Archive for November, 2009

Introducing Alyia

Posted on November 30th, 2009 by Alyia. 6 Comments

Alyia

About me: I work in the nonprofit sector at an organization that combines environmental work with youth development, and I’m constantly reading, starting knitting/crochet projects I don’t finish, and trying to convince people that being a “cat mom” is good practice for being a parent. Both my partner and I are lifelong Pittsburghers, and consider ourselves to be about the luckiest people in the world. It’s not that we don’t love other cities and all they have to offer… it’s just that they don’t have the Steelers, or the Penguins, or pierogies, or the rivers, or… well, you get the point. We met while we were in high school at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center’s youth group, and the rest is history. We like tasting wine and beer, enjoying local food, being outside, and taking road trips.
I’m so excited to join the SoYou’reEnGAYged community!

More about me after the jump: (more…)

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Invitation Wording for Same-Sex Couples by Sara from Stinkerpants Designs

Posted on November 30th, 2009 by Kelly. 2 Comments

Kelly
Bio: Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder of So You're EnGAYged

Sara from Stinkerpants Designs is both a So You’re EnGAYged pro-gay vendor and an amazing ally(she designed and offers the coolest gay marriage bumper sticker ever- both Lara and I have it on our cars!). So when we needed help with ideas for wording gay wedding invitations, I promptly emailed her.

Wording for wedding invitations can be a laborious process of answering questions like, “who is paying for this wedding?” and “do we include my ex-step-dad?” At the end of the day, the wording for wedding invitations tends to matter most to people in your immediate family (read: the people who think their names should be on the invitation and may be offended if they’re not). But because weddings are usually about family, sometimes it’s best to err on the side of honoring your close family members.

two-brides-wedding-invitations

If you’re a non-traditional couple, things might be a bit easier for you because you’re not concerned with formalities. In case you’re curious, you can find a full list of the “correct” etiquette for wedding invitation wording from Martha Stewart. Meanwhile, I’ll share with you guys some of the choices my previous clients have used, and a few of my other favorites:

Short and Sweet:

Together with their parents
The Couple
invite you to celebrate their wedding
Date, Time
Location
Dinner and Dancing to Follow

or

The Couple
invite you to share in their love
as they celebrate their marriage
on Date at Time
at Location
located at Address
Reception to follow

or

The Couple
joyfully request the pleasure of your company
at their wedding celebration
Date, Time
at Location
Address
Dinner and Dancing to Follow

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Real Commitment Ceremony in Texas : Angel and Shirley

Posted on November 30th, 2009 by So You're EnGAYged. No Comments

So You're EnGAYged

Angel and Shirley were kind enough to write us about their commitment ceremony in Texas. Katherine O’Brien was their photographer who broke out her holga camera for a lot of these shots! Also, thank you to Heather Hill who was their wedding planner.

Angel and Shirley met two years ago at a coffee shop for the first time after exchanging emails. Angel had written a post about the dating scene in Austin, Texas and out of the ten or so emails she received in response to her post, Shirley’s was one that caught her eye.

gay-wedding-texas

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Wedding Planning Update

Posted on November 25th, 2009 by Wasabi. 3 Comments

Wasabi
Wedding Date: Spring 2011
Bio: I just finished up my MBA while planning our wedding, learning about Judaism, and hitting the ski slopes at every opportunity. My fiancée, Ginger, helps disabled kids here in New Orleans when she’s not reading or snowboarding. We are getting married on May 21, 2011 at a funky art museum in a traditional Jewish ceremony followed by an unconventional wedding reception.

Finally! We are taking our first trip home since getting engaged in just a couple of days to celebrate Thanksgiving. This Friday we will be walking through our venue for the first time, the American Visionary Art Museum. With both sets of parents along for the ride, we will spend a few hours checking out the exhibits and meeting with the facility manager at the museum. Then, we are having a tasting that evening with an awesome, ’green’ caterer. I’ll be taking lots of pictures to share when I get back.

