[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/real-weddings-jenn-and-sandy\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/real-weddings-jenn-and-sandy\/","headline":"Real Weddings: Jenn and Sandy","name":"Real Weddings: Jenn and Sandy","description":"Road TripSandy and Jenn travel from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. to obtain a legally recognized marriage By Sarah Gleim      Remember Friendster? No? Well you\u2019re...","datePublished":"2011-07-01","dateModified":"2021-06-21","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/#Person","name":"Equally Wed","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/admin\/","identifier":787,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ca62cf123aaaf135c80b055249bacbda79de9226e11cdfcde6529bedf89683de?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\/real-gay-weddings_jenn-and-sandy.jpg","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/real-gay-weddings_jenn-and-sandy.jpg","height":382,"width":659},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/real-weddings-jenn-and-sandy\/","about":["Real LGBTQ+ Weddings"],"wordCount":1024,"articleBody":" Road TripSandy and Jenn travel from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. to obtain a legally recognized marriageBy Sarah Gleim    Remember Friendster? No? Well you\u2019re probably not the only one who doesn\u2019t. But Atlantans Sandy and Jenn are two women who will likely never forget the social networking site, which debuted long before Facebook and even Myspace. That\u2019s because the two met when Jenn\u2019s roommate convinced her to join the site to try to find friends when she first moved to Atlanta.\u201cI found Sandy not long after I signed up,\u201d she says. \u201cWe e-mailed for several months before meeting in person, and then it didn\u2019t take much time after a few of dates for things to escalate into a formal relationship.\u201d That was seven years ago\u2014and this past June the couple just celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary.Sandy, who\u2019s 34 and Jenn, who turns 30 in August, tied the knot in a simple ceremony in Washington, D.C. at a Unitarian Universalist Memorial Church in Dupont Circle. It was important to Jenn that they be married by a spiritual leader rather than a judge, but both women wanted the wedding to take place where it would be legally recognized, which is why they chose to go to D.C.Initially, their plan was to hold a wedding and reception in Atlanta, but at the same time, they were looking at options to get legally married in states that allowed it. \u201cWhile planning for the legal portion and the reception\/ceremony portion, D.C. legalized gay marriage (that March) so we immediately started looking into that as an option,\u201d Jenn explains.\u201cIt\u2019s ridiculous to me that we were legally wed in our nation\u2019s capital yet our home state does not recognize our marriage,\u201d Sandy says. \u201cIt was important to me that we get married though. I think it was something I wanted us to do [\u2026] to declare in front of those people most important to us.\u201dAnd so that\u2019s what they did in a small parlor room of the Unitarian Universalist Memorial Church\u2019s main sanctuary on June 12, 2010, before 20 of their closest friends and family.Jenn wore a simple, summer white above-the-knee dress from The Limited and Sandy wore khaki linen pants and a white button up from JCrew. Immediately before the ceremony, the women shared a few minutes of quiet time, joined hands and walked into the parlor together, holding special flowers they selected to honor Sandy\u2019s mother and Jenn\u2019s sister who passed away in 2001 and 2003, respectively. {loadposition easysspjennandsandy}Photography by Wade Collins \u201cEveryone sat in mismatched, oversized and multi-colored chairs and couches, and we stood in front of the mantel with Pastor Lillie,\u201d Jenn says. \u201cIt was perfect because it wasn\u2019t typical or traditional\u2014it almost felt like we were in a living room. What\u2019s more comfortable than that?\u201dAfter the women exchanged their deeply emotional vows and were presented as a \u201cpublicly sanctioned married couple,\u201d the entire wedding party celebrated together at the Vietnam Memorial and Lincoln Memorial, then with a small reception\/meal Old Ebbitt Grill\u2014the oldest saloon in the city\u2014and at a Patty Griffin concert that evening. But of course the big celebration came later in the fall in Atlanta, when they threw a semi-formal reception with music, dancing and food at the Georgia Tech Alumni House for about 115 guests, with a rehearsal dinner the night before at their favorite karaoke bar. A photo booth with silly props\u2014think big wigs, crazy hats and clown-sized sunglasses\u2014was a huge hit and added a fun factor to the night, while a slideshow from the D.C. ceremony allowed guests who didn\u2019t attend the wedding to experience the nuptials via beautiful photos. Vendors: D.C. Wedding Venue: Unitarian Universalist Memorial Church, Dupont CircleReception Venue, Atlanta: Georgia Tech Alumni HouseWedding Dress D.C.: The LimitedWedding Gown Atlanta: Natalie\u2019s BridalWedding Suit: JCrewInvitations: PaperlessPost.comCaterer: Endive CateringPhotographer: Wade CollinsHairstylist: Grow Salon, DecaturCake: PublixBetween all of the fun, guests dined on a menu of Southern comfort food from Endive Catering that included passed hors d\u2019oeuvres of Belgian endive stuffed with Montrachet goat cheese, sun-dried tomato, dried fruits and fresh basil; and fried green tomatoes topped with fresh herbs, crumbled Montrachet goat cheese and red-pepper remoulade; as well as entr\u00e9es like beef short ribs with red wine demi-glace with roasted garlic Yukon gold \u201cs’mashed\u201d potatoes; and stone ground white grits or aged cheddar cheese grits with a multitude of toppings to add on top.\u201cAfter the event ended, a large group from the party joined us back in our hotel suite where we continued the celebration,\u201d Sandy says. \u201cThe whole package of events really represented our styles and us.\u201dAnd speaking of representing their styles, that\u2019s one piece of advice Sandy has for other engaged couples. \u201cDon\u2019t let tradition rule your wedding if you don\u2019t want it to,\u201d she says. \u201cYou should make it about you and what you want. If you don\u2019t want a cake, don\u2019t get a cake. If you don\u2019t want fancy chairs, get fluffy couches. If you want to sing, get karaoke!\u201dBoth Jenn and Sandy stress that even though the ceremony is about what you want, but it\u2019s also about celebrating with those you love\u2014and those who love you. \u201cSome of things that meant the most to us were that two of our grandparents were able to attend at 70 and 80-plus years old\u2014and we think they had more fun than anyone else!\u201d Jenn says.\u201cI would say I was overwhelmed with happiness and love that day,\u201d Sandy says. \u201cWhile I was saying my vows to Jenn, I started crying. That surprised me, and I think most of our friends, too. I think maybe part of it was sadness, too, that my mom and Jenn\u2019s sister, Jessi, weren\u2019t there to witness and celebrate with us. Because standing in front of our family and friends and declaring our love for each other\u2014that was an amazing feeling.\u201d\u00a0"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Real Weddings: Jenn and Sandy","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/real-weddings-jenn-and-sandy\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]