[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/real-weddings-p-jaye-and-yolanda\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/real-weddings-p-jaye-and-yolanda\/","headline":"Real Weddings: P-Jaye and Yolanda","name":"Real Weddings: P-Jaye and Yolanda","description":"Just the Two of UsA peek into P-Jaye and Yolanda\u2019s intimate winter wedding in Connecticut By Sarah Gleim   There\u2019s perhaps nothing more meaningful and...","datePublished":"2011-04-03","dateModified":"2021-06-21","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/eweditors\/#Person","name":"Equally Wed","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/author\/eweditors\/","identifier":3,"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_pjaye-and-yolanda.jpg","url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/real-gay-weddings_pjaye-and-yolanda.jpg","height":282,"width":637},"url":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/real-weddings-p-jaye-and-yolanda\/","about":["Real LGBTQ+ Weddings from Equally Wed"],"wordCount":972,"keywords":[" lesbian wedding","West Palm Beach"],"articleBody":"Just the Two of UsA peek into P-Jaye and Yolanda\u2019s intimate winter wedding in Connecticut By Sarah Gleim There\u2019s perhaps nothing more meaningful and personal than marrying the one you love. But let\u2019s face it: The stress of planning a large wedding celebration, not to mention paying for it, can often sidetrack any couple from what\u2019s really important: each other. Add to that the chaos of entertaining family and out-of-town guests, and well, it\u2019s enough to make you wonder who the wedding is really for\u2014you or your guests?Those were just a few of the things Philadelphia residents P-Jaye Jackson and Yolanda Lockhart-Davis, considered after Jackson proposed to Lockhart-Davis with a 1.5-carat diamond. \u201cIt was just a few days after Christmas and was the surprise of a lifetime,\u201d Lockhart-Davis says. Jackson wanted to surprise her partner of a year and a half with a spaghetti dinner and a proposal, but Lockhart-Davis threw a slight wrench in the plans.\u201cI was supposed to stop in the supermarket to pick up a few items, but 45 minutes later, I came out with a cart full of food,\u201d she says. \u201cSo I\u2019m rushing to put the groceries away because P-Jaye seemed irritated, and all of a sudden, I open the refrigerator, and in the center of the shelf is the most ridiculously beautiful diamond ring I\u2019ve ever seen in my life.\u201d\u00a0Vendors: Venue: A Cardinal House, Glastonbury, Conn. Caterer: Kevin M. Lepore, executive chef, A Cardinal House Photographer: Craig and Sonia Houghton, Nutmeg Muse Photography Florist: Nancy Lepore, A Cardinal House Wedding Cake: Kevin M. Lepore, executive chef, A Cardinal HouseSo after the shock and excitement of the engagement sunk in, the wedding planning began. Lockhart-Davis took on the task, and knew the location of the ceremony had to meet two requirements: It had to be very romantic and it had to be located in a state where it would be legal. \u201cI think I looked at every single resort, bed and breakfast, and photographer\u2019s website in Vermont, Maine and Connecticut,\u201d Lockhart-Davis says. \u201cThen we found A Cardinal House in Glastonbury, Conn., and everything after that was easy.\u201dWell, sort of. Initially they considered inviting a few friends to travel with them to be part of the ceremony, but after changing the wedding date three times due to budget issues, they decided against the idea. \u201cBy the time we changed the date a third time, we figured all our friends would have hated us by that point anyway, so it was better that we didn\u2019t invite them,\u201d Lockhart-Davis says.But the women, who are also the mothers of two boys and one girl, 17, 11 and 10, chose not to include their children either. It was something they say they struggled with at length, because they try to spend as much time with their children as possible. \u201cWhen it came down to it, we figured we would end up in \u2018mommy mode\u2019 the entire weekend instead of being focused on each other,\u201d Lockhart-Davis says. \u201cSo we decided to do this just for us.\u201d And once they were able to focus on planning the wedding just for the two of them, that\u2019s when things fell into place. The January ceremony was extremely intimate and included just Lockhart-Davis and Jackson, plus Dr. Michael Lepore, the justice of the peace who performed the service and his wife Nancy, who also own the bed and breakfast.Lockhart-Davis walked down to aisle to an awaiting Jackson wearing an elegant ivory chiffon gown with a cap sleeves and empire waist, and a tiara, necklace and earrings with Swarovski crystals. Her bouquet featured deep red roses with greenery and eucalyptus that were picked that morning. \u201cI\u2019ve always felt that roses are simple, beautiful and elegant, just like we wanted our wedding to be,\u201d Lockhart-Davis says.Photography by Craig and Sonia Houghton, Nutmeg Muse PhotographyJackson wore a white tux by Italian designer, Uomo, as the two women exchanged rings and vows, and promised to love each other\u2019s children as their own. \u201cThe best part was standing at the altar and seeing Yolanda for the first time in her wedding dress coming toward me,\u201d Jackson says. \u201cI wasn\u2019t nervous, because it was all about us, and it was just perfect.\u201dThey finished their intimate wedding ceremony with an equally private and personal five-course reception dinner, prepared exclusively for them by the Cardinal House\u2019s executive chef Kevin M. Lepore. They dined on everything from sausage gumbo and fried chicken to Louisiana collard greens and New England yams. And of course they fed each other bites of a their own vanilla wedding cake filled with strawberries and raspberries. \u201cIt was unbelievable\u201d Jackson says. \u201cEverything was the best.\u201dThey newly married couple spent the rest of their wedding\/honeymoon weekend at A Cardinal House, although they had also just celebrated an anniversary weekend at The Omphoy Resort in West Palm Beach and considered that part of their honeymoon, as well. \u201cIt felt like a minute after midnight on New Year\u2019s Eve,\u201d Jackson says. \u201cI wanted to scream, shout, kiss everybody and tell the world!\u201dThe two say they will eventually have another full-blown wedding, complete with family and friends. \u201cWhen we do get married again, we will have our three kids in the wedding,\u201d Jackson says. \u201cI want to see her son walk her down the aisle, and see my daughter as the flower girl and my son carry the rings.\u201dBut right now, they couldn\u2019t be happier the wedding ceremony was about just the two of them. \u201cAfterward, it felt like my life was complete, and that our life together was really beginning,\u201d Lockhart-Davis. \u201cThe wedding was everything I\u2019ve ever dreamed about, hoped for and so much more.\u201d "},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Real Weddings: P-Jaye and Yolanda","item":"https:\/\/equallywed.com\/real-weddings-p-jaye-and-yolanda\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]