A quirky time travel transgender lesbian wedding

Offbeat partners: Bree & Jenn

Date and location of wedding: Des Moines Beach Park Events Center (Des Moines, WA) 7/13/2019

Our offbeat wedding at a glance: We are both sure we’ve met before, so time travel is a natural theme. Dr. Who, Back to the Future, and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure all made appearances in our day and decor.

We each dressed to represent a favorite era – Jenn chose the Roaring Twenties. She wore an emerald green flapper dress and an intricate feathered headpiece.

Bree went with an early 1960s cupcake vibe, with a short dress, day gloves, and vintage jewelry.

Time travel embraces change and innovation. Jenn is a proud trans woman, an activist, a gamer geek, an IT professional, and an improv actor. Bree is a proud lesbian, a mom of two, a teacher of many, and a body positivity advocate.

Some offbeat details:

Because pronouns matter to us, we asked each guest to wear a name tag and include their pronouns.

Instead of favors, we decorated hats for our guests to shade themselves

Instead of having pre-set chairs or a wedding aisle, we had our guests sit concert-in-the-park style, and provided chairs for those who needed them.

Tell us about the ceremony:

We both knew we wanted two things in our ceremony: a TARDIS and Mac McGregor. We asked Mac (a well-known trans man and community organizer who Jenn met working on Mac’s Seattle City Council campaign) to help us create a celebration that was truly US. We also asked him to dress like Rufus from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. He more than fulfilled both roles.

Our ceremony featured a good bit of improv. It started with the whole wedding party inside a TARDIS (aka blue tent), a fog machine, and TARDIS sound effects. We came out of the tent, theater-in-the-park style, and each shared a pun or two related to time travel.

The actual ceremony was fairly short and sweet, with Bree briefly interrupting to declare, “I really LIKE this!”

The most important part of the wedding for each of us came in looking at the other one and taking in all that was happening. In the midst of a whirlwind day, time stood still. It was just what we wanted.

Tell us about the reception:

Between the ceremony and reception, Mac instinctively knew that we needed a hug line. Not a greeting line. Not a stuffy reception line. A HUG line. We got to hug and talk to everyone there, and it was truly magical. We felt so much love from our guests.

While our guests ate and visited, we took several field expeditions with Loren, our photographer, who encouraged us to nuzzle close and breathe each other in. Taking those quiet moments is one of our favorite parts of the day.

While the reception flew by, it was wonderful to see friends playing the games we brought and our kids playing with friends in the meadow.

What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding?

I can’t share just one lesson, because three lessons are all intertwined:

1) Come into it with self-love.
Love your body. Love your quirks. Love your true self. Love your partner. (And then find a photographer who can capture ALL that love and positivity and put it into a time capsule.)

I came to embrace body positivity after a horrible Wedding Industrial Complex experience at a boutique. Despite providing our measurements and visions well ahead of time, the boutique chose not to provide even one sample for me to try on. We had just finished Jenn’s appointment (which went smashingly), and when my turn came, the record scratched.

The saleswoman suggested I “just try” a dress fully 10 sizes too small. I cried ugly in that dressing room, but I came out to find a partner who insisted that I find self-love, STAT.

I found *the* dress at David’s Bridal later that day… because all it really took was having a selection that fit. I had a strong vision that came together easily.

I now teach water aerobics, help others love themselves, and help style others. It’s a bright new world.

2) It’s about the marriage, not just the day.
Celebrate your union. Take time to just BE together, even if it means hiding out for a few minutes.

3) Don’t try to DIY too much.
We overdid in that area, and got quite tired and stressed. (If I could go back in time, it would have been a potluck picnic.) It’s ok to not have everything be perfect, and to say “no” to things. Our DIY mistake was solved by our friends working SO hard to make everything work. They are the real MVPs.

 

Vendors

• Venue: Des Moines Beach Park Events Center
• Photos by Fuck Yeah Weddings
• Bree's white retro dress: David's Bridal
• Jenn's green flapper dress: Unique Vintage
• Jenn's headpiece: Pretty Parlor

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