So You're EnGAYged, a LGBT wedding blog

Rose and I met in high school and became good friends even though I was a senior and she was… a freshman. [insert cradle robbing joke here]. We did not start dating until after I had graduated and started college. We got more serious by the time Rose was in her junior year. So, naturally, when her prom rolled around, we wanted to go together. The problem was that we went to an all-girl’s Catholic school… the kind with nuns, knee high socks, and lectures about saving yourself for marriage. So, we basically snuck into prom together. Rose bought our tickets in advance and that night, we quickly rushed into the ballroom, hoping nobody would notice that I was no longer a student there. Just as we were getting settled in, one of the teachers pulled us to the side and told us that the rules did not allow for a prom date to be female. They quickly escorted us out of the event, before dinner was even served.

Yeah, we totally got kicked out of high school prom for being gay… We’re such rebels.

We felt pretty defeated that night, but when Rose returned to school, everyone was abuzz about how unfairly she had been treated. At least we started raising awareness about equality! One girl even came up to us at the prom to tell us that we were her heroes.

This year, over 7 years later (whoa, I feel old all of a sudden), a local lesbian event company called S.H.E. Productions threw “Gay Prom 2011″ in Baltimore. We have attended lots of their events and naturally, were ecstatic that we’d have a chance have the prom we always deserved. We are high school sweethearts after all! I wanted to go all out with legit prom attire, but stick to a budget because we are, of course, still planning a wedding.

I found my dress on ebay for around $30. I snagged some silver strappy shoes from a thrift store for $7, where we were also lucky enough to stumble upon a white suit jacket. This is exactly what Rose had been wanting, but we didn’t think we’d find one. She loves that Old Hollywood look. As soon as we pulled it off the rack we knew it was just what she was imagining. And it fit her PERFECTLY, which is really tough because she has short arms, broad shoulders and a pretty epic chest. The best part? It cost $5.

Rose looked so dapper that night. I love how she can pull off a retro “butch with a twist” look. There’s just something so empowering and sexy about a woman in a suit. And you better believe my wife can rock one like nobody’s business! I’m so excited to see her all dressed up on our wedding day!

The theme for Gay Prom was “Happily Ever Equal” which I had entered as an idea and was chosen! I was even asked to create the banner that hung on the stage. Why yes, that extremely shy girl that put up with teasing all through high school has blossomed into  head of the prom committee!

My handywork in action.

On top of that, I handmade a corsage and boutonniere  out of some fake flowers and other crafty scraps I’ve had lying around. Rose already had a dress shirt, pants and shoes, so we fit it all together and bam! Instant glamour. I had such a blast, and I loved that we were able to get all dressed up and really attend as dates.

I have to give myself a pat on the back for coming up with these fantastic looks with so little cost. This is just the kind of planners we are. We throw things together at the last minute and yet, it turns out almost better than we envisioned. I used to stress so much about how our wedding was ever going to fall into place, but Rose is showing me that if we step back a little and trust that we can do it, it will happen. Just as it seemed like fate that we found the perfect white jacket, I have to let go a little bit and trust that the perfect blue shoes will eventually be located, our caterer will be able to put together a menu that works for us, and our day will fit together in a way that I will never be able to fully imagine.

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