Jenna and Christina were engaged for two and a half years before tying the knot. “It took us the length of our engagement to plan the wedding. However, if the engagement had been longer it would have taken longer; if it had been shorter, it would have taken shorter,” explains Jenna. “I was in love with planning and could have kept going if given the time!”

The brides’ theme was vintage 1920s as an ode to their mutual love of antiques. “We collect antiques and have always believed we were born in the wrong decade,” says Christina. “We have an appreciation for the decade when women began liberating themselves.”

The Westbury Manor, located on Long Island, New York, was the first location they visited when searching for a venue and they were instantly smitten. “The décor fit our theme and we also knew that no what matter which date we chose, there would be something beautiful about the grounds,” says Christina.

To make sure the dresses complemented each other, the brides shopped together at David’s Bridal. “Christina enjoyed shopping for a dress more than anyone would have imagined she would!” says Jenna. She chose a strapless, ivory and champagne, tulle and lace Oleg Cassini gown with a chapel train. To accompany her dress, Christina wore a pearl necklace given to her by her sister as a thank you for being the maid of honor in her own wedding.

Jenna wore a strapless lace gown from the Galina collection, featuring a trumpet skirt and a sweep ivory train. She tied a silver sash around the middle for color and paired it with fingerless lace gloves with silver ribbon embellishments to add antiquarian allure.

“When I started, I set out to have a wedding that people walked away from and said ‘That was so them.’ We got so many comments and compliments after the wedding that it was the best wedding that guests had ever been to because of the love in the room,” says Jenna.

“I loved the feeling that surrounded us during the ceremony. Everyone was in a good mood, filled with joy,” adds Christina. “You could feel the love and pride.”

Christina’s Edwardian style engagement ring is comprised of white gold and diamonds, while Jenna’s is Art Deco, both reproductions of vintage rings. Jenna’s wedding band features a thin white gold band, similar to her engagement ring, with scrolls engraved on both sides and 25 small diamonds. Christina’s is a white gold band highlighted with four larger-sized diamonds.

The brides carried matching yellow, orange and green flower bouquets by Bayview Florist and Montage, located in Massapequa, NY.

The two brides had a family processional to the Indigo Girls’ version of “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters,” followed by Jenna and Christina, walking arm in arm, to the beat of the Beatles’ “Across the Universe.” The ceremony was comprised of personally written vows, a ring exchange and a hand-fasting ceremony.

To symbolize their unbroken bond, they included a hand-fasting ceremony with cords that Jenna made herself. As the officiant was wrapping their hands together, Jenna’s sister did a reading explaining the importance of the hands they were holding. “We say so many times that we are better together; we are the yin and yang that make a perfect circle so to have a visual of being connected was special to me,” says Jenna.

During the wedding ceremony, Jenna’s best friend read an excerpt from A.A. Milne’s “Now We Are Six,” after which they were pronounced happily wedded wives and sealed the deal with a kiss. “As we kissed the first time in front of so many people, a huge weight was lifted from me; a weight I carried from years of hiding truths,” says Jenna.

To direct guests on how to find their escort cards, they propped their old 1920s typewriter next to the two card catalog boxes upon entering the reception room. Attached was a tea-stained letter, scribed with instructions.

Because Christina holds a master’s in library sciences and the brides share a love of books and reading, they used old card catalog cards for the escort cards, arranged alphabetically in two boxes resembling card catalog drawers.

Jenna and Christina made sure guests had a variety of choices to choose from for their sit-down dinner, which was catered by Westbury Manor. The first course featured a cold antipasto, followed by a tri-colored salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Guests had the choice between seven entrees: filet mignon, chicken olivata, shrimp and salmon, veal chop fondue, sea bass provola, duck l’orange or a vegetarian dish of grilled vegetables. “Months later we were told by guests that we are the reigning champions for the ‘most choices for dinner at a wedding’” says Christina with a laugh. “And they saved the menu as proof!”

Along with the standard wedding cake included in the reception pricing, they had a special white cake, composed of chocolate ganache/raspberry filling and chocolate frosting, made in the shape of a vintage suitcase by I Ada Cake.

Both the high and low centerpieces were made with black magic roses, green and yellow flowers, hanging amaranthus and black feathers. “We wanted the pieces to appear loose and free, and the dark color gave a dramatic vintage feel,” says Jenna.

To please the masses, the brides opted for a DJ to play a wide range of music. “We originally wanted to have a swing band because of our love of the ’20s but thought better of that because we thought people would get annoyed if that was the only choice for music all day,” says Jenna.

They created a list with the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday to play during dinner, following a variety of music ranging from the ’50s to today, including their first dance to Tori Amos’ version of “You Belong to Me.”

Jenna and Christina worked with photographer Alan Abrams to create a photo station, featuring props and a backdrop that went with their 1920s theme. Guests accessorized with mustaches, feather boas, hats and masks as a second photographer snapped silly pictures. “The booth was filled most of the day. Everyone, including the older folks, joined in on the fun,” says Jenna.

The environmentally conscious brides gifted guests with live spruce tree seedlings wrapped in burlap and tied with colored raffia. On the tags, a quote from the Peanuts’ comic strip, having first made an appearance on Christina’s birthday in 1963, read “The planting of a tree shows faith in the future.”

“We thought that was a good sign to use it,” says Christina. “We also liked the feeling of hope the quote relays, just like the hope we needed to keep that New York would eventually recognize us as a couple.”

They gave their DJ from FM Entertainment strict instructions to do as little talking as possible. “I didn’t want to feel like I was watching a baseball game with commentary and debated for months what songs would make me feel the perfect blend of happiness and emotion that day,” says Jenna. “When I think of those songs I can see the ceremony perfectly and I can feel the joy of the day.”