Equally Wed

08/31/2026

📣 Are you LGBTQ+ and newly married or soon-to-be married? Researchers want to hear from you.⁠
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The Loveallways Study at the University of Denver is one of the first large-scale studies looking at how relationships grow, change, and shift during the newlywed years for LGBTQ+ couples. Decades of research exist on marriage and heterosexual couples, but LGBTQ+ marriages remain seriously understudied, and this study is working to change that.⁠
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💰 You and your spouse could each earn up to $200 for participating.⁠
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For more info: https://tinyurl.com/y2zhx9yt
For the short interest form: https://tinyurl.com/cx9cezwj

08/27/2026

Rachel and Jamie (both she/her) met 10 years ago through a Facebook Group. They moved to Eastern Washington to be closer to Jamie's family, then realized it wasn't the right place for them. They landed on the Oregon Coast and stayed. Jamie proposed at a waterfall (the wrong one actually, but Rachel thought it was perfect). Sixteen months later, the two brides married on a rainy day in March.⁠
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For their wedding, the women rented a small coastal inn in Yachats and orchestrated almost everything themselves: bouquets pulled from the forest, additional flowers from Fred Meyer, and food from a local Mexican restaurant.⁠
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Head to the link below for the full Equally Wed feature on Rachel and Jamie's DIY coastal wedding, plus more LGBTQ+ weddings, q***r and trans love content, and inclusive wedding vendors and venues. ❤️⁠
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Photography: ⁠
Venue: Yachats Inn⁠

https://equallywed.com/these-two-brides-followed-their-private-vow-exchange-with-a-coastal-winter-diy-wedding-in-yachats-oregon/

07/30/2026

Erika Beursken and Melissa Brodsky (both she/her) married at Botanica in Oceanside, California, on a June afternoon surrounded by lush greenery and a sunset color palette of florals in shades of orange, pink, purple and white.

The brides' ceremony included a tequila shot, a nod to the Supreme Court and handwritten cards for every single guest. Those cards were part of their seating chart, a rainbow wall of envelopes. Tucked inside each one was the message that the couple had made a donation in that guest's name to Project Endo, an organization devoted to bringing awareness to—and providing education about—endometriosis, a disease both brides live with.

Head to the link below for the full Equally Wed feature on Erika and Melissa's garden wedding, plus more LGBTQ+ weddings, q***r and trans love content, and inclusive wedding vendors and venues. ❤️

Featured LGBTQ+ Inclusive and Q***r Affirming Wedding Vendors
Photographer and Videographer: Pamela Tatz Photography
Wedding Ceremony and Reception Venue: Botanica
Florist: By Georgia Douglas
Planner/Coordinator: Trademark Venues
DJ: DJ Keelez
Invitation Designer: Truly Engaging
Attire for Erika Beursken: Sharpe Suiting
Attire for Melissa Brodsky: By Lillian West
Second Dress for Melissa Brodsky: Rosie Etienne Bridal
Catering: Trademark Venues (Morgan Costa)
Live Wedding Painter: Nicolette Martin Art
Violinist: Ben Hoyt Violin
Desserts: Mili’s Sweets
Photo Booth: Designed By Love Photobus
Transportation: San Diego Charter
Hair: Touch of Rose/Brittney Blake
Makeup: Artistry by Samantha Rae
Dress Boutique: Mon Amie Bridal Salon
Custom Cuff Links: Etsy
Shoes: Aldo
Dance Lessons: Bella Ballroom Dance Studio
Hotel and Welcome Party Location: Cape Rey Resort
Day After Sunset Cruise: City Experiences
Media Partner: OFD Consulting

https://equallywed.com/garden-wedding-botanica-oceanside-california/

07/25/2026

When Erika proposed to Irish (both she/her), she sang "Still the One" in front of both of their families before asking Irish to spend forever with her.

Surrounded by the people who'd been there since their high school days in the Philippines, Irish said yes. Becoming wives, though, meant crossing borders.

As a same-sex couple from the Philippines living in Dubai, the marriers couldn't walk into their home countries and be legally recognized as spouses. So in June they flew to Queenstown, New Zealand, and exchanged vows beneath the snowy peaks of the Remarkables, rings from the Dubai Gold Souk on their fingers and white calla lilies in hand.

To celebrate, the newlyweds went to McDonald's, their wedding cake toppers propped against their burgers and sundaes. "Even after 14 years, we are still the same two girls who enjoy the little things together," says Irish.

Head to the link below for the full feature on Erika and Irish's New Zealand elopement, plus more LGBTQ+ weddings; WLW, gay, q***r and trans love content; and inclusive wedding vendors and venues. ❤️

Photographer: DNT Image
Wedding Ceremony Venue: The Remarkables, Queenstown
Planner/Coordinator: DNT Image
Attire for Irish Jacob: Ruby Bridal Vietnam
Jewelry: Dubai Gold Souk
Officiant: Sarah Noble Celebrant

https://equallywed.com/snowy-new-zealand-elopement-at-the-remarkables

07/23/2026

Mimi and Courtney (both she/her) got married at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, California. Their floral designer created hot pink, fuchsia and red bouquets and centerpieces shaped like structured, wired midcentury flower hats. The two brides got ready together that morning, shared a quiet first-look moment before the ceremony and danced their first dance to Norah Jones' cover of "Unchained Melody." What truly anchored the day was a profound sense of safety and intention; every single vendor was chosen with deep care, creating a sacred space where the brides knew they were completely celebrated and safe.

