Happy Pride Month! We’re happy to show our love and support this June (and ALL YEAR!) for the LGBT community. Over the last two and a half years we have been honored to host and witness many beautiful gay and lesbian ceremonies and celebrations of love, and we are excited to introduce you to a few of the incredible people who have made the commitment to spend their lives together.
Jackie and Natalie - married at ULS on 3/16/12
Jackie and Natalie met when Natalie got a new job in Belltown in 2008 and Jackie was assigned as her "peer mentor". After they discovered they had been at the same obscure Ani DiFranco concert 7 years prior, their interest in each other grew and sparks soon began to fly...They are currently three months into married life and are already putting an offer on a home in Shoreline and beginning family planning. They are also aware that we can't be legally married until after November IF Washington state votes to uphold Ref 74. So, they're gearing up to volunteer, donