Real Couple // Black Tie LGBTQ City Hall Wedding: David + Michael

/ san francisco city hall/
Real Couple // Black Tie LGBTQ City Hall Wedding: David + Michael

We are David White and Michael Rawls. We met in January 2011 and were married on June 20, 2016, at San Francisco City Hall. I wanted our proposal story to be special, so we planned a trip to Las Vegas in September of 2015. We saw Celine Deon and Britney Spears in concert two nights back to back, which was pretty awesome. I surprised Michael the second afternoon with a helicopter tour from Vegas out to the Grand Canyon. Michael had never been to the Grand Canyon, and neither of us had been in a helicopter. The helicopter tour we selected was special because we didn't just fly over the canyon. We landed by the Colorado River and had a champagne lunch with the pilot and two other couples. While we were in the belly of the canyon, I asked Michael to be my husband. It was pretty great: he said yes. 

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Styled Shoot // Same-Sex Brooklyn Wedding Inspiration - with Sprinkles!

/ Old American Can Factory/
Styled Shoot // Same-Sex Brooklyn Wedding Inspiration - with Sprinkles!

It's not very often that a new venue pops up in Brooklyn. The American Can Factory in Brooklyn is just that. It's a work-space turned exposed-brick-dream-wedding-venue on the weekends. We snagged it to feature this gorgeous real life couple, Alexia and Charm.

Charm, a Texan, is a new NYC transplant, and Alexia is a born and bred New Yorker. They're planning to get married in the near future, and they thought, why not try it out before the real thing? We happily obliged by planning them a day that reflected them, their love, and NYC vendors who celebrate LGBTQ love stories.

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Register for Social Justice // Fundraising for a Nonprofit on your Wedding Day

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Register for Social Justice // Fundraising for a Nonprofit on your Wedding Day

One year ago, my now-husband and I chose our wedding venue. A month later, a man who ran a presidential campaign on a platform of hate won by a wide margin in that town. Like many others, we wanted to mobilize resources for social issues put at risk by the election. Our wedding would be the largest set of consumer decisions that we would influence in a turbulent 2017, so we first set our sights on how to design a wedding day that celebrated our commitment, while also making a statement about what we stand for.

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Real Couples // Second Weddings, Merging Families, and Coparenting: Karen + Andy

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Real Couples // Second Weddings, Merging Families, and Coparenting: Karen + Andy

Andy and Karen have been through the ringer in love. They thought they both had something but both ended in divorce. What Andy thought was love was simply going through the motions. What Karen thought was love was a different kind of love. These were both hard times, yet they have healed and learned and have become stronger.

And through this, they have discovered new depths. New uncharted continents. Andy has learned to love and take care of himself. Karen has discovered new power in herself and loves Nick as a friend and co-parent. I think you both have discovered love in its fullness and depth. A greater depth and rooting....A love that won’t dissolve and fall once the season changes. Your roots are entwined and you are one tree, not two.

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Tulle + Fury // Diversifying Your Portfolio is Simple

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Tulle + Fury // Diversifying Your Portfolio is Simple

From Facebook groups for creatives, to one-on-ones and networking events, I’ve heard again and again, “I really want to break into ‘that‘ market.” Or my personal favorite, “Well how do I find ‘them’?”

Y’ALL. Honey. Baby. Sweet Lord.

I promise I will try not to be condescending, but it’s a little obtuse, don’t you think? If you’re a photographer that wants to do more black weddings, do a shoot with black people in it. I promise y’all it’s that easy. Do you know why? People just want to see themselves represented. People want to see themselves.

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Real Couples // Stylish Intimate Airbnb Desert Elopement: Kelly & Lee

/ Joshua Tree/
Real Couples // Stylish Intimate Airbnb Desert Elopement: Kelly & Lee

The one thing that really stood out at our wedding was the view! Our location was everything we wanted it to be, and the table decoration was beautiful: put together from various vintage thrift-store finds and plants we sourced from the LA flower market. During the months leading up to our wedding we collecting various vintage plates, silverware and glasses. All mix-and-match. They were all gorgeous. We flew them down in various suitcases before the event, thankfully most made it un-smashed! We also had a few items from our home including rugs and small vintage accessories. Lee hand-made some cool custom Joshua Tree matchboxes which were given out to guests and used to light all of the candles we had around.

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Real Couples // A Childhood Love Story: Ashlee + Mike

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Real Couples // A Childhood Love Story: Ashlee + Mike

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.

He popped the question while we were on a surprise anniversary trip to Lake Tahoe. I had no clue! When we started dating Mike always loved to write poems for me. There was a poem that he wrote for me when we first started dating that he hadn't finished, and he named it "untitled." So after dinner we went back to the hotel, and he asked if I could record him reading a new poem. Come to find out it was the unfinished poem he had written, except this time it had an ending... he asked if I'd be his wife! He retitled it "Lucky Number 7" in honor of it being our 7th and final dating anniversary. Not only that, he proposed at the same time he'd asked me to be his girlfriend 7 years ago. I still have no clue how he pulled all that off.

