A queer couple sits on the grass, smiling and holding a cake and a bowl.

Blooming Love: A Sweet Engagement in the Park

Tell us more about falling in love so quickly and easily.

We met on Hinge in Chicago in May 2021 – I was Quin’s first date after becoming fully vaccinated for COVID. She planned on having a hot girl summer but ended up falling in love instead (she says it was still a hot girl summer!) 

After our first date, I wrote in my journal that it had set a new standard for me – I would never go on a second date with someone if the chemistry didn’t feel like that date’s had (and now I never will!). 

For our third date, we took a road trip to the Indiana Dunes – we had discovered we were the same type of nerd, and both wore shirts covered in drawings of bugs. 

We fell in love quickly and easily, and our relationship has been incredibly smooth. We are best friends, constantly making each other laugh, and are so kind to one another. She loved my senior cat, and I love her puppy. Even after years together, I still can’t wait to hang out with her every day – I wake up excited, and can’t wait for this to be the rest of our lives! 

There were two proposals, tell us about the first.

Sofia proposed to Quin first, on Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder, CO. Quin had a rugby game there (traveling from Chicago), and Sofia tagged along with two close friends. She knew Quin wanted to be proposed to at a beautiful natural site, and her friends helped her pick out a hike with a stunning view. 

Sofia: “I was so ready, with my speech and plan, but when it came time to do it I couldn’t stop shaking. It just meant so much to me and I was so happy to get to ask her this. I had been planning for months, and so excited, so once it was over I actually felt less giddy than I anticipated – all the planning was over. That giddiness totally came back when she proposed to me, though!

Quin: “I felt like, is this actually happening right now? I really was not expecting it – maybe thought about it once on that trip, and thought nah! Then I thought, gosh, that’s a long commitment. But then I thought, well duh, hell yeah! The ring I’d bought to propose to her arrived in the mail while we were on that trip, so I thought I might beat her to it. 

And, the second proposal…

Quin proposed to Sofia in July 2023, at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, IL. The conservatory is a really special place to both of us, with another important relationship milestone attached to it – after our first visit there together, Sofia had asked Quin to be her girlfriend. 

Quin: “I was thinking, oh my gosh, I can’t believe I almost missed the fern room! Well, I guess this is going to be the room I propose in since there are none left. Ah, why am I so nervous? We’re already engaged! She’s so perfect, I want this proposal to be really good because she deserves the best proposal ever – storybook proposal.”Sofia: “I felt so giddy and excited, without all the nerves of when I had proposed. I couldn’t wait to put on the ring! Her speech was so sweet, I felt so loved, and the location and day were perfect! A quote from Quin’s proposal speech, which makes me tear up every time: ‘Being loved by you has transcended everything I thought I knew about love. You take my breath away, and somehow make it easier to breathe at the same time.’”

You’re having some pre-wedding celebrations, tell us what they look like as a queer couple. 

We had a joint bachelorette party in Las Vegas, with our eight bridal buddies, and Sofia’s childhood best friend’s mom hosted a bridal shower for us in Brooklyn. We’re not having a rehearsal dinner, but the day after the wedding we’re having a picnic in the park by our apartment. 

Sofia already booked the park’s gazebo! At some point in the next few months we’ll have to get legally married, but that’s not planned yet… it’s more complicated in Canada than we’re used to in the USA.

You decided to have engagement photos with your wedding photographer, tell us about that experience. 

For all of our vendors, I wanted people who specifically worked with queer couples before. I wanted to see posts featuring queer weddings, and not just during June, which was hard to find! I searched through hashtags like #torontowedding #queerwedding and found our photographer, Consequence Photo (Jaqueline Silva). I loved her photography style!

I reached out, telling her about my vision for the wedding, and she quickly responded with excitement! We set up a zoom call between the three of us to get to know her better and discuss our wedding package. 

One of the options she offered was an engagement photoshoot, as a chance for us to get comfortable around each other before the wedding day. We’re both so glad we did this!

We’re nervous in front of cameras, but Jaqueline made us feel so comfortable – the couple hours of our photoshoot felt like hanging out with a friend, and it put me totally at ease about her being there for one of our most important life moments. 

The photos came out beautifully! She asked us for inspiration that was meaningful to us, and created a moodboard from it so we could see the shots she was planning. She also scouted out locations in advance for us to go to, so that on the day there was no deliberating. I baked the top tier of our wedding cake as practice, and we ate it in the grass together. Quin and I both play ultimate frisbee, so we also brought a disc and tossed! It was a great experience and I would recommend Consequence Photo to any couples – but especially queer couples! I didn’t see this on her page until after we had booked her, but Jaqueline specializes in intimate weddings and queer community, perfect for our wedding!

Now you’re deep into wedding planning, how are you keeping this organized?

Our wedding website and registry is on The Knot, which has made it easier for people to RSVP and for us to ask for non-physical gifts since we already have a home together. For keeping track of RSVPs, 

Sofia has a google sheet; for keeping track of spending, she has another google sheet. Most of the wedding planning, though, is happening in one huge google doc, where Sofia has an ongoing, many-page-long list of to-do items, followed by a schedule of the week of the wedding explaining what needs to happen when. 

So far, it’s been working pretty well.

Photography by Consequence Photo

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