Real Couples // Classmate Love Story: Nicole + Stephen

Real Couples // Classmate Love Story: Nicole + Stephen

It was a perfect fall day in the East Bay. Nicole hung out with her best friends, sister and grandmother while getting her hair and makeup done while Stephen and his mom practiced their first dance, and his dad was there to help with his tie. The ceremony took place in the beautiful redwood grove at Piedmont Community Hall with many friends and family in attendance. A special chair was set aside with flowers in remembrance of Nicole’s mom.

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The Avowed Podcast // Episode 06: Reaching Out

The Avowed Podcast // Episode 06: Reaching Out

Jasmine speaks with bride-to-be Hannah Easterly about splitting her wedding celebration up into three events, sharing your vows with an audience, allowing your wedding vendors some creative freedom, and choosing between a legally binding marriage or something less defined.

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Elopement Inspiration // Ska, Psychobilly, + Punk Rock

Elopement Inspiration // Ska, Psychobilly, + Punk Rock

The inspiration for this shoot came, for the most part, from my own personal experiences. I knew that I wanted to embrace the romance of an elopement (my husband and I eloped!) and that I wanted to showcase the beauty of unconventionality by adding subcultural elements. I wanted there to be courtship and passion without losing a sense of self; I wanted there to be strength and individuality as well without losing the aspect of soft femininity. Three of my favorite styles of fashion and music are 1960-1970s ska (Rudies), psychobilly, and punk rock; this was the driving force behind making my vision a reality. There are no fancy venues or elaborate décor here. This is meant to be the down-to-earth, private, backyard celebration you’d love to have with the people closest to you.

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My Feminist Wedding // Making Our Own Wedding Rings

My Feminist Wedding // Making Our Own Wedding Rings

Searching for wedding rings can be exhausting. There are seemingly millions of options — and you don’t want to choose something flippantly because it is something you plan to wear for the rest of your life. It should be special. It should mean something. You should love your ring, right? After all, the wedding ring symbolizes your never-ending, unbroken devotion to your chosen life partner. It’s a big deal.

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Real Families // A Long Awaited Love: Roxann + Trey + Lark

Real Families // A Long Awaited Love: Roxann + Trey + Lark

Roxann and Trey have traveled in the same orbit since they were 18 years old, their lives circling around each other and convening at certain points. When tragedy struck they got closer, but it just was not the right time yet. Through relationship after relationship, they stayed in each other's orbit being that shoulder for each other but declaring nothing because the orbit was just not perfect. After a decade of love, support, and caring it all finally clicked, and they knew the other was their person. Seeing them together, it's obvious that even though it took a while to get to this point, it was the exact perfect point for them both. They are already a family, and their wedding in June of this year will just solidify what was known by all.

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Real Couples // Married in the Spotlight: Mitch + Erynne

Real Couples // Married in the Spotlight: Mitch + Erynne

Mitch and Erynne are a special kind of special, man. Mitch met Erynne at a show they played together at Chicago's Double Door, and the rest was quickly history. So it seemed only fitting they'd marry in a place where they met: onstage. They wed at the Bottom Lounge, a venue in Chicago's West Loop, surrounded by over 200 of their closest friends and family. 

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Out of the Box Challenge // Diamonds & Pearls

Out of the Box Challenge // Diamonds & Pearls

It didn’t take our team long to get to a point where we felt like we were bending and molding to a pre-existing set of norms surrounding what a wedding is “supposed” to look like. Here we were, a group of incredibly intelligent and progressive women trying to change The Conversation, hitting up against a wall because, as one of the brilliant minds on the team commented, “trying to create something and perform according to the rules of the ‘typical wedding fantasy’ really doesn’t feel very queer at all.”

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Real Couples // Resilient Love: Jess + Crystal

Real Couples // Resilient Love: Jess + Crystal

Jess and I met at Arizona State University when we were 18 years old and freshly out of the closet to our very religious families. We started dating in 2011, without acceptance or support from our families. My sisters were the only supportive ones from my family. We lived at the dorms for a semester because we had no where to go. We moved into our first apartment when the semester ended and slept on the floor for months. We didn't have anything but a few blankets, pillows, clothes, and towels. We saved the first nine months together to buy our first couch and continued saving for other basic things. Five years later, on our 5th year anniversary (10/26/16), we tied the knot! Our parents aren't fully on board, but Jess's are a little more supportive. I'm still struggling with my parents. We have been through very rough lows and some good highs, we have grown stronger together, and been there for each other when it's most needed.

