Lana & Sienna – A Modern Wedding in Florida

Lesbian couple getting married in Florida America (17)

We’ve been together for 4 ½ years after meeting at Girls in Wonderland in Orlando. The extremely short, G-rated version follows: Sienna was visiting from Colorado, and Lana had driven up with friends from West Palm Beach. On the first day, Lana stole Sienna’s ID at the pool party check-in, and the rest is history! We became girlfriends four days later, and Sienna moved from Colorado to West Palm one month after becoming official.

Tell us about the two proposals that you shared.

First, Sienna’s plans for an elaborate art gallery/comic strip proposal were thwarted by Covid-19. So Sienna turned it into a living room pillow fort proposal in front of family and friends via zoom.

Lana’s proposal came a few months later when Sienna’s ring was finished and arrived while Sienna’s parents were in town. Lana debated between planning out something ultra-romantic or proposing while Sienna’s family was there- she, rightly, decided that Sienna’s parents would love to be there for the moment. So after casually and heroically saving a child from being swept into the inlet on a kayak, being serenaded with live music on the beach, and filling in their mail-in ballots, Lana got down on one knee and proposed to Sienna with their “I voted” stickers on their foreheads- a voting tradition.

Tell us about your experience DIY’ing your envelopes on the Cricut.

Staying with the DIY theme, our invitation envelopes were drawn using a Cricut machine to calligraphy the names and addresses. We thought this would be a decently simple task. However, the large fancy lettering could only be outlined, and each address had to be specifically placed within the program. So over three days, Sienna, Lana, and two close friends spent hours filling in the letters for each of the one hundred and twenty-five envelopes. It was stressful, but the end product was gorgeous and worth it!

What inspired the styling of your wedding day?

Sienna loves dark fairy tales. So, an October wedding was the perfect way to use a dark color palette and moody florals. We added a bit of modernity (with comfort and practicality) with the bridal party’s suits.

Talk to us about your experience finding the perfect outfits.

L: I didn’t want a dress or a suit. After some discussion, I decided I wanted a jumpsuit. I started looking at the large retailers but had trouble finding what I wanted in stock, the right size, or the right price.

So, I turned to Etsy and found a few variations of what I wanted. However, that also ended up being difficult, with some businesses not replying or seeming a little too good to be true and not entirely on the up and up. One day, I was scrolling through searching for “white jumpsuits,” and then I saw it— a lace top with satin straight-leg pants. And the accent that stopped me dead in my tracks…pearl beaded shoulder caps that draped long across the arm. I was obsessed. I sent in my measurements, messaged the designer, and ordered it right away!

S: I had an idea of what I wanted my dress to look like and had been sending pictures to my mom for months. I knew I wanted floral lace, a low neckline, and sparkles.

My parents visited us a year before the wedding, and since we live so far apart, I wanted to go to at least one dress appointment with them. I had no idea that I would find the perfect dress at the first shop I went to! My mom and dad accompanied me and my sister via video call. I was convinced I wanted a mermaid-cut dress, but when I tried on my dress, I knew it was the one I would get married in! I knew I wanted to keep it simple for dancing for my reception jumpsuit. I found my jumpsuit on Poshmark for a steal!

Lesbian couple getting married in Florida America (5)

Lesbian couple getting married in Florida America (3)

Talk to us about your wedding day.

The night before, we slept at different locations. Sienna’s mom rented a large AirBnB for both brides and bridal parties to get ready at (in separate rooms).

The morning of, we had breakfast, drank mimosas, and danced while getting ready with our closest friends and family. Before heading to the ceremony site, we had our first look on a bridge in the middle of the botanical garden grounds. Seeing each other for the first time was indescribable. I, Lana, was so giddy and in disbelief the entire day. When I first laid eyes on Sienna, it was like a dream. She was so other-worldly beautiful, and I could not believe this day was actually here.

It was surreal walking down the aisle arm in arm with my now wife, looking at everyone who came to celebrate with us, and the camera filming for the people who joined via zoom. During the ceremony, we cried, laughed, and then cried and laughed again. The script showcased our love perfectly!

The reception was a blast! The food was delicious, the dance floor was packed, and the photo booth was the place to be! In addition, the Fairgrounds was ramping up for its annual Fright Nights event with scare actors and haunted houses, so our wedding guests got a behind-the-scenes peek at the scary fun every time they went to the bathroom!

Did you incorporate any family or religious traditions into the day?

We had Sienna’s grandfather read a poem during the ceremony. Sienna got her love of books and the written word from her grandparents, so having her grandad do a reading was very important to her.

What does marriage mean to you?

What marriage means to us is;

Communication.
Understanding.
Growth.
A life partner.
Snuggles all day.
More family.
Future goals.
Legacy.

Advice for other couples planning a wedding?

Get a coordinator! Thank you, Gina! Only do things that will enhance YOUR experience. Whatever you want to do that day, please do it!

Draw out the wedding events over multiple days with chill quality time activities. We cannot emphasize how fun the field day was!

Script your own ceremony and make it personal and meaningful to you.

Making all of our decorations was time-consuming and exhausting, but we could customize everything. We will never forget what our centerpieces looked like!

Lastly, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

Planning a wedding during a global pandemic was hard. There were times we thought about switching to an elopement. It was hard not being able to celebrate our engagement as a big party with family and friends. Some people we were sure would be there couldn’t because of the threat of Covid. Then, deciding what to do about mask and vaccine requirements added to the stress of general wedding planning. We were also debating the morality of hosting a wedding in Florida and whether it was worth the risk. We’re happy to say that no one reported a case of Covid after our wedding!

We’re so glad to be married now and grateful for the people that could be there. It ended up being nice to have a smaller guest count. It was really nice that we talked to every person who was there.