How to add some Pride to your wedding

Photo by Jess Latos Photography

Happy Pride month!

To celebrate we wanted to look back at some of our favorite weddings and ways to incorporate pride into your wedding day. We here at The Plannery support all love and always have - when I moved here from NYC I was surprised to find little to no wedding planners openly embracing LGBTQ couples on their websites, marketing, etc. Things have changed a lot in the last ten years, but we’re still proud to support all love and all partnerships. So take a look, below, to see how you can show your support of the LGBTQ community on your big day

Use your Wedding Program to make a statement

We see many couples - gay, straight, and everything in between - use their programs to make a statement of support. Whether it be a quote, or some words directly from the couple, your ceremony programs are a great way to put in writing how you feel about equal rights, marriage rights and the LGBTQ community.

Add some rainbow details to fly your flag of support

Photo by Chris Ferenzi

Melissa and Tashia decided to use rainbow tissues during their ceremony as a nod to #pride

I loved this small detail (that did emerge when the tears emerged during their beautiful ceremony!) as a subtle way to show pride. Whether it’s tissues, rainbow boutonnieres, or some other small detail, adding a little rainbow to the mix is a symbolic and powerful way to show your support.

Hire wedding vendors who are LGBTQ supporters

Whether you’re an LGBTQ couple or not, hiring a wedding vendor who is outspoken and very explicit in their support and beliefs is a very important way to show support to the LGBTQ community. By giving your dollars to vendors that support others, it matters and does make a difference. As one of our clients said about The Plannery, “as both my husband and I consider ourselves allies of the LGBT community, I really appreciate how open they are about supporting LGBT couples as well couples of diverse/mixed backgrounds and religions… It was a refreshing ‘icing on the cake’ to work with a vendor who was so transparent and open about this topic and even though we don't personally identify, we truly admire this honorable approach to their services as we have many loved ones in our lives who do.”

Photo by Shawnee Custalow

Photos with pride

Photo by Susan Hornyak

Another way is to look for photo opps on your wedding day that show your pride! We adore Longview Gallery as a wedding venue - especially because of its proximity to Blagden Alley, an awesome alley with tons of murals - including this beautiful statement of LOVE.

Make a bold statement

Photo by Justin McCallum

Go big, or go home. Some couples decide to make a big statement - like one of my favorite couples who hired the incredible Riley Knoxx to perform at their wedding. Nothing says pride like kicking off your reception with a Beyonce impersonator (who also happens to be the first transgender performer to perform at an NBA game).

Nick and Zach's DC Microwedding

Photo by VNess Photography

Things have been pretty quiet around here due to COVID. But I’m happy to share a micro-wedding from Nick and Zach, one of our clients who were supposed to get married in August at the Carnegie Institution of Science. Never fear, they’ll be partying there next year to celebrate their marriage (and I’ll be coordinating!), but in the meantime, they got hitched THIS August to make it official. They did some photos with their photographer, VNess Photography, at Rock Creek Park , had an intimate ceremony with immediate family at the Kennedy Center, and ended the day with a delicious dinner at All Purpose Pizza by the Nats Stadium. Huge congrats to this wonderful couple! I’m so sorry we weren’t able to celebrate this August, but SO looking forward to helping you with your party in 2021!!

John and Jonathan's Long View Gallery, Washington, DC wedding

Susan Hornyak Photography

John and Jonathan were referred to me fairly last minute by some other clients of mine. I jumped in, super excited to work at Long View again and with this awesome couple - and on the day of DC pride, no less! Such a fun touch for their wedding day! 

John and Jonathan really wanted their evening to feel like a party - and they made some lovely small decisions that helped that vibe follow through. One of my favorites is that they greeted guests at the door prior to the ceremony. A reverse receiving line of sorts, I thought it was such a lovely touch that made guests feel welcome and made it an intimate affair. Their ceremony was also laid out with two aisles - an awesome decision that allowed the room to physically embody these two lives coming together, joining into a wonderful partnership and marriage. 

Post ceremony we had cocktails in the back gallery (with a champs bar, to boot), followed by a meal in the front gallery that featured three different stations for guests to visit which encouraged mingling and chatting. The room was stunning, with an awesome layout and rentals that really reflected the industrial vibe of Longview. 

Post dinner we all headed back to the gallery for The Bachelor Boys and the guys and their guests danced the night away!

Congrats again, John and Jonathan! And big thanks to Susan Hornyak Photography for the wonderful photos.

John and Jonathan's Vendors:

Coordination: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Venue: Long View Gallery

Caterer: Occasions Catering

Photographer: Susan Hornyak Photography

Band: The Bachelor Boys

Draping: Fabrication Events

Lighting: John Farr

Floral: Uncloudy Studio

Melissa and Tashia // Josephine Butler Parks Center Wedding, Washington, DC // DC Wedding Planner

In case you couldn’t tell, wedding season hit. Hence the silence on this here blog. The good news, however, is that the photos from the rad, beautiful and fun weddings I worked on this spring are rolling in and I have one of my favorites to share with you today - Melissa and Tashia’s Hollywood glam wedding at Josephine Butler Parks Center, with photos by Chris Ferenzi.

I met Melissa and Tashia way back when at last year’s Say I Do Expo (which I was sadly unable to attend this year due to another wedding). They hired me to help them nail down some of their major decisions and vendors, and then work with them on month-of coordination.

Here’s the thing about Melissa and Tashia - they are one of the sweetest couples you’ll ever meet. Their love for each other is truly palpable, they’re both insanely smart and ambitious, and they’re just a joy to be around. Not to mention - I finally got myself a bride in pants!!! (in case you weren’t aware of my obsession, see here). And good grief, what a hot bride in pants Tashia was (and that vest, and that lace… I could go on). Melissa rocked it equally hard with a stunning dress that featured a bolero she removed for the reception (hot hot hot) and those smokin’ red lips. She also had ridiculously hot shoes that somehow weren't photographed but trust me when I say they were beautiful. I had to get that out of the way cause I was completely obsessed with their bridal attire.

Ok.

Melissa and Tashia DIY’d a lot of their wedding and you’d never freaking know it. Melissa’s mother did the flowers (can you believe it?), Tashia’s cousin DJ’d, and they created all their own signage and a great record guest book!

After some getting ready pics, a first look, and fun family and bridal party shots, they had their ceremony. Filled with tears, laughter and rainbow tissues, it was simply beautiful. I can’t get over the smiles on their faces.

Cocktails were followed by a delicious meal by Main Event Catering - and then they danced and danced and danced.

I’ll let the rest of the photos speak for themselves, except to mention that M&T hired Tiny Paper Portraits to do hand-cut portraits for their guests. It was a huge hit and they were such a pleasure to work with. Such an awesome, classy alternative to the photo booth. Get on that, people.

Congrats again to Melissa and Tashia! You're such a beautiful couple, inside and out.

Melissa and Tashia's vendors:

Wedding Planner and Coordinator: The Plannery

Photographer: Chris Ferenzi

Venue: Josephine Butler Parks Center

Caterer: A Main Event

Make-up/Hair: Modern Bridal Studio

Cake: Sweet Black Orchid

Silhouette Artist: Tiny Paper Portraits