Real Couples // An Austrian Museum Wedding: Elissa + Ralf

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Real Couples // An Austrian Museum Wedding: Elissa + Ralf

Elissa is from the USA and Ralf is from South Africa but they met whilst living and working in London. They decided that they wanted to do something a little different for their wedding so they decided to get married in their favourite ski resort in Austria. Elissa wore her great grandmother's dress from the 1920s which Elissa used to dress up in as a little girl, although it did need quite a lot of repairs from many years of being well loved. Their reception was held at the "Museum Restaurant", a ski museum in St Anton, where guests could wander between the exhibits during courses.

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JJ Studios in Central London Offers Gorgeous Venues Perfect for Your Wedding Day

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JJ Studios in Central London Offers Gorgeous Venues Perfect for Your Wedding Day

{un}convention London was hosted in the View Studio at JJ Wimborne, which includes a wonderful rounded white cove that provides a photo backdrop that has no sharp edges where the wall meets the floor and is away from any harsh direct light. The large original windows mostly face north, so the natural light is subtle while still providing gorgeous views of Shoreditch Park across the road. The floor to ceiling corner window is the perfect backdrop for a wedding ceremony, and behind a velvet curtain is a dressing room perfect for getting ready on your big day. Once your vows are exchanged, you won’t need to move locations, as the View Studio has plenty of space to accommodate tables for a full dinner and space for dancing late into the evening.

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Real Couples // A Modern and Lucky Wedding for Two Grooms: Sean + Ryan

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Real Couples // A Modern and Lucky Wedding for Two Grooms: Sean + Ryan

Three years prior to the day they wed, Sean and Ryan met. “Our meeting was pure luck, and not just because it was on St. Patrick's Day. Sean was on a scavenger hunt and needed the shamrock beads that Ryan was wearing. He won the hunt and scored Ryan’s number!” They’ve been together ever since.
 

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Real Couples // Vintage & DIY Wedding: Jackie + Luis

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Real Couples // Vintage & DIY Wedding: Jackie + Luis

As we got to know each other more, the more I fell head over heels for this man. In 2015 on Memorial Day weekend, Luis had asked me if I wanted to go to Virginia Beach for the weekend with family. I said yes, and on that Saturday morning he woke me up at a few minutes before sunrise to go to the beach and watch the sunrise. I was livid. I huffed and puffed the ride down the elevator stating, "it's vacation time so we shouldn't be up this early; it's just wrong." He of course thought that it was hilarious. As we walked the beach and watched the sunrise, my eyes drifted toward the beautiful view, but then quickly remembered that sleeping in has its beauty too. Luis didn't risk any minute longer and called my name and got on his knees and proposed to me. I was stunned, and so many emotions were squeezing through my brain that I was mute for a minute or two. And he asked again. This time I had to pay him back for waking me up so early, so I said I would think about it, and oh boy I have never seen a man blush so hard in my life. And I reacted quick and said yes. 

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The ARQ Wedding Guide // Navigating Culture and Family Expectations Together

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The ARQ Wedding Guide // Navigating Culture and Family Expectations Together

No matter what your background is, this guide will help you and your partner prioritize the religious and cultural traditions that matter to you and prep you for those tricky family convos. These tips also set you up to understand, honor, and incorporate traditional Jewish customs into your wedding in a relevant and inclusive way.

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

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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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Real Couples // Redwoods Sanctuary: Scott + Anali

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Real Couples // Redwoods Sanctuary: Scott + Anali

Both of our parents walked each of us down the aisle, Anali’s brother officiated the ceremony, Scott’s sister was his best person, and our best friends and cousins occupied the rest of the wedding party. Nadya, Anali’s youngest cousin, sang to a beautifully played cello by a dear friend Daniel while we all walked. There standing under the glass globes hung from the redwood trees and filled with symbolic Persian elements, we said our vows.

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Rockstar Glam Wedding Inspiration in Glendale, California

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Rockstar Glam Wedding Inspiration in Glendale, California

This modern, edgy, and glam shoot was inspired by punk and rock n' roll with a little bit of sparkle. We paired textures like leather and studs with soft velvet and sequins. These two grooms channel their inner rock stars with fashion-forward outfits and unique hairstyles. A black, red, and silver palette keeps the look edgy yet chic. Lyrics from rock stars like David Bowie and Billy Idol incorporate a love of music. Vertigo event venue in Glendale, California provided the ideal backdrop with brick exterior and a chic and sleek event space.

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Real Couples // Masquerade Wedding: Barry + Tim

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Real Couples // Masquerade Wedding: Barry + Tim

Well, this is quite a story (and it’s mostly true), so if you are easily offended, you might just take a look at our photos and be done with it. One Saturday evening in November, many, many years ago, two boys met in a bar on the dance floor of Roscoe’s in Chicago. This is all pre JDate, Match, eHarmony, OkCupid, and all of that nonsense, as the internet had barely even been invented. 

