* Brigid, Law (JD) and Divinity (MAR) Student & Ximena, Art History PhD Student * Photographer: Kelly Prizel * Soundtrack for Reading: “She Is” by Sufjan Stevens or “Sea of Love” by Cat Power *
One sentence sum-up of the wedding vibe: A friend early on declared it a “crisp crafty lovely vintage lady wedding.”
The Info—Photographer: Kelly Prizel Photography / Venue: Christ Church New Haven / Croquet Venue: Edgerton Park / Wedding Dresses: Vintage, purchased on Etsy / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Handmade by Louise Hedley of Soho Mode / Bouquets: Handmade by Ximena and available for sale on Etsy (along with Brigid’s dress) at CrispVintageLovely
Other cool stuff we should know about: We’re both fairly religious and members of the church, so it meant a lot to us to have the church ceremony be the focus of the day. We separated the legal ceremony to a brief gathering of the family and attendants shortly before the church ceremony, which lasted over an hour. The ceremony was a special one developed by this parish from a period when blessing same-sex unions was permitted in the Episcopal Church but before the national church had set up a standard rite to be used. We won out in having one that was poetic and strongly rooted in tradition, while being something fresh and fitting to our situation. Because the ceremony was so important to us, our reception was pretty understated—but this led to some of our favorite unique parts of the celebration! We decided to use the church’s parish lounge, which ordinarily looks a bit outdated but ended up fitting in with our mid-century aesthetic really well. To make it special, though, one of the bridesmaids created a kind of “domestic art space” making tent-like areas and backdrops with vintage fabrics. It transformed the space, made it more cozy, and provided great backgrounds for photos with guests. In one of the “tent” areas, we set up lots of yarn for people to knit a square for us—Ximena is an avid knitter. We weren’t sure how many people would take to it, but by the end of the reception, Ximena had a huge circle going. After we drove off on Brigid’s scooter, we had arranged to meet anyone who was still around for croquet at a nearby park (after time for lunch and a little rest). A ton of the guests came out and it was amazing, sort of like a second reception!
Favorite thing about the wedding: Overall, that it was entirely authentic to us as a couple. We didn’t do anything just because we were “supposed” to, and everything had a personal importance—so seeing our favorite people supporting and enjoying what we had to offer was amazing. If there had to be one quintessential moment for the celebration, I think it would be all our guests seeing us off on our getaway scooter.
