Modern black tie industrial wedding in Amish country

Lee and Nathan’s black tie wedding was chic, modern and industrial and took place right in the heart of Amish country in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They wanted to give their guests an eco-conscious respite from the hustle and bustle of daily life to focus on love for just one day. Lee and Nathan designed each others’ rings. Their first dance was to “Make it to Me” by Sam Smith performed live by Najwa Parkins and Bachelor Boys Band.

What advice would you give to engaged LGBTQ+ couples?

Our top tips for pulling off the wedding of your dreams:

1. Sweat the small stuff early, so you don’t have to later.

2. Think about the experience you will provide to your guests above nearly all else.

3. Evoke as much your personality when planning the day, but don’t go overboard.

4. Be diligent with the event’s branding. Have a color palette, font, vibe/feel and stick to it.

Advice for vendors and venues working with LGBTQ+ couples?

When we interacted with vendors we did our best to meet in person so that it was obvious we were a gay couple. For over the phone first meetings, we made sure to let them know early this was a gay wedding. We just didn’t want to get too far into planning and later be discriminated against.

Luckily we had no vendor issues and had such a positive experience. As this may not be the case for every couple, we think being upfront about your event and noting that it’s same-sex or LGBTQ+ is wise. Besides, with our community, there’s the opportunity to make the event more customized and tailored, and vendors can help with that.

One thing we hate: When the vendors referred to a room on-site at the venue as the bridal suite—we made sure to correct everyone to start using “wedding suite” instead.

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

Fortunately for us, we didn’t experience any issues. Our family and friends definitely questioned why on earth we wanted to get married in Amish Country since neither one of us have any relation to that area.

However, we knew that we wanted to treat our guests to new memories together and have new experiences. Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is surprisingly LGBTQ-friendly, full of arts and culture. We realized this when we visited the venue for the first time and absolutely fell in love with the city. All of our guests did too, as many stayed the weekend and explored.