North Carolina Southern Mansion Wedding: Bri & Natasha

Nov. 4, 2016

Bri gathered close friends and family at Love Park in Philadelphia when she proposed. Natasha was convinced that Bri was going to break up with her, but was ecstatic to find out she was instead hiding a huge engagement.

The couple had lots of trouble finding a venue in North Carolina that would meet their needs and that also allowed same sex marriage. When they found the place that they both loved and they didn’t care about their sexual orientation, they knew it was the one! The venue was more than amazing to Bri and Natasha, and definitely made their day a breeze.

The planning itself was actually fairly stress-free, maybe because Bri and Natasha are laid back, or possibly because they had a year and a half to plan! Either way, they enjoyed their planning and appreciated the help of an amazing group of friends and family.

Natasha is part Japanese, so the ceremony included Buddhist traditions. A friend served as their officiant. He made the ceremony so special and specific to who Bri and Natasha are as a couple, and as people. The whole day was magical (and a blur!). Afterwards, the newlyweds took a honeymoon to Barbados. They would “go back yesterday” if they could!

Bri and Natasha would advise other engaged couples to “ask all of your vendors if they are ok with same sex marriage. Being in the south, we would rather ask and be denied than find out later that they wouldn’t do something when It was too late, or when the vendor met them in person.” They added, “And don’t sweat the small stuff. Seriously! No one will remember the tablecloths, napkins or centerpieces – everyone is too busy dancing and drinking!”

Their LGBTQ-Friendly Vendors

Photographer: Johanna Dye Photography // Floral Designer: Costco // Band: EG Peters Band // Bakery: Raleigh Cake Pops // Event Venue: The Matthews House

Submitted via Two Bright Lights