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Wedding Inspiration // Best Friends in Love: Cammie + Marie

Wedding Inspiration // Best Friends in Love: Cammie + Marie

These ladies are a beautiful couple madly in love. They were just friends for years, both dating other people. When they both found themselves single, a love blossomed. Both are simply divine people...and both are hilarious. The shoot was a blast. Cammie is a coach and is back in school. Marie is an area food safety and nutrition agent. They live together in a cute lil' house in Greenville, South Carolina.

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Ask A Professional Florist // Why Do Wedding Flowers Cost So Much?

Ask A Professional Florist // Why Do Wedding Flowers Cost So Much?

Q: Pricing for wedding flowers is often confusing to couples—sometimes even a shock. Often, couples budget a lot less than floral designers charge. Why do you think that is, and what do you wish couples knew about it? 

A: The two main components that impact price are the flowers themselves and the labor to design, transport, and deliver or install the flowers. 

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Real Couples // Long-time Sweethearts: Mike + Ashlee

Real Couples // Long-time Sweethearts: Mike + Ashlee

We met at church; his mom was my Girl Scout troop leader. He was always trolling and dropping in on our Girl Scout meetings. We were like kindergarteners. I'm pretty sure he picked on me because he was so in love, lol. We became really close friends and remained that way through college.

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Real Couples // A Long Time in the Making: Jennifer + Quinton

Real Couples // A Long Time in the Making: Jennifer + Quinton

Jennifer and Quinton's love story is that was a long time coming. In eighth grade he fell for her quickly; she took some time. They dated for a brief period before she called it off. He stuck by her, being a great friend and over the years, as these stories tend to evolve, she, as he says it, finally got it right! Their wedding was a celebration of not just a love story a long time in the making but a blending of families and friendships. Each person involved in the wedding, from the vendors to the wedding party, were people who had a place of significance in each of their lives and in the story of their love. From getting ready until they said "goodnight," it was not just about Jennifer and Quinton, but about family.

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Black BeauTEA Talk // Natural Bridal Hairstyles Especially for Black Brides

Black BeauTEA Talk // Natural Bridal Hairstyles Especially for Black Brides

Black BeauTEA talk is a monthly column, and I look forward to bringing you ladies all sorts of TEA. No, seriously I'll definitely be sharing with you all what tea (as in the drink) I'm sipping as I write each post, as well as what tea (as in the latest news) I'm sipping as far aa beauty tips, tricks, and products for us.

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My Feminist Wedding // Digging into Family History of Cultural Oppression

My Feminist Wedding // Digging into Family History of Cultural Oppression

My grandparents were part of the buffer class unintentionally established by the Dutch over their three hundred and fifty years of colonialism in Indonesia. My very Asian-looking grandmother has the beautiful European name of Gladys, and her dark husband is named Renee. Throughout the years, a few stories and asides have been mentioned in passing by both of my grandparents, and a documentation of their experiences as teenagers in Indonesia was in process. Piecing together these stories results in a remarkable history of my family and culture.

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Out of the Box Challenge // Two for Joy AKA "Shut the fuck up!"

Out of the Box Challenge // Two for Joy AKA "Shut the fuck up!"

We met in person for drinks and were unanimously feeling we had picked the perfect couple. Our first evening together was spent listening to stories of their meeting: an almost-missed connection, driving hours to meet halfway for a first date, facing a fear of heights, falling in love, moving to the same city, revisiting the first date and Carolina’s fear of heights during the proposal (“I still don’t know what the view looks like.”). We felt that Sarah's entire body seemed to smile while talking about Carolina, and Carolina's deep, soulful smile and tenderness toward her future bride were qualities we couldn't wait to convey.

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Real Couples // We Knew After A Month: Amanda + Lauren

Real Couples // We Knew After A Month: Amanda + Lauren

Our ceremony was, and is, the most meaningful aspect of our wedding for the both of us. Lauren wrote the whole thing. (Amanda: I would love to take even partial credit for it, but I can't. I contributed maybe ten words total. The rest of the time she just read me what she wrote while I cried. Good tears, obviously.) We loved that our vows were written to reflect our lives together—our joys, our struggles, our shared experiences—but it was also important that we each repeated those same vows to one another

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The Avowed Podcast // Episode 04: This Glorious Mess

The Avowed Podcast // Episode 04: This Glorious Mess

The wildly in love photographers behind Kindred Wedding Co., Elle Wildhagen and Zach Domes, open up about rejoicing in the dark, messy moments of love, gendered narratives, silent discos, the evolving language of “we” and how familial sagas of love and divorce help shape our contemporary perspectives on love.

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