Bri & Gabby – A Colored Suit and Personal Vows

Bri wore a colored, patterned suit, Gabby a boho lace gown. In an outdoor ceremony, they shared personal heartfelt vows and became wife and wife.

Tell us about your proposal.

We have been together for three years. We unofficially met on the HER lesbian dating app. After just a couple of days of talking, we had our first date at a Sushi Bar where we officially met.

We went on a seven day Alaskan Cruise that left out of Seattle, Washington. When we got back from the cruise, we decided to stay in Seattle for a few days to explore. Coincidentally we found out that it was Pride weekend throughout those days, so we had the privilege of experiencing Seattle Pride. On our last day, we went on a hike in the Snoqualmie Region. Our destination was to get to Mailbox Peak. There weren’t many people on the trail, and we got caught in the rain a few times. We literally had our heads in the clouds! It was beautiful. When we reached the summit, Bri proposed.

What was the inspiration behind the your wedding?

From the very beginning, we knew that we wanted a boho and a greenery vibe. We both feel most at peace when we are in nature, so having our ceremony outside was crucial for us both. Our venue already fit this style so well, and it made it very easy to decorate!

Did you undertake any DIY projects for the big day?

We had a donut wall that we found on Facebook Market, and we hired someone to make it smaller, but we did restain it!

Our wedding favors were succulents and small cacti in different beer cans. We would buy single beer cans based on how the can was designed, then cut off the top and save them after drinking them. About a week before the wedding, we sat in our dining room planting eighty plants with a few friends’ help.

And, what was the experience of finding your wedding outfits like?

G: I went to three bridal shops with my sister. We went to The Bridal Extravaganza here in Austin, Texas, and passed by Belle Saison’s booth. They had this beautiful dress on display and made an appointment, which got me $100 off!

I originally went in looking for a long sleeve, fall-inspired dress. After actually trying them on, I hated all of them. I decided to try on the dress that was on display at the Bridal Extravaganza, and as soon as my sister saw me, we knew it was the one.

B: For me, I knew it was going to be easier to find an outfit than Gabby. From the beginning, I knew I didn’t want to wear a dress regardless of how many people insisted on it because that wasn’t me or something I was comfortable in.

I was going for a more hipster vibe. Gabby and I have more or less the same sense of style. Usually, I just dress in men’s clothing, so I knew coordinating what I would wear with her dress wouldn’t be difficult. I mostly browsed online and found the perfect blazer on ASOS loving the floral print on the jacket and that the colors were neutral. Everything else that I wore, from the pants to the shoes, was based on the jacket and what looked best paired with it.

Talk to us about the big day!

G: Regardless of the many attempts, I tried convincing Bri to stay with me the night before. We decided that she was going to stay the night with her cousin. Bri left me a note that, of course, made me cry. I woke up that morning with a lot of nerves. I meditated and made my way to meet my sister to get our hair and makeup done.

Bri went to my best friend’s Air BnB to get ready, and I think we both probably had one too many mimosas. We both got to the venue around the same time but hiding in our own rooms so we wouldn’t see each other.

We got dressed at the venue and had our first look scheduled at 3 p.m. There is a wooden seat swing hanging from a large tree where Bri was waiting for me. I came up behind her, and we got a few “first look” pictures in. We finally saw each other for the first time that day. It was such a great, intimate moment that we got to share with no one else around.

Afterward, we took pictures and just hung out with each other until the ceremony, which was at 5:30 p.m. There was a hidden room upstairs that we stayed in together. We could hear the venue reception area getting louder and louder as time went on. We knew guests were showing up, and it was making us nervous and excited! Our wedding coordinator told us, “it was time,” and we made our way downstairs to go into the backyard where our ceremony took place.

We each wrote our own vows, which was important for us. We are not religious, so we wanted our promises to be in our own words. Once the ceremony was over, we had some alone time in a room in the backyard. Our fantastic wedding coordinator had two shots and drinks waiting for us. I remember us loving on each other and freaking out. We literally just looked at each other like, “holy shit, that just happened!” After waiting for almost a year and a half, all of our stresses and worries faded away. We were in a moment of pure bliss.

The reception was a blast! We had the first dance, and a close friend of ours had a speech prepared. Everyone loved taking pictures in the Photo Bus. It was great to have our family and chosen family in the same room together supporting us. We danced, laughed and drank the night away!

What are your favorite moments?

Sharing our own vows for each other is definitely at the top of our list! We both worked endlessly and wanted them to be perfect. At that moment, it was just us two declaring our love for each other. We love going back and re-reading them to one another, especially on the hard days.

Having alone time after the ceremony was also so important. It was the only alone time we got to share throughout the evening, so it’s something we both still look back on as one of our favorite moments.

What does marriage mean to you?

The context of marriage in an LGBTQ relationship is different from that of a heterosexual couple. People before us had to fight to have these same rights to marry the person that they love. Our commitment towards each other began even before marriage. We may not agree with the social construct of marriage. However, we witnessed the legalization of same-sex marriage in our lifetime, so we understand the magnitude of us having the right to do so.

Marriage is a partnership that you get to share your life, past, present, and future with. A partnership where you get to be unapologetically yourself and not let go of any part of you. Someone you get to grow and learn with through this crazy journey we call life. It’s a commitment to one another to be by each other’s side regardless of how extreme the obstacles are. Love is love is love.