"Campy, pink, romantic, iconic, playful and completely us" is how Mimi describes their wedding vibe. "The Madonna Inn already brings so much personality with all the pink and florals, so we leaned into that instead of fighting it. Every corner felt like it was built for us. We wanted our wedding to feel like a reflection of who we actually are, not a performance of what a wedding is supposed to look like."

Head to the link below for our full feature on Mimi and Courtney's San Luis Obispo wedding, plus more LGBTQ+ weddings, q***r love content, and inclusive wedding vendors and venues. ❤️

https://equallywed.com/madonna-inn-wedding-florals-modeled-after-midcentury-flower-hats/

Photographer: Michelle Gunn Photo
Wedding Ceremony Venue: Madonna Inn
Wedding Reception Venue: Madonna Inn
Florist: Flower Shop Girl
Planner/Coordinator: Calmerin Designs and Events
DJ: DJ Darla Bea
Invitation Designer: Zola
Attire for Mimi: Jenny Yoo
Attire for Courtney: Maggie Sottero
Catering: Madonna Inn
Cake Designer: Madonna Inn

07/20/2026

Ben (he/they) and Nolan (he/him) built their Oregon sunrise wedding ceremony around one guiding principle: "It was OUR day." The marriers chose q***r artists for every song played, walked themselves down the aisle while their wedding party waited at the front, and asked their best mutual friend to officiate. They also instituted a zero phone and electronics policy, so every wedding guest was completely present.

"Forget about tradition or doing it 'right,'" says Ben. "Just do what makes you happy and what reminds you of why you’re in love!"

First dance song? Ben Platt's Imagine.

Head to the link below for our full feature on Ben and Nolan's morning wedding in the Columbia River Gorge, plus more LGBTQ+ weddings, q***r love content, and inclusive wedding vendors and venues. ❤️

Photographer: KMT Photos
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Mayer State Park, Columbia River Gorge
Floral design: Trellis Flowers
Attire for Ben: Aritzia
Attire for Nolan: Ted Baker
Cake designer: Banquette

https://equallywed.com/columbia-river-gorge-wedding-featured-two-grooms-one-bouquet-no-phones/

07/11/2026

Under the amber glow of the October sun, Lauren Thomas and Jasmine Shimerda married in a destination wedding at Casa Cornacchi, a historic 16th-century private estate nestled in Tuscany’s Val d’Ambra outside Arezzo. Their outdoor ceremony unfolded against a panoramic backdrop of sun-drenched vineyards, rolling silver-green olive groves and dense autumn forests. For the Kansas City–based couple, the day was the culmination of two years of long-distance planning, resulting in a celebration where the two brides prioritized an intentional, highly personal design. Head to the link below for the full feature on Lauren and Jasmine's Tuscany wedding, plus more LGBTQ+ weddings, q***r love content, and inclusive wedding vendors and venues. ❤️

https://equallywed.com/intimate-destination-wedding-casa-cornacchi-tuscany/

Photographer: Viviana and Andrea
Wedding Venue: Casa Cornacchi
Florist: La Fioreria di Mario Berti
Planner/Coordinator: Eleonora Gobbo for Peach Perfect Weddings
DJ: Chiara Trallori
Videographer: Wedding Film Italy
Hair and Makeup: Your Wedding Beauty Team
Additional Photographer: Eleonora Grasso

06/30/2026

The guest list for Vanessa Crain and Lakeyn Schultz’s October wedding at the Orman Mansion in Pueblo, Colorado, fit inside a single Airbnb. Fourteen people, counting the two brides. Every chair in the mansion’s landscaped garden was filled. The fountain burbled. The flowers, grown in a local Colorado gardener’s backyard, were already in bloom. Despite the hardships they faced along the way in planning their wedding, their wedding is proof that love always wins. ❤️

After 40+ venue rejections in Louisiana, Vanessa and Lakeyn married at Pueblo's Orman Mansion with wildflowers, rainbow guests and 14 of their closest people.

05/26/2026

Nathalia and Rafaela chose to get married in Pouso da Cajaíba, a traditional caiçara fishing village in Paraty that is only accessible by boat. This already transforms the wedding into an experience rather than just an event; every guest had to cross the sea to arrive, making the journey part of the story.

Rafaela and Nathalia married at a remote caiçara community in Paraty, Brazil, arriving by boat and dancing forró at their LGBTQ+ wedding celebration.

04/24/2026

ICYMI 😍🌶 💎

Dearest gentle reader, Bridgerton Season 5 is making history with its first q***r lead romance. Francesca and Michaela bring the yearning. A wedding? Likely. Read more.