Intimate Maryland farm wedding with sparklers, confetti and an original song

Carly and Shannon’s relaxed and intimate Maryland wedding took place at Tusculum Farm amidst rolling hills and colorful autumn leaves.As a professional wedding photographer, Carly didn’t want the day to feel like work, so the couple made sure their day felt wholly unique. They chose, for example, not to hide from one another all day, and as a surprise, Carly wrote and sang the song that played while the couple walked down the aisle.

Guests also handed each bride flowers as she walked down the aisle to create Carly’s bouquet, a representation of Carly’s late father who used to visit bearing wild flowers as a gift,

They also had a surprise confetti canon at the end of the ceremony.

“There were so many small, unique touches that helped curate a day bursting at the seams with joy and laughter,” they write. “We wanted our guests to leave feeling so loved.”

What advice would you give to engaged LGBTQ+ couples?

Start your planning with a private conversation with just you and your partner. Remember at the end of the wedding it is just you two! Try to find the few things that mean the most to just you two and then go forward planning. It will help you both to stay true to the two of you and not be swayed by the thousands of websites, opinions, and past events you’ve seen.

Whether it rains, snows, or is sunny and 100 degrees, you are getting to marry your person. At the end of the day that is what was MOST exciting for us. The party was just the icing on top of finding a life partner.

What advice do you have for vendors and venues working with LGBTQ+ couples?

Please use the word couple, spouse or partner. There were so many times we had to mention or correct people. It didn’t upset us, but we know it could offend others. It is such a gentle and easy shift to start using more kind and open language.

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

One wedding venue was not receptive to us as a same-sex couple and kept thinking we were business partners trying to scam them. We were just calling each other partner and explained we were getting married, but they were so awful and made us feel so uncomfortable. We never even shared how awful that made us feel to them.

Other than that, everyone shared SO much love and embraced our union. Everyone reflected all the joy and love we had in our hearts. It was genuinely exactly what we had dreamed up!