[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/blush-navy-new-jersey-wedding\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/blush-navy-new-jersey-wedding\/","headline":"Blush and navy New Jersey wedding","name":"Blush and navy New Jersey wedding","description":"Incorporating their favorite colors, this couple's blush and navy New Jersey wedding paid homage to African and feminist values and traditions. ","datePublished":"2017-01-24","dateModified":"2017-02-14","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/contributor\/#Person","name":"Guest Writer","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/contributor\/","identifier":4969,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bfa44c65dd85c24f1064c7fb24017ff9bf74e19d9fc4aebad4cb90210213412e?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bfa44c65dd85c24f1064c7fb24017ff9bf74e19d9fc4aebad4cb90210213412e?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Equally Wed","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","url":"http:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/equally-wed-lgbtq-weddings-logo.jpg","width":218,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Pink-and-Navy-New-Jersey-wedding-Equally-Wed-LGBTQ-Weddings-60.jpg","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Pink-and-Navy-New-Jersey-wedding-Equally-Wed-LGBTQ-Weddings-60.jpg","height":667,"width":1000},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/blush-navy-new-jersey-wedding\/","video":{"@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/i.vimeocdn.com\/video\/602492267-3943b4bad1742bb10573e19c8adf66973b5a8485b07f7da2234bfeb0ec11337e-d_640?region=us","name":"Tamara & Deborah Eato","description":"Our Wedding Day, May 25, 2016","thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i.vimeocdn.com\/video\/602492267-3943b4bad1742bb10573e19c8adf66973b5a8485b07f7da2234bfeb0ec11337e-d_640?region=us","uploadDate":"2016-11-13T21:39:45+00:00","duration":"P0DT0H4M33S"},"about":["Real LGBTQ+ Weddings"],"wordCount":819,"keywords":[" navy"," New Jersey"," pink","navy suit","New Jersey weddings"],"articleBody":"“Better Together” blush and navy New Jersey weddingAs we celebrated our story of love, we infused our wedding day with many meaningful moments. We got married on our 11 year anniversary as a couple (after proposing to each other on our 10 year anniversary). We chose \u201cBetter Together\u201d as our wedding theme because we truly believe that only God could have brought us together and kept us together despite our different backgrounds and through all of life\u2019s difficulties.The style of our wedding was an evening of elegant romance, complete with candle light, blush hydrangeas and poetry. Our venue, the Hyatt Regency Hotel, was the first hotel we stayed at together and is also close to where we live. Our wedding colors were blush and navy because Tamara\u2019s favorite color is pink and Deborah\u2019s is blue.Tamara had a swatch of Debbie\u2019s navy wedding suit sewn into her blush and ivory wedding dress. We chose to do a \u201cFirst Look\u201d before the ceremony so that we could have a special moment together before being surrounded by our loved ones. Tamara chose to walk down the aisle unaccompanied as a nod to her feminist principles; she was not anyone else\u2019s to \u201cgive away.\u201d Tamara chose to walk down the aisle to \u201cWedding Song\u201d by Black lesbian Tracy Chapman whose words perfectly captured her sentiments on their special day.In another nod to her feminist principles, and to honor her heritage and love of reading, Tamara included books by Black women (and mostly lesbian) writers on our escort card table. During our ceremony, we included a memorial for Deborah\u2019s deceased grandmother, Mattie Ruth Alston, and for Ammar Simmons, the deceased son of Deborah\u2019s Best Woman, Sharronda. \u00a0Tamara is a poet and she wrote a poem for Deborah every day in the 90 days leading up to the wedding day. Fourteen of those poems were framed and used in the reception d\u00e9cor, 11 on guest tables and 3 on our sweetheart table. We wrote our own vows which incorporated our \u201cBetter Together\u201d theme and used the same \u201cI promise\u2026\u201d format.We also had \u201cBetter Together\u201d as our cake topper and engraved those words and our wedding date on our cake cutter and server set, cake forks, toasting flutes, our sweetheart table dinner plates, the gobo on our dance floor and on the photo booth pictures which were our guest favors.We chose to do the handwashing ritual as the unity portion of our ceremony to start our married life with a clean slate and to commit to a marriage of love, grace and compassion. We also performed the African-American ritual of jumping the broom at the end of our ceremony to honor our African ancestors and to celebrate our union as part of their legacy. Our wedding planner, Donchell Johnson, made the broom for us herself and gave it to us as a wedding gift.Our something borrowed was our wedding jewelry (Tamara, diamond necklace with pearl drop, diamond bracelet; Deborah \u2013 diamond and sapphire earrings) which our jeweler Ellen Ramer of Martin Jewelers graciously loaned us. We bought each other wedding day gifts (from our jeweler Ellen) and presented them to each other on the morning of the wedding.Tamara gave Debbie a pair of diamond earrings and Debbie gave Tamara two rose gold bands that were engraved with \u201cBetter Together, Debbie & Tamara.