her photos told the story of our love from engagement our session all the way through to drinks and dancing. She truly went above and beyond for us.
Flowers, Centerpieces & Decor
We went very minimalist on florals and kept it to eucalyptus and greens from A Garden Party Florist as well as local flowers sourced from Cecil Creek Farm. Our centerpieces were a mixture of vintage books and cameras, oil lanterns, boho lace, and named after locations we traveled together. We perfectly enveloped the travel theme with our seating chart, guest book, and decor.
Food, Coordination & Rentals
When we made it to our big day, we literally wanted 0 things to worry about. Special shout out to:
- From Dusk Till Dog, who trained our pups leading up to and during our day so they could be in our ceremony and photos.
- 13th Street Cocktails, who makes a damn fine cocktail and whose mobile bar presence creates an experience like no other.
- Center Stage Entertainment, who had everyone dancing all night long
- Cecil Creek’s chefs, who kept the delicious farm-to-fork selections rolling for hours
- Carnivale Donut Bar, who gave us a delicious alternative to cake that our guests loved
- iconaBooth, who helped capture the debauchery in our photo booth
- Ana Sheridan, who is a true hair goddess
- Sarah Giovinetti’s Glam Squad, who made our faces flawless
- Vanessa Harkins at All That Jazz Dance Studio, who choreographed our first dance as wives despite Danielle’s never-ending awkwardness
Our Dresses
Two women planning a wedding together…well, you can imagine how that goes. While we disagreed on only some details, the one thing we completely agreed upon was that we wanted an intimate moment where we could see each other in our dresses for the first time. We both knew every other single detail, but we had no idea what one another’s dress looked like. To be honest, neither of us are dressy people, so this wasn’t as important to us as it might be to other brides. Above all, we looked for comfort and danceability. Danielle decided on the Galina Signature Plunging Illusion Bodice Lace Wedding Dress from David’s Bridal and Shea got Stella York’s Casual Chic Wedding Dress from Claire’s Fashions, a boutique in Delaware.
The Brides
Our wedding was perfect because we’re perfect for each other. Somehow the universe aligned and allowed us to find each other. 1 universe, 8 planets, 7 continents, 195 countries, and we had the luck of finding each other in a small New Jersey town.
Love is Love: A Final Note on Inclusivity
During wedding planning, we noticed a huge gap in the industry that essentially alienated people in the LGBTQ+ community.
At a bridal show, vendors assumed we were best friends. And when we clarified we were both brides, they asked what the dateS were to our weddingS. Plural.
Sales associates at bridal shops would throw around “husband” or ask “who’s the lucky guy?” when we looked at dresses.
It was insanely difficult to find anything that didn’t say “Mr. & Mrs” or “Bride & Groom,” and if we did, it was even harder to find something that didn’t really GAY IT UP.
Our guests struggled to choose from only a few rainbow-ridden cards at card shops, clearly labeled “Same Sex Weddings.”
People we no longer consider family RSVP’d “no,” simply because it was a same-sex wedding, which “violated” their religious beliefs.
Our DJ even slipped up and announced us as husband and wife while introducing us on the most important day of our lives.
We’ve come a long way, but we still have so far to go. All of these things – probably seemingly not a big deal to most people – make us feel foreign, aliens in our own skin. Not welcome. Not safe.
It’s not right.
It sometimes felt like a looming cloud during wedding plans. Our excitement was overshadowed by anticipation of these comments. And the anxiety over how we might answer. And the backlash we might get.
And while it’s hard for people who identify gays, lesbians, or bisexual, it’s even harder for gender non-conforming and transgender individuals.
It’s time to become more inclusive as a society as a whole.
Which is why we created Inclusive Apparel Co., an online store dedicated to apparel and accessories by and for the LGBTQ+ community. Many companies today sell these products. Some have anti-gay agendas yet will still take your money…and we just can’t have that. Which is why we’re committed to giving back and donating a portion of all proceeds to LGBTQ+ organizations.
Right now, most items you’ll see are geared toward Pride, which is coming up in June, when we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, a half-century of LGBTQ+ liberation. But in the coming months, we’ll add a ton more products – wedding and otherwise – that make people feel welcome, safe, and INCLUDED.
Love is love!