Have any advice on first vendor visits?

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Plus-size dress shopping: Round 2

Posted on November 24th, 2009 by Sar. 7 Comments

Sar
Wedding Date: June 26, 2010
Bio: I'm an east coast transplant from the midwest, and a graphic designer by trade. When I'm not working I love to read, play video games, and do crafty things like sew and silkscreen. I love The Office, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and I am a huge LOST nerd.

us in dresses

So I finally got my fiancee to go dress shopping, and of course the second one she tried on was the one she decided to get. I am having a little more trouble finding something that I really love. Sometimes I wonder if the shows on TV trick us into believing that when you put on THE dress you will just know. I have tried on a million dresses and I am still waiting for that feeling of euphoria. I have narrowed the field of dresses I like at David’s Bridal to two. Which is good but its a little frustrating because the one I really like everyone hates. Maybe I just can’t see how terrible it looks.

We tried these dresses on at a store in Michigan while we were visiting my family for Thanksgiving. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of dresses they had in my size. When I was at the store in North Carolina I gave the consultant a list with more than 10 dresses I liked and she only had two in a size I could try on. I was ecstatic that the store in Michigan had a few dresses for me to try on that even the website warned were only available in select stores. So the best place to try on plus size wedding gowns appears to be the midwest! The only downside to shopping for wedding dresses with your partner in a conservative super religious town like the one I grew up in is that you run into people who aren’t as accepting. We had a woman and her daughter next to us trying on dresses who were very nice until she started to put the pieces together. Finally she turned to us and asked if we were sisters, and I politely said no. Then she asked if we were cousins, and again I said very politely no. She wouldn’t be satisfied with that and pushed again asking if we were friends getting married around the same time. No, we are marrying each other I responded, and her jaw hit the ground.  After she picked her jaw up off the floor she gathered her daughter and moved to the other side of the store, but That didn’t stop us from having tons of fun trying on all these dresses!

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What to Wear to a Wedding and What I Dont WANNA!

Posted on November 24th, 2009 by Derek. 3 Comments

Derek
Wedding Date: October 16, 2010
Bio: I’m a former actor/singer turned Baker from San Francisco. I’m an alumni of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, While I was living and studying in NYC In 2005 I met the love of my life randomly through an accidental myspace mishap. Now we live in Las Vegas, NV

I’ve been contemplating for awhile now what I’d like to wear to the wedding, actually its something I have thought about for years… before I even met Joey. I guess some little girls (and fabulous boys) dream of the big poofy dress and veil but there are definitely those little (less fabulous) boys like me who’ve known for a long time what they would like to wear to the big day. I feel like to frequently men’s formal attire is locked into two groups Suits and Tuxedos. Neither of which I find myself identifying with.

My Prom Photo... we posed silly but the reaction is still appropriate

My Prom Photo… we posed silly but the reaction is still appropriate

I’ve worn a tuxedo exactly three times in my life: Once on a cruise to celebrate Y2K when I was 15 and I thought it would be snazzy to wear zoot suit tux. It wasn’t. Once to my Senior Prom, it was an ill-fitting baby blue vested black tux with tails which I thought would add a sense of personal flair. It didn’t. And the last was a classic tuxedo I wore in my high school production of 42nd Street, which was supposed to make our awkward chorus of teenage boys seem dashing. It was a good try. The point is I’ve never liked the way I looked or felt in tuxedo, they simply don’t suit me. My good-natured mother has been nudging (occasionally shoving) me to wear a tux on my wedding, and both parents have commented that I’ll regret it if I don’t. But is it crazy to say I don’t think I will, so long and I feel my most handsome that day. Plus if we want to talk about regrets we could talk about the powder blue ultra 70′s with ruffles and tinted sunglasses number my Dad wore to his wedding. Yes its as amazing and funny as you’re imagining. (more…)

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