\u201d In addition to our first dance (to Babyface\u2019s \u201cExceptional\u201d), we ended our evening of romance and honored Prince, one of Deborah\u2019s favorite artists, with a last dance to his song \u201c1,000 Hugs & Kisses\u201d.#ftg-168168 .tile .icon { color:#ffffff; }#ftg-168168 .ftg-items .loading-bar i { background:#fff; }#ftg-168168 .ftg-items .loading-bar { background:#fff; }#ftg-168168 .tile .icon { font-size:12px; }#ftg-168168 .tile .icon { margin: -6px 0 0 -6px; }#ftg-168168 .tile .caption-block .text-wrapper span.text { font-size:12px; }#ftg-168168 .tile .caption-block .text-wrapper span.title { font-size:14px; }#ftg-168168 .tile { background-color: transparent; }#ftg-168168 .tile .caption-block .text-wrapper span.text { color: #ffffff; }#ftg-168168 .tile .caption-block .text-wrapper span.title { color: #ffffff; }#ftg-168168 .tile .ftg-social a { color: #ffffff; }#ftg-168168 .tile .caption-block { transition-timing-function:linear; }#ftg-168168 .tile .caption-block { transition-duration:0.25s; }#ftg-168168 .tile .tile-inner:before { background-color: #000000; }#ftg-168168 .tile .tile-inner:before { background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); }#ftg-168168 .tile.ftg-preload { transform: scaleY(1) scaleX(1) translate(0px,0px) rotateX(0deg) rotateY(0deg); }#ftg-168168 .tile.ftg-preload { transition: all ease-out 0.5s, opacity linear 0.5s; }#ftg-168168 .tile img.item { transition-duration: 0.25s; }jQuery('#ftg-168168 img.item').removeAttr('src');jQuery(document).ready(function () {setTimeout(function () {jQuery('#ftg-168168').finalTilesGallery({minTileWidth: 250,margin: 10,loadMethod: 'sequential',nonce: '4ddb7c45cd',galleryId: '168',setupFilters: true,layout: 'final',debug: false,gridSize: 25,disableGridSizeBelow: 800,allowEnlargement: true,imageSizeFactor: [ [4000, 0.9],[1024, 0.8],[768, 0.7],[640, 0.6],[320, 0.5]],selectedFilter: 'n-a'});jQuery(function () {(function () {var rel = '';jQuery('#ftg-168168 .ftg-lightbox').click(function (e) {rel = jQuery(this).attr('rel');jQuery('#ftg-168168 .ftg-current').removeClass('ftg-current');jQuery('#ftg-168168 [rel=\"'+rel+'\"]').addClass('ftg-current');});})();jQuery('#ftg-168168 .tile a.ftg-lightbox').prettyPhoto({});});}, 0);}); Photographer:\u00a0Oliver Collier, The Big Image Videographer:\u00a0Harold St. Louis, F.I.P. Video\u00a0 Wedding venue:\u00a0Hyatt Regency Hotel, New Brunswick, NJ Florist:\u00a0Monday Morning Flower & Balloon Co. Planner:\u00a0Donchell Johnson Catering:\u00a0Hyatt Regency Hotel, New Brunswick, NJ Cake: Mahogany Johnson, Mastivory Catering Co. Officiant: Rev. Carol Cissel\u00a0\u00a0 DJ:\u00a0Richard Anderson, A Man & His Music Invitations:\u00a0Weddings2Plan Invitations Makeup artist:\u00a0Jhenelle Hill\u00a0 Wedding dress:\u00a0Paloma Blanca Wedding gown 4450  Alterations and custom crystal belt: Eleny Wagner Veil: Ivory cathedral drop veil with alencon lace edging from Blanca Veils \u00a0 Shoes: Badgley Mischka Women’s Roudy D’Orsay Pump in Navy  Hair comb: Allure Jewel Flower Hair Comb from DSW Bobby Pins:\u00a0Allure Crystal Bobby Pins from DSW  Clutch: La Regale Navy Rhinestone-accent Tiger Minaudiere  Lingerie: Journelle Suits: Zara\u00a0 Dress shirts: Calvin Klein white dress shirt from Men\u2019s Wearhouse Suit tailor: Nick del NegroShoes: Bride Deborah –\u00a0Allen Edmonds McAllister Wingtip Oxfords in Walnut Calf and Best woman –\u00a0To Boot New York Bridal belt:\u00a0Allen Edmonds\u00a0Belt: Best woman –\u00a0Robert Graham Bowties and pocket squares:\u00a0Sally Reaves Socks: Charles Tyrwhitt Cuff links: Bride Deborah –\u00a0Thomas Pink andBest woman –\u00a0Perry Ellis Jewelry: Martin Jewelers\u00a0and\u00a0Gems Galleria Maid of Honor dress: Adrianna Papell\u00a0Criscross Halter Gown in Midnight Blue  Sandals:\u00a0Report  Earrings: David’s Bridal Bracelet:\u00a0David’s Bridal "},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blush and navy New Jersey wedding","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/blush-navy-new-jersey-wedding\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]