A gay wedding with a disco theme, cowboy cocktail attire and local Colorado wildflowers 

Husbands-to-be Tom (he/him) and Scott (he/him) planned their summer wedding with a fabulous party in mind. Their chosen wedding theme was Disco at the Dude Ranch, so they asked their guests to dress in cowboy cocktail attire. “We didn’t want to take the wedding too seriously,” says Tom. “We wanted to throw a fun party with good food and music and have fun with our friends and family.”

The festivities took place in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and the nearlyweds capitalized on their location to craft a long weekend full of activities and delicious local food. To complement their cornflower-blue-and-tan color palette, Tom and Scott ordered an assortment of Colorado wildflowers wholesale and had a floral arrangement party with their families before the big day. Scott is a designer by trade and designed their wedding invitations.

On the morning of their wedding, the couple got ready together. After an outdoor ceremony, Tom and Scott kicked off the reception with a first dance to “Islands in the Stream” by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. They paired the food with their favorite wines, had a selection of local beers and served cupcakes instead of a tiered wedding cake.

We caught up with Tom and Scott to hear more about their disco ranch wedding.

Tell us about the proposal.

On Valentine’s Day, Scott was in the kitchen, making homemade pasta for a romantic dinner at home. Tom surprised Scott and gave him a Valentine’s Day card with a rainbow unicorn on the cover. Inside, it said, “Will you be my forever unicorn?” Scott, covered in flour, said yes. He also said, “Why did you propose when I was a mess?” Tom laughed and said, “Over this pandemic, we have spent every second of every day together, and I still want more.”

What was the ceremony like?

It was an outdoor ceremony, and we wrote our own vows. We had one of our best friends as the officiant. She provided a meaningful and humorous ceremony. Tom’s father, a pastor, read a Bible verse about love, and Scott’s sister read a poem.

How did you personalize your wedding?

We planned the wedding ourselves. We had a fun theme with a dress code and organized an entire weekend of activities to ensure we had time to see everyone. On Thursday, our dog “hosted” a cocktail party at our condo. On Friday, we hosted a happy hour at a local brewery. On Sunday, we went white-water rafting and then met at another local brewery. We commissioned a disco ball cowboy hat for the dance floor, chose themed music and decorated with local Colorado wildflowers. We ordered the wine from wine clubs we belong to and beer from our favorite steamboat brewery, Storm Peak, and ensured the food was family–style, with local ingredients and flavors.

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

The wedding is about you. As an LGBTQ+ couple, you can choose to keep traditions that have meaning to you and throw away traditions that don’t. You can craft the wedding day and wedding weekend to be anything you would like it to be. You can be as formal or informal as you like.

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

We thankfully didn’t experience anything especially challenging. However, the wedding industry is super traditional. We were fortunate to have a positive experience.

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