In the spirit of pride month, we bring you the essential guide for your lesbian wedding. Love is love and wedding planning is wedding planning. With that, we congratulate you on your engagement and look forward to helping you through this exciting process of being a fiancé! We’ve pulled together the best tips and tricks to help you plan for your gorgeous wedding!
Photo Credit: Steph Grant Photography
Rings
Choosing the perfect wedding band is based purely off of preferences and conversations you have with your partner. Many couples opt for something individual but complementary or they decide to get unique rings. We’ve seen some of our brides get opposites of the same ring. For example, they might get a simple platinum band with a rose gold stripe and their partner might get a rose gold band with a platinum stripe. Another popular option is to design each other’s rings. Either as a collaborative effort or as a surprise. The most important thing to remember while designing or choosing your wedding band is that this is representing the promise you’re making to each other and you’ll wear it for the rest of your life – be sure you love it.
Photo Credit: Love Me Do Photography
Bridal Party
Get creative with your bridal party! Who says bridesmaids have to be all female? This is about your love and your closest friends and families that will support your marriage through all the ups and downs. Pick who you want and call them whatever you want! Groomsmen, groomswomen, bridesmen, groomsmaids, best woman, man of honor, or just general attendants, it’s totally up to you!
Photo Credit: Mikkel Paige Photography
Wedding Vendors
With searching for wedding vendors it’s kind of like dating all over again. You want to make sure your personalities match and they will understand and honor your vision. With a same-sex wedding, be aware that vendors may be unfriendly. There are a couple of great resources that breakdown lesbian wedding friendly vendors based off of location: engaygedweddings.com and gayweddings.com. While there are some negative Nancy’s out there, you may also run into the exact opposite. Some vendors will offer you a discount to help support your wedding and make finances a little easier on you.
Photo Credit: I Love You Too Weddings
Hire a Wedding Planner
With different limitations than opposite-sex weddings, hiring a wedding planner will make your planning much easier. They are industry experts and will know the vendors and venues that are inclusive of a lesbian wedding. Not to mention, they’re a great sounding board and thought generator when you start formulating what you want your wedding to look like.
Photo Credit: Braden Summers Image + Motion
Walking Down the Aisle
You have so many options for walking down the aisle and marrying the love of your life. Here are a couple of ideas that we love:
- Have a dual aisle! Who says grand entrances need to only happen one way? Have an aisle that has two walkways so you can simultaneously walk down the aisle and meet in the middle!
- Both you and your partner walk down the aisle either together or separately escorted by a family member or close friend.
- Walk together with your officiant! Get a first look in to make sure you have that special reveal and calm before the storm moment where you can bask in your excitement and love. Then together, with your officiant, walk down the aisle to say “I do!”
- Keep it traditional. You can absolutely have one partner stand in front and the other walk down the aisle in a traditional sense. No preference on who walks down last? Flip a coin and have some fun with it!
Photo Credit: Next Exit Photography
Gender Identity at Your Lesbian Wedding
Depending on your vision, you have the option to define gender identity. Many of our couples have chosen a more gender binary wedding where they use the words partner or spouse rather than bride. Or they just keep it simple and use their names and have their officiant pronounce them equally wed. Some of our other brides love the idea of being called a bride and keep that traditional wording evident throughout their ceremony and reception. Whatever your choice, it’ll be perfect!
Photo Credit: Sarah Rose Burns Photography
Wedding Attire
Are you opting for a wedding dress or a wedding suit? Both are absolutely stunning, but, we’ll be honest, finding the perfect outfit can be frustrating. If you both are going for wedding dresses, understand that it is VERY difficult to find a dress with the exact same color. If you’re looking for a wedding suit, it can be difficult to find a flattering one that isn’t an obscene amount of money. While keeping both of those things in mind, remember that just like finding your partner you will find “the one” outfit that you know is perfect for your big day.
Photo Credit: We Laugh We Love
Marriage License
Getting your marriage license is different in every state. Check with your local city or state and their procedures and time frames. Keep in mind that while same sex marriage is legal in the United States, some states have you jump through more hoops to do so.
Photo Credit: Wildernesses Photography
Last Name
Much like the marriage license, check with your state requirements on last name changes for same sex couples. Many states allow you to choose which last name you want to take after marriage. There is no right or wrong answer one who takes whose last name. You could even blend your two last names, middle names, or flip a coin if neither of you cares!
Photo Credit: Cly By Matthew
Honeymoon
Yay! Time to start planning for the fun part, the honeymoon. There are so many options here in the United States or abroad where you can go and have the time of your life. While planning, keep in mind that not all destination will be open and be accepting of a same-sex couple. To avoid that unnecessary headache, make sure you do some research before booking!
