“Where Are All the Queer Couples?” A Hamburg Elopement Shoot

“Where Are All the Queer Couples?” A Hamburg Elopement Shoot

Some stories start with a venue or a colour palette. This one started with a question: Where are all the queer couples?

Created by Marie from Island of Dreams Photography, this styled shoot leans into something more intentional than aesthetics. It’s about visibility. Vintage textures, cinematic city moments, and handmade details come together to reflect what should already be commonplace in the wedding space: queer love, fully seen and thoughtfully represented.

At the heart of it are Thu (she/her) and Marlene (she/her), whose connection feels effortless. Set against a backdrop of flea market finds, embroidered details, and soft, modern styling, this shoot doesn’t just imagine what inclusive wedding spaces can look like; it elegantly insists on it.

So I Built The Table Myself

Marie: Being in a queer relationship myself, I kept noticing the same thing: wedding spaces centering straight couples, forms without inclusive language, bridal shops asking “who’s the bride” without thinking beyond that. It felt like an entire community, one that’s very close to me, was being overlooked.

As a Hamburg-based film and digital wedding photographer, this was something I couldn’t ignore.

I’ve always believed in this: don’t wait for a seat at the table. Build your own.

So I did. I was searching for a reflection that didn’t exist, so I‘m painting the picture myself. Because queer couples are here, getting married, hiring vendors, and showing up as stunning, awe-inspiring versions of love.

We deserve to see that reflected in wedding media. And this shoot was my way of making sure we do.

Vintage Details Made With My Hands

Because I shoot on both film and digital, vintage elements naturally play a big role in how I style my work. I love pairing pieces full of patina with something more refined, like the graceful, sleek dresses we chose for this shoot from Dear Bride.

I worked closely with Peggy of Power Flower Peg to create bouquets that felt really current but still aligned with the overall vision and the two brides.

Izzy Olsen, who is a lesbian herself, added such a special layer to the day with her music and voice.

A lot of the details were things I made myself. I baked the cake, embroidered napkins with little pride flags, and added the couple’s initials and “wedding date” onto the ribbons of vintage champagne bowls. I actually found those bowls at a flea market in Hamburg a few weeks before the shoot and they ended up shaping so much of the styling that followed.

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The Feel Of It All

The whole shoot leans into a feeling that’s vintage, fun, and authentic set against a city elopement backdrop with a cinematic edge.

The Kind Of Chemistry You Can’t Fake

I found Thu and Marlene through the bridesmaid of one of my 2025 brides, and from the moment we met, their connection just worked.

They’re not actually engaged (yet!), but the way they show up with each other, the affection, the ease, was exactly the energy I was looking for.

Interestingly, their connection wasn’t instant.

Their story began online, but it stalled for a long time because Thu didn’t dare to take the next step. Two years later, they met by chance on a bus. Thu was coming from work, and Marlene from selling things at a flea market. Thu wrote to Marlene afterward and arranged to meet, and that’s how their love story began.

Captured by Island of Dreams Photography

Content Creator Avec Amour
Dress Boutique Dear Bride
Florist Power Flower Peg
Hair & Makeup Strahlende Braut
Live Music Izzy Olsen
Rings Joovels Hamburg

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