Posts Tagged ‘Two Brides’

Design invite inspiration from our Two Brides!

Stacy and I sent out the invitations the week before Valentine’s Day. We decided to send them out earlier than normally recommended because our wedding is on a holiday weekend (Memorial Day). We wanted to make sure we got to people before they started planning other things for that weekend.

So, of course we started stalking the mail carrier on Monday, February 15^th like the dorks we are. Naturally, there were no RSVPS for the first few days, but now we get a couple every other day. I am a full-time unemployed person so I am usually the one to get the mail first. It’s almost the favorite part of my day! It sounds silly, but you know the excitement you feel when you decide to throw a party and people slowly, one by one, respond to let you know they’re coming or not! It is very exciting especially since this isn’t any ordinary party.

Each day, I sort through the mail eagerly looking for the little envelopes we sent everyone for their RSVPs. Each day, I use every ounce of will power I have to set them aside and wait for Stacy to get home when we open them together. While I’m waiting, I examine each one for clues as to who it’s from. If it’s marked “California”, I know it’s someone Stacy invited. If it’s somewhere in Central Illinois, it’s my family. If it’s from here in Chicago, it drives me crazy to wait because it could be anyone we know!

Some people write notes on them. Stacy’s parents wrote a whole, touching note about how they love us, respect our relationship and that they wouldn’t miss our wedding for anything. My mom wrote “Eh, I’m planning to be in town for the Cubs vs. Cards game anyway.” That’s our family’s sense of humor.

We do get disappointed when we see that some people can’t come. Those people usually write a note as to why they are missing the wedding. We understand that some people won’t be able to come. That’s the nature of throwing a party, right? We’ve been talking about webcasting our wedding for those who can’t attend. We’ll let you know!

About the Authors/Queerlywed.com

Melissa Johns

Melissa is the co-founder of Queerly Wed, a new website dedicated to helping LGBTQ couples plan their big day. She is an activist within the LGBTQ Community and has volunteered her services at many grassroots organizations over the years. Melissa is also an avid cyclist and won two silver medals at Gay Games VII, which was held in Chicago in 2006. She is also a lifelong student and enjoys studying Latin-American culture, photography and languages.

Stacy Jill Jacobs

Stacy is the co-founder of Queerly Wed, a new website dedicated to helping LGBTQ couples plan their big day.  Stacy is a writer, marketing nerd, and web geek grrl all wrapped up into one package.  Stacy has worked in the interactive field for many years including roles at eToys (US & UK) and Ticketmaster. Stacy became a professional queer when in 2005, she served as the Ticketing Manager for Gay Games VII. You can catch Stacy on her website at www.stacyjilljacobs.com or on Twitter at @StacyJill

One of the most exciting parts about this process was creating our registries. It’s fun to put together a wish list of all of the items that you “need” in your life: the WII accessories, the cappuccino maker, the wall art.  It does seem kind of ridiculous, but the wedding industry has been hip to this consumerism windfall for a while and knows how to cater to couples.

Melissa and I created our registries a few months ago at both Bed, Bath and Beyond and Target.  We both felt that those were stores that we could not only find great items for ourselves, but also help us stay cognizant of  our guests’ costs for attending our wedding (most are from out of town.)

Our first stop was Bed, Bath and Beyond.  I was nervous as we walked up to the counter to ask for “the scanner,” but my fears were quickly diminished. Every person that we encountered, from the front desk staff who exclaimed, “Congratulations! When is your wedding?” to the women at the wedding registry section who were excited to help us as well.  I wasn’t sure what to expect as a same-sex couple, but the fact that they treated us like any other couple made me incredibly happy.

You might be thinking “Oh, but don’t these ladies live in Chicago?” Well, yes, but we were picking items out in the suburbs where I grew up.  “Gays” weren’t really tolerated when I was younger, so I did have my suspicions.  Bed, Bath and Beyond broke that fear apart immediately. Kudos to them!

We also created a registry at Target. This store is evil. I don’t mean in the true sense of evil, rather the fact that it is usually very hard to leave the store without buying $100 worth of stuff you don’t really need.  This is where we had a little bit of fun with the registry.  One of the things that we didn’t ask for is fine china. We really don’t see the need for it, and would rather have items that we would actually use and not stuff away in a closet, waiting for the day that guests arrive. Again, the staff was polite and gave us everything we needed to scan away.

Overall, we are very thankful to these two stores for making it an easy, fluid process, and for not treating us any differently than a straight couple.

About the Authors/Queerlywed.com

Melissa Johns

Melissa is the co-founder of Queerly Wed, a new website dedicated to helping LGBTQ couples plan their big day. She is an activist within the LGBTQ Community and has volunteered her services at many grassroots organizations over the years. Melissa is also an avid cyclist and won two silver medals at Gay Games VII, which was held in Chicago in 2006. She is also a lifelong student and enjoys studying Latin-American culture, photography and languages.

Stacy Jill Jacobs

Stacy is the co-founder of Queerly Wed, a new website dedicated to helping LGBTQ couples plan their big day.  Stacy is a writer, marketing nerd, and web geek grrl all wrapped up into one package.  Stacy has worked in the interactive field for many years including roles at eToys (US & UK) and Ticketmaster. Stacy became a professional queer when in 2005, she served as the Ticketing Manager for Gay Games VII. You can catch Stacy on her website at www.stacyjilljacobs.com or on Twitter at @StacyJill