[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/queer-christian-summer-wedding\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/queer-christian-summer-wedding\/","headline":"Queer Christian summer wedding","name":"Queer Christian summer wedding","description":"Queer Christian summer wedding","datePublished":"2013-06-10","dateModified":"2021-06-30","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/kpalladino\/#Person","name":"Kirsten Palladino","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/kpalladino\/","identifier":2,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/76421eab241dc39d43a493849d7bc676e4b1c60c6b1167f727466599b6882eca?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/76421eab241dc39d43a493849d7bc676e4b1c60c6b1167f727466599b6882eca?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\/2013\/06\/225de5db1847cfbc0a266a2e926da49c.jpg","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/225de5db1847cfbc0a266a2e926da49c.jpg","height":333,"width":500},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/queer-christian-summer-wedding\/","about":["Real LGBTQ+ Weddings from Equally Wed"],"wordCount":993,"articleBody":"Queer Christian summer wedding for vintage-loving queer brides accentuated with peacock feathers, family and devotion\u00a0Leslie and Rachel married in a late afternoon ceremony on June 16, 2012, at Scarsdale Congregational Church, UCC in Scarsdale, New York, where Rachel was serving as a Minister of Christian Education. The then-Queens residents\u2014who have since moved to Berea, Kentucky, chose an Art Nouveau theme that ended up having a special emphasis on peacock feathers.\u201cWhen Rachel took me ring shopping, I found an engagement ring that was Art Nouveau, and that sparked the idea,\u201d says Leslie. \u201cThen, we found an Alphonse Mucha print from the 1910s that had two women who looked a lot like us,\u201d says Rachel. \u201cMy mother, who is a graphic designer, doctored it and made it look more like us, and then made a gorgeous wedding invitation out of it. That pretty much set us on the path.\u201d\u00a0Leslie and Rachel met in seminary in 2005. \u201cOur faith is an important part of who we are,\u201d says Leslie. \u201cMany of our guests said they were surprised to find that a gay wedding was the most religious ceremony they\u2019d been to in years. It was an hour-long service with congregational hymns, blessings from three ministers, a sermon, and communion. My favorite part was our exit. We walked together down the aisle, holding hands and singing a capella the spiritual, \u2018Guide My Feet While I Run This Race.\u2019 The congregation joined in on the second verse. It was a powerful recognition of the fact that we really believe that God created and continues to create our marriage.\u201d\u00a0The brides\u2019s families played an intricate part in the wedding. Both of their dads walked them down the aisle, and afterwards, gave each other a high-five. \u201cIt was pretty cute,\u201d says Leslie. “As a children\u2019s minister, I worked very closely with the kids of the church, and I wanted them to have a role,” says Rachel. “Leslie\u2019s stepmother and niece made sticks with bells and ribbons on them for the kids to wave. They came down the aisle at the beginning of the processional. It was a great way to set the tone of joy and fun. And I think they really liked getting to be part of it. I love that I was part of a church where people would joyously let their kids be part of a same-sex wedding.”For their reception, Leslie\u2019s father and niece made a photobooth with a smiling crescent moon in the background, inspired again by the 1910s. Rachel\u2019s mother made paper masks for guests to have fun with, and she and her best friend, also named Rachel, created white paper flowers for centerpieces. Her mom also decorated the paper-covered tables with silkscreened squares encouraging guests to write or draw messages to the brides. Leslie\u2019s mom finished off the d\u00e9cor with mustard- and rose-colored fabric, tying their palette together.Intricate details and a cohesive theme made for great photos, Rachel points out, but she\u2019s also clear that \u201cthey didn\u2019t really matter to what kind of time we had. The food mattered, though. Good food is important.\u201d Leslie agrees, saying, \u201cI learned that the details don’t actually matter. When I took the attitude \u2018What happens, happens,\u2019 I had a blast.\u201dFor a sweet treat, the queer brides started with the cake-cutting and a champagne toast, because many of their guests couldn\u2019t stay all evening. \u201cWe started with the cake-cutting and a champagne toast, because many of our guests couldn\u2019t stay all evening,\u201d says Rachel. \u201cWe found really cool edible peacock feathers from etsy.com as toppers on our cupcakes. The main cake was made at Babycakes NYC, a bakery that produces sugar-free, gluten-free, nut-free and vegan cakes that are actually really delicious. This was important because I can\u2019t eat sugar, and many of our beloved guests couldn\u2019t eat some of the other main cake ingredients. So we found a way to feed everyone!\u201dBuon Amici, a little local deli in Scarsdale, laid out a resplendent buffet of Italian foods (some gluten-free, including chicken, pasta, meatballs and gnocci, as well as a mozzarella bar, made fresh for the guests and served with accoutrements such as ham and salami. \u201cWe also had strawberry shortcake for dessert, made by many of our loving guests,\u201d says Rachel. \u201cWe had a huge team of volunteers working for days before the wedding to try to cut costs. It was an amazing gift that they gave us, and delicious, too!\u201d Desserts also included more than 1,000 bourbon balls, a nod to Leslie\u2019s Kentucky heritage.The devoted lovebirds celebrated their marriage with a live Brooklyn band performing while the 200-plus guests enjoyed a contra dance. Rachel says she can\u2019t remember their first dance song, but it\u2019s clear she had another focus. \u201cIt was something bluegrass. But I do remember the feeling of it. So many people were watching us, but I didn\u2019t really even notice them. I only had eyes for her, and she was so beautiful!\u201d\u00a0They both danced with their fathers for the father\/daughter dance, one tradition they made sure to keep. \u201cI wanted Roy Orbison\u2019s \u2018You Got It,\u2019 because my dad used to sing it to me all the time as a kid,\u201d says Leslie. \u201c\u2019Anything you want, you got it, baby!\u2019 It always made me feel special.\u201d\u00a0Rachel\u2019s DJ friend Emily Chilko, who has played a number of weddings, took over the music for the second part of the reception. \u201cShe gave her services to us as a gift, and it was an amazing gift!,\u201d says Rachel.VENDORSMAIN CAKE: Babycakes NYCCUPCAKE TOPPERS:\u00a0EtsyATTIRE:\u00a0KimeraPHOTOGRAPHY: Cindy and Sharon, Same Sex Wedding PhotographersFLORISTS:\u00a0Colonial Village Florist (bouquets and corsages); Kate Chilko, a friend (boutonni\u00e8res and table flowers); Fran Grenley, a friend and coworker (ceremony flowers)HAIR: Momotaro Salon (Leslie)MAKEUP: Red Door Spa"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Queer Christian summer wedding","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/queer-christian-summer-wedding\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]