These two brides had their queer Christian wedding on the Seattle waterfront with nautical vibes and a rainbow cake 

For their summer wedding overlooking Lake Union in Seattle, Washington, Jess (she/her) and Cori (she/her) leaned into the nautical vibes with a white and navy color palette. Accent colors of gold and pearl pink complemented the minimalist floral design of the event, which mainly included greenery, white roses and baby’s breath.

The queer brides got ready separately and did a first look at Gas Works Park, which is where Jess proposed to Cori. Jess wore a white Rime Arodaky “Patsy” jumpsuit with a long-sleeve floral bodice and flowing tulle skirt attachment, and Cori wore a white suit from SuitShop with a matching white bow tie.

The ceremony, which took place on a historic ferry boat, centered the couple’s Christian faith and was officiated by a close friend and mentor. In a celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride, Jess and Cori had a rainbow wedding cake that they enjoyed at their reception. After an evening of music and dancing, the guests cheered for the brides in a sparkler exit send off.

We caught up with Jess and Cori to hear about their queer Christian wedding.

Tell us your love story!

We met on Instagram! After dating long-distance for a while, Cori moved from Arkansas to Seattle to be with Jess. Jess proposed with a surprise scavenger hunt and a seaplane island getaway. Cori proposed one month later in Amsterdam on a dinner canal boat. We were originally supposed to get married in 2020, but the pandemic decided we needed to be engaged for two full years. Our wedding was an absolute dream. We are so thankful for all of our family and friends that celebrated with us!

Tell us about the ceremony.

The ceremony was on the bow of a historic ferry boat on Lake Union, with the Space Needle in the background. We had our dog, Stella, walk down the aisle, and we each had our own big entrance. Cori walked with her dad and stood waiting for Jess. After the bridal parties, then Jess walked with her dad. We wrote our own vows and read them in front of everyone. Our officiant, Jun, who is a mentor and friend, kept the ceremony focused on love and God. The Bible verse 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 was read, and we started the ceremony with a prayer.

What advice would you give to engaged LGBTQ+ marriers planning their wedding?

Do what makes you happy. There are no rules to your wedding. Make your own traditions. Do not listen to other people; do what you and your partner want. Also, try not to get caught up in the show of it all because this is your day to enjoy. It will go by so fast, so take time together to really soak it in. We stood back, just us two, while everyone was dancing and looked at all the people that were there that loved and supported us. It was a beautiful moment!

What challenges did you face as an LGBTQ+ couple planning your wedding?

Even in the progressive Seattle area, we did have one vendor that was not accepting of us as a same-sex couple. After Jess had talked on the phone and emailed, we went in person and the woman thought Cori was Jess’ maid of honor. After Jess explained she was her fiancée, the woman quickly stated the venue was booked and didn’t even show us the venue.

In terms of our own planning, at first, we had trouble figuring out how we wanted to walk down the aisle as two brides and have it flow well. We were too focused on how it traditionally goes, but then we realized it didn’t matter and did it our own way!

 

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