After a year-long engagement, Annie and Sylvia tied the knot in their southern California city of Long Beach on Sept. 30, 2010, incorporating personal DIY touches into their celebration.

While searching for wedding venues, a friend suggested that Annie and Sylvia look at The Ebell, a historic building that was originally a woman’s club. “Naturally, we were intrigued,” says Sylvia. “We looked it up online and found out it was just blocks from where we live in Long Beach. It had been right under our noses for years!”

Annie wore a black suit from Men’s Wearhouse with an ivory shirt and blue tie and kerchief with a handmade peacock broach boutonniere designed by Liz Abbot of Leatherette Heart. “Despite the fact that I was probably the only woman to shop there [Men’s Wearhouse], I was treated with nothing but respect and good service,” says Annie. “I was pleasantly surprised with my experience in finding wedding clothes. Even though I’m 6-feet 2-inches with a masculine frame, I still have curves, so I really thought finding a good fitting suit would have been more of a struggle.”

While browsing for a bikini at Nordstrom Rack, Sylvia found her wedding dress unexpectedly in the clearance section. “The beautiful ivory lace caught my eye while I was walking by,” says Sylvia. “I took a chance and tried it on, and it fit almost perfectly.” The unique, vintage allure was perfect for their upcoming nuptials, and, with a few alterations, was a steal for less than $100. Sylvia paired with a birdcage veil adorned with peacock feathers designed by Liz Abbot.

Annie proposed to Sylvia the day Prop 8 was initially overturned, on Aug. 4, 2010. Annie had been invited to speak at a community rally on behalf of their organization, The AMP Organization. Instead of a speech, she proposed in front of hundreds of people and multiple cameras. Sylvia’s engagement ring is a white gold band of small pave diamonds with a raised larger square diamond in the center. Her matching wedding band also features small pave diamonds. Annie’s wedding ring is a masculine titanium band that is lightly etched near the edges.

The couple couldn’t decide on just one color, so they incorporated the luminescent hues within the peacock feather—bold blues, purples, greens and browns—found in the wedding party’s attire, Sylvia’s accessories and flowers. It fit perfectly with the wedding’s vintage theme and early 1900s venue.

All of the floral details, including the bouquets and boutonnieres, were handmade by Annie and her friend Sean. To stay under budget, instead of hiring a florist, they purchased bushels of white China mums, eucalyptus and various succulents from local florist shop Flowers on 7^th. “They were delighted by our DIY spirit and gave pointers and tips on how to create the best possible bouquet,” says Annie. The boutonnieres were a simple combination of succulent, eucalyptus leaves and a peacock feather wrapped in a black ribbon. The bride’s and maids’ bouquets consisted of a single white China mum, eucalyptus and peacock feathers all with long stems wrapped with ivory ribbon and a seam of vintage pearls down the center.

The ceremony was short and sweet, conducted by Rev. Logan Crow who began with a few words about his friendship with Annie and Sylvia, his admiration for their community work, and his inspiration from their love together. “We just wanted to get in there, say what we needed to say, give rings, kiss and get out,” says Annie. “And that’s exactly what we did.”

The couple had a wide variety of music play throughout the ceremony. The wedding party procession was to the tune of Ingrid Michaelson’s cover of Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling in Love With You.” Sylvia, accompanied by both her mother and father, made her grand entrance down The Ebell’s two-story staircase to Bach’s “Air” performed live by a violinist friend. After vows were exchanged, The Pixies’ “Where Is my Mind” played as they made their first exit as a happily wedded couple.

The vintage theme carried over into the reception, also held at The Ebell, with many distinctive touches, including photos of the couple on each table and handmade centerpieces of peacock feathers and twigs in small bud vases.

Thanks to the warm southern California weather, the couple was able to get away with the late September evening wedding they always wanted. Just as guests were starting to arrive, it began to sprinkle, resulting in a rainbow directly over the venue. It cleared up right as the ceremony began, but the illuminated stripes of colors lingered as the sun set. “It really couldn’t get any more gay,” laughs Annie.

At the reception, DJ friends who spin for the couples’ organization kept the tunes playing into the night. “Our only rule was no cheesy wedding music. No Chicken Dance or ‘Y.M.C.A.’ or anything of the kind,” says Sylvia. Instead of a parents’ dance, they chose to have an anniversary dance, playing “Dream a Little Dream of Me” by The Mamas and the Papas. During the song, the DJ instructed couples to come to the floor that had been together for two years, five years, etc. It ended with celebrating Annie’s grandparents, who have been together for more than 60 years. “It was important for us to acknowledge the longevity of the relationships around us while we committed to each other,” says Sylvia. Afterwards, the couple shared their first dance to Antony and the Johnson’s “If It Be Your Will.”

Instead of a traditional wedding cake, the couple opted for 200 red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing, made by their friend Angie Vargas of Angie’s Cakes and Bakes. “After trying so many wedding vendors’ red velvet cakes, we just couldn’t find any that compared to Angie’s,” Sylvia said. Angie also created a mini cake, in the same flavor, for the two to use for the cake cutting.

Throughout their three-year relationship, Sylvia and Annie accumulated more than 100 photo booth strips together. “It’s something that is a big part of our relationship and a way to document our time together,” says Sylvia. To incorporate this detail into their wedding, the women created bookmark favors out of photo strips, showcasing the couple holding up signs to the camera reading “Thank You,” “For Coming” and “S&A 9/30/2011.”

Annie and Sylvia served an array of appetizers including pesto-stuffed tomatoes, mini meatballs, hummus and pita and an extensive fruit-and-cheese table. Guests sipped on The Parkhurst Punch, a signature amaretto sour cocktail, giving a nod to the libation the brides shared on one of their first dates. The dessert room hosted a chocolate fondue fountain.

The couple made their getaway after the reception in a chic classic car, adorned in “just married” decorations. For their honeymoon, Annie and Sylvia took a five-day Carnival cruise to Cabo San Lucas. “We would definitely recommend this cruise line and destination to other LGBT couples,” says Annie. On top of excellent service, the cruise offered an LGBT meet-up each night, allowing couples to mingle with other LGBT passengers. “We went to a few of them and ended up meeting a dear couple from Vancouver whom we’ve kept in touch with since the honeymoon,” says Annie.