June Weddings: Celebrations beyond the Rainbow

From traditional brides in wedding gowns and grooms in black tuxedos, to today’s same-sex
couples wearing matching gowns or tuxedos, June weddings have proudly come a long way.
Looking back to when same-sex marriage was legalized in June of 2015, some of the first gay
weddings also included complementary attire and décor but with much more flamboyant themes
and lots of rainbows. The legalization of same-sex marriage figuratively allowed the LGBTQ+
community to collectively exhale, as they were finally able to celebrate the opportunity for a
legal marriage – a right that many same-sex couples had been holding their breath to be granted.

Nine years later, today’s same-sex weddings are still as individual and important as they were in
2015, with just a few noticeable changes, according to wedding industry professionals. For the
most part, long gone is the over-the-top extravagance in clothing and décor, with today’s couples
choosing more contemporary styles of dress and design. This allows the focus of the wedding to
be on the couple’s love and commitment to each other, and a desire to share their special day
with family and friends.

Within Indian River County (IRC), there are many wedding venues and vendors that have shown
their support for the gay community, and welcome the opportunity to help organize any
LGBTQ+ wedding or event. One of the most well known venues is the Costa d’Este Beach
Resort and Spa, where outdoor beach ceremonies are a popular events with LGBTQ+ clients.

Katie Wacha, sales coordinator at Costa d’Este, said, “In addition to outdoor ceremonies on the
beach, we also offer our Bamboo Ballroom and Patio for wedding receptions and/or cocktails. To
show respect to today’s LGBTQ+ couples and how they choose to define themselves, we no
longer use the terms ‘bride’ and ‘groom,’ but rather, we use ‘nearlyweds’ for all of our couples.
We’re happy to offer all-inclusive packages to our clients, which can easily accommodate
various budgets and requests.”

At Magnolia Manor, another IRC venue that supports and hosts LGBTQ+ events, wedding
ceremonies are held outdoors on an island, with receptions held in an open-air pavilion/barn
equipped with fans. Lauren Russell, senior event coordinator and venue manager at Magnolia
Manor, pointed out how a rustic location can still create the setting for a sophisticated event.

“Couples are surrounded by water during the actual ceremony, which offers the feeling of a quiet
and intimate event. As part of our wedding packages, we offer an in-house DJ, as well as a
vibrant blue, 1948 Buick convertible for a couple’s arrival and wedding photos,” Russell said.

Along with attire and décor, another same-sex wedding essential is seeing its own update: the
cake. According to Staci Dunn – well known and better known as The Cake Lady – the number
of cakes she creates for LGBTQ+ weddings is increasing, and so are the unique design requests
she receives from same-sex couples.

“Same-sex wedding cake requests are trending away from the flamboyant designs and rainbow themes of the past, to more modern, sophisticated, and contemporary designs. In the past, cakes for LGBTQ+ weddings used lots of color on the cake, but now, designs tend to be more streamlined and use less, and often darker, colors and sometimes gold,” Dunn pointed out.

When it comes to planning an LGBTQ+ wedding, there are many venues and vendors to choose
from in IRC, with customization available for many service options. However, as couples
embrace a commitment to each other – whether under the stars or over the rainbow – they can
also share their individual love story with pride.

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Manor / Whatthomassays Media

Photo courtesy of Beach Breeze Weddings

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Manor

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Manor / ArdenSea Photography

Photo courtesy of The Cake Lady

Photo courtesy of The Cake Lady