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Black BeauTEA Talk // New York Fashion Week

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Black BeauTEA Talk // New York Fashion Week

On to more pressing matters. This may come as a surprise, but once again I was not at New York Fashion Week this year. I know, right? How am I always way too busy to attend or work the show every year? (laughs) (One year I’ll actually be invited to the show, and then I can stop pretending I’m too busy to go. *ugly cries*) But that didn’t stop me from sitting on my couch stalking all of the websites and social media to catch every update, and of course everyone was serving looks! However this was the first year I paid special attention to the bridal looks, so let’s talk about my thoughts on the ones I’ve seen thus far.

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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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Enough with the Penis Straws at Bachelorette Parties

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Enough with the Penis Straws at Bachelorette Parties

A few months before the wedding, I started receiving texts and emails from members of the wedding party, asking what I wanted to do for a bachelorette weekend. Since I had been using Pinterest to find wedding inspiration, I started searching there for ideas.  

After an initial search of "bachelorette party ideas," I quickly realized that Pinterest—or any other mainstream source—would not be the place for me to plan the feminist weekend with friends I had been dreaming about. 

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Real Couples // Intimate Same-Sex Wedding on a Boat in Hawai'i

/ Tradewind Charters/
Real Couples // Intimate Same-Sex Wedding on a Boat in Hawai'i

Kate and Jo were married on a boat just off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii, surrounded by a small group of loved ones. After the ceremony, Kate and her sister performed slam poetry as a surprise for Jo, and there wasn't a dry eye to be found. They finished up the day with drinks and cookies at a local bar.

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The 5 Biggest Reasons Why Budget Weddings Are the Best

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The 5 Biggest Reasons Why Budget Weddings Are the Best

The easiest way to save money on weddings is to have a smaller one. The reason for this is simple: if you have fewer guests, you don't have to provide as much on the day. While this seems like you will have fewer people to celebrate with, a positive effect of a smaller wedding is that the wedding will feel more personal.

Reasons for this include:

  • Picking and choosing who to invite results in guests who are closer to the couple.
  • You can be more comfortable in front of your guests.
  • You’ll have a chance to interact with everyone.
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Real Couples // Cathedral Wedding: Laura + Marc

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Real Couples // Cathedral Wedding: Laura + Marc

When it comes to seeing people that have storybook love, Marc and Laura take first place. After dating over three years, Marc sang a song he wrote to Laura during his proposal. The theme of prayer over their relationship hit a new level at their wedding. There were tears during the big moments, laughter in the small ones, and fun dance moves during the reception. Marc and Laura are a couple that leave you feeling complete joy.

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Real Couples // Versace Elopement: Ethan + Ricky

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Real Couples // Versace Elopement: Ethan + Ricky

It was actually really hard to write about our relationship without just saying I LOVE THE SHIT OUT OF HIM like a thousand times. (laughs)

I would love to say that we met in a bookstore on a crisp autumn day, but alas we met online—an anticlimactic beginning to the most fulfilling and deepest love of my life. I got to marry my best friend and the best person I know. He is the calm to my storm, the voice of reason to my extra-ness, and the smartest person I have ever met. We complement each other in so many ways — it’s almost hard to put into words. We just get each other and everything works. Our relationship is easy. 

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Mindfulness on Your Wedding Day // Accepting Your Emotions As They Are

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Mindfulness on Your Wedding Day // Accepting Your Emotions As They Are

The practice of accepting ourselves exactly where we are creates a more grounded and joyful wedding day, but it is also a foundational principle of mindfulness. (Or, if it jives better with you: it’s my party and I’ll feel weird if I want to). Sounds nice, right? But why can it be so hard to be exactly where we are, especially in extraordinary circumstances and on special days?

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Real Couples // Intimate, Sparkling Wedding in South Carolina: Donte and Ti Auni

/ The River Road and Jasmine Houses/
Real Couples // Intimate, Sparkling Wedding in South Carolina: Donte and Ti Auni

It was a brisk November day in Columbia, South Carolina, perfected by a little chill in the air and the burst of fall colors throughout the gardens. Donte and Ti Auni invited only their closest family and friends to their wedding, and I just LOVED how small and intimate it was. This wedding day was not about anything but the celebration of the couple’s love. Ti Auni’s son served as Donte’s best man, and after the ceremony the entire family came together for hugs, kisses, and portraits.

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Real Couples // A Simple San Francisco Elopement: Christine + Lee

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Real Couples // A Simple San Francisco Elopement: Christine + Lee

Christine shared with us that their relationship was a bit of a roller coaster ride with highs and lows. They were even apart for a stretch. Through that she learned that when you lose something you once had, it’s an opportunity to realize how important that something — that someone — is. When they got back together, she knew that he was the one and she wanted to share all of life’s blessings and challenges with him.

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Wedding Inspiration // Vintage Brides and Pythons

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Wedding Inspiration // Vintage Brides and Pythons


Dealing in vintage, we find so many quirks in the wedding industry; hessian, jam jars, and lace aren't actually 'vintage' unless they're from before the 1980s, and a "vintage wedding dress" doesn't have to be a 50s styled short tea dress. As fashion itself borrows from styles gone by, we aim to showcase the diversity of vintage bridalwear, and that's exactly what we did with this ambitious shoot.

We shot in the Hive, a building being regenerated by live-in guardians who are turning it into a community space. In fact, we were actually interviewed by the BBC in the run up to this shoot for our role in supporting the use of derelict buildings. Eco wedding dresses and eco values galore over here! As Yvon Chouinard identified, wearing secondhand clothing is the best way to minimize our impact on the environment...and you can still look hot while doing so.

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