Two Brides Summer Wedding

Heather and Dana – Two Brides’ Summer Wedding in Butler County.

two women smile and embrace during their wedding

The couple started planning their wedding before their home state of Texas allowed same-sex weddings. Heather grew up in the Pittsburgh area so they decided to tie the knot here, where it would be recognized. This was one of those events that was a vivid reflection of the personalities of the people involved and they’ve become such dear friends that it makes me happy every time I look at these photos. It was a good old-fashioned country 4th of July picnic with family, friends, and lots of kids. Enjoy!

Getting Ready

Heather has her ‘do set with hairspray.

a woman covers her face as she has hairspray applied in a bright room

Dana laughs as Heather helps her get her tartan sash on.

two brides laugh before their wedding as one pins a sash on the other

The wedding party gets their flowers.

a man smiles and laughs as he has his boutonniere pinned on

The kids from the wedding party get high fives from Heather before heading outside to the ceremony.

a bride wearing a flower crown high fives a group of children who have come to see her

First Look

Their first look took place in the living room. I loved the array of family photos throughout the room. The poster of the suffragists fit in with the theme of the day.

a bride walks down the stairs of a house for a first look with her bride

Plans were posted on the bulletin board.

a diagram showing where everyone in the bridal party is to stand is pinned on a bulletin board next to a wedding invitation

The Ceremony

Soon after the first look the wedding party started the procession from the house. No shoes, no problem 🙂

a line of children walk along a path on their way to a wedding ceremony

Pastor Keith, a family friend, greeted the guests.

two brides laugh as the officiant greets their guests during their weddinga bride has a big smile on her face as she places a wedding band on her bridebrides hold hands as they say their vows

I love this photo. What I like best is the reaction from Dana’s brother John.

two brides share a kiss during their wedding ceremony as onlookers smilechildren hold up signs calling for cheers and applause at the end of the wedding ceremony for two brides

Heather was so happy!

bride lifts her arms in triumph at the end of the wedding ceremony

A Reception Filled With Personal Touches

They had a toast with TX Blended Whiskey from Firestone & Robertson Distilling in Texas. The ceramic mugs were custom made with glazes from minerals derived from the mine drainage remediation systems designed and installed by the company that their host Tim owns. So a little bit of Texas and a little bit of Pennsylvania.

a table full of bourbon and handmade ceramic shot glasses

Tim toasts the happy couple.

a man gives a toast to two brides during their wedding receptiontwo brides share big tears and hugs after a toasttwo brides laugh as they stand in field of wildflowers after their wedding

Details

Their custom, hand-forged rings.

detail shot of handmade wedding bands and a cute dog

The cookie table was terrific! The family photos – old and recent – provided a nice bit of context.

western pennsylvania cookie table at a wedding

Woman overboard 😀

a sign with misspelled words and a little person falling out of a canoe

Dinner and a Water Balloon Fight

friends share a hug and a kiss during an outdoor wedding reception

Dinner included a pig roast. Which kind of shocked one of the young members of the bridal party.

a little girl looks aghast at the head of a roasted pig

There was a massive water battle that included buckets, hoses, and balloons. It was great!

a bride runs away from a dousing from a bucket of water during her wedding reception.a little girl laughs as she is held upside down by a bride during a wedding reception

Dana was quicker than Tim on the draw.

water balloons explode during a wedding receptiona little boy is dowsed by the bride with a balloon full of water during a wedding receptionwater balloon fight between a tall boy with a fuzzy head of hair and a woman wearing a Scottish kilt.

A Watermelon’s Demise

After everyone was good and wet, the next activity was to wrap a watermelon with rubber bands until it exploded.

kids place rubber bands around a watermelon in an effort to make it explode

Which it did – all over Tim.

the watermelon exploded all over a man as he lays on the ground. Kids dig into the melon.

Cutting the wedding apple pie.

two brides cut a pie and then feed each other a piece during their wedding reception.

Something you don’t see at many weddings – a bride on a zip line!

a bride laughs as she swings on a zipline through a forest during her wedding receptiontwo brides embrace as they stand in a field of horses

Post script:

I was one of the teachers at the Foundation First workshop in Fort Worth, TX and stayed an extra day so that I could visit with Heather and Dana, who live there. It was great to see them again, and I had a wonderful time seeing a bit of the area with Heather as my tour guide. Thanks y’all!

Two women and their dogs sit on the porch of a brick house in Texas