Author Archive

They just wanted to have fun. Relax. Snuggle. And get some great couple shots- not engagement shots, but shots celebrating their relationship. Ashley and Melissa grabbed Kristin of Kristin La Voie Photography and headed to a paintball field.

“Ashley and I first met our freshman year of college at an event with mutual friends, but we were both with other people so nothing really came of it. It wasn’t until two years later when we were at a friend’s birthday party that the sparks and butterflies really started. However, despite poking and prodding from her friends, Ashley was just too shy to say anything to me, and I was too intimidated by her to say anything.

When I was invited a few months later to a Halloween party that Ashley was going to be at, I knew I had to be there. I knew it was going to be the last chance I’d get to tell her how I really felt, and see if we had a chance. It was going to be my last chance because I was going to be moving to Florida in a week. I figured I had nothing to lose, if she shot me down I was leaving anyway, and if she felt the same way I did, then I finally had a chance to be with her.

Luckily, she felt the same way I did and even though I was moving, as Ashley put it “a million miles away”, we both wanted a chance to make this work after waiting so long. So we took things slow and after a million text messages, Skype calls, insane cell phone bills and an amazing surprise graduation gift for Ashley, we fell in love and knew we’d make it work no matter what.”

With the weather just turning over to Spring, a beach wedding was just what I wanted to show. Bright colors, gorgeous sand couple shots and even a starfish tattoo all were captured by Cassie Leah Photography.

From the couple: Our wedding was October 22, 2011 on a beautiful day in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. We choose the option of doing a beach house wedding. In this event, we had to coordinate all the vendors and account for all expenses, because this was not an all inclusive venue. The benefit from this was that we had complete control over every detail and our entire bridal party, including our parents could stay here and not have to worry about traveling. The disadvantage was that we had to strategically plan everything imaginable and purchase or rent everything individually. All in all, the planning went well and on the day of our event, it was nearly flawless! The weather, the atmosphere and the day couldn’t have been more perfect. We were expecting about 100 guests from all over the states from Colorado and New Mexico to New York and New Jersey.

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We have some news about the next chapter of So You’re EnGAYged: after much consideration, we’ve decided to stop working on real weddings and vendor listings.

This is obviously a huge decision, and one that didn’t come lightly. We know how much you all really love this site as it is, especially the real weddings section. Both of us (Kelly and Lara) are currently dealing with health issues, as well as work/life balance (we have full-time jobs in addition to running So You’re EnGAYged). Real weddings and vendor listings eat up the bulk of our time outside of our full-time jobs, and it’s time for us to end our work on them. This means that there will be no new real weddings or vendors added to the site, but the existing ones will remain.

A ton of thought has gone into this, and though it’s a sad decision for both of us, we’re so happy with how the site has evolved over the years and the joy it has brought to us during that time. We’re not sure what’s next for SYE, but we’ll definitely be posting about it after taking some time off! Our awesome bloggers have been given the opportunity to keep blogging if they choose.

Lara: It’s been phenomenal running this site. I’ve learned so much about this community and how vendors can be truly LGBT-friendly. I’ve learned so much about the technology behind it, and what it takes to run a successful business. The people we’ve met, the loving comments we read, and the chance to work with your best friend day after day are some of the most treasured things about SYE. We keep joking – this wouldn’t be such a hard decision if So You’re EnGAYged weren’t so awesome. :)

Kelly: I can remember coming up with the idea for So You’re EnGAYged and wondering what/where/how to go about such a large project. Working with Lara, who is my best friend, to continually set new standards for the wedding industry and push for more awareness has been my driving force. I love that I’ve goten to work with so many couples as they submitted their real wedding/engagements, and in our next chapter, I hope to focus even more on serving amazing LGBT couples as they navigate the sometimes-murky waters of planning an LGBT wedding. This was an extremely hard decision to make, but I know in the end, whatever path So You’re EnGAYged takes will be one that allows me to continue to serve my LGBT and offbeat clients with my wedding photography business and gives me snuggle time with the wife.

Thanks to all you readers for being so terrific. It’s been a true pleasure creating this site for you.

Jen and Meghan: Jen and I met through a mutual friend, on a whim, and not as a set up. I was a hair stylist in LA and needed a model my first week, with no notice. My friend called Jen since she worked in LA. It was not love at first site and we barely spoke. But Jen was nice enough to let me crash at her place in Long Beach while I was commuting 2 hours to the salon. I soon got a place in Long Beach (I didn’t just fall for Jen) and we began a friendship which quickly led to where we are now.
Neither of us are great planners, nor can we keep a secret, so the engagement was in our typical style! We signed the Domestic Partner papers, had them notarized at the post office, and didn’t sweat at all! We headed for a great weekend in Palm Springs, won a little money, and ended the weekend with a trip to the jewelry outlet. With bejeweled fingers we set out to plan our reception. It’s been smooth sailing from there on out, surprisingly.

Photography: Pro-Gay Vendor Holly Steen of Cakes and Kisses Wedding Photography

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