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Five Reasons to Be Inspired by Quaker Weddings

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Five Reasons to Be Inspired by Quaker Weddings

I remember our wedding ceremony so completely — the light breezy air coming through the wide open windows of the Quaker meeting house, the bright sky showing through a skylight over our heads, and the smiles of loved ones all around us. I remember the absolute joy and the palpable energy that my husband and I shared as we sat together in what will surely be counted as one of the best moments of our lives. 

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5 Winter Weddings and Engagements to Keep You Warm

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5 Winter Weddings and Engagements to Keep You Warm

Valdora and Isabel put their love and their desires for the day first. Which meant an early morning intimate wedding ceremony under the Bethesda Terrace in Central Park with only their closest friends in attendance. Later in the afternoon they invited a larger group of friends and family to celebrate a small ceremony, dinner and dancing a few hours north of New York City. It reflected their goals to create a day that invited their loved ones to be a part of their love, all while sticking to their guns in regards to having a small and beautiful wedding where they felt comfortable sharing vows and tears and promises.

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Real Couples // Rainbow Wedding: Dana + Colleen

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Real Couples // Rainbow Wedding: Dana + Colleen

In their words, "We met in fourth grade and became best friends while hunting grasshoppers together; our old elementary school is where we exchanged our rings. Though it was forecast to mega-rain on our special day, it ended up only being a sprinkle...just enough to make a gorgeous rainbow! It was absolutely perfect."

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Real Couples // A Long Time in the Making: Crystal + Wendi

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Real Couples // A Long Time in the Making: Crystal + Wendi

Wendi and Crystal both had a strong connection with God early on in their lives. Slowly, they began to suspect that their attractions were different. They met in college living in the same hall through roommates and slowly over a year and a half, fell in love. They knew this was not the sort of love taught to them in Sunday School and worried what their families and church would think. In their words, "...we also knew what we had together was incredibly raw and gentle and bursting with color and life, and that truly made us want to strive to be better people for each other and the world around us." So through the fires of inner conflict, they forged their own beautiful diamond of a relationship together, a fusion of love and a new kind of faith, one that is radiant and open and accepting, shining through them and filling them with joy.

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Real Couples // A New York City Adventure: Leonard + Michelle

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Real Couples // A New York City Adventure: Leonard + Michelle

Leonard and Michelle had a full wedding in Korea and then a wedding party in NYC at the Norwood Club, but they wanted to do a portrait session of just the two of them at some of their fave places in NYC doing a few of their favorite things. We hit up the High Line Park and wandered all around their old neighborhood of the West Village. We did some sunset rooftop photos at Leonard’s old apartment (where the kind doorman he used to know let us in!) and finished by getting cocktails at Cafe Gitane in the Jane Hotel.

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Real Couples // A Pacific Northwest Beach Wedding: Geoff + Ederlyn

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Real Couples // A Pacific Northwest Beach Wedding: Geoff + Ederlyn

We became friends again through the power of Facebook (breaking and making relationships since 2004!) and managed a reunion in Las Vegas. Geoff says it was love at first sight. I am a much more emotionally oblivious person, so Geoff took another trip to Seattle where I inadvertently set up the perfect first date. It took a subsequent trip together to Vancouver for me to catch on. 

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Real Couples // Rainy Catskills Wedding: Aubrey + Jake

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Real Couples // Rainy Catskills Wedding: Aubrey + Jake

Aubrey is an actress, and Jake is a trendsetter in the Brooklyn restaurant scene. I photographed Aubrey and Jake’s wedding this past October 3rd. It was a rainy and cold day but the camaraderie, love, and joy made the weather not matter. The wedding was held at the Inn at West Settlement, located in the gorgeous Catskills and the fall foliage was in full bloom. The amazing skirt on Aubrey’s dress was handmade by her mom! Aubrey’s jewelry for the event was a ring from her grandmother, and the box that held the ring happened to also have Aubrey’s birth year on it. The ceremony was officiated by their close friend.

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Real Couples // Trolley to the Altar: Christina + Ross

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Real Couples // Trolley to the Altar: Christina + Ross

Christina and Ross met at their workplace where their relationship built slowly on friendship. After they started hanging out with friends and each other outside of work, they soon realized there was something more than just a friendship. They started dating and it's all history from there.

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On the Social Pressures around Weddings and How to Maintain a Sense of Self Despite Them

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On the Social Pressures around Weddings and How to Maintain a Sense of Self Despite Them

I think part of the reason I struggle with having a wedding is that I am new to it. I have identified as a queer, white woman for years. I have had years to grapple with heteropatriarchal systems and my position as a financially privileged white person, even before I had a critical vocabulary to discuss them. But I am only newly a bride-to-be and only newly have to confront the related assumptions that are made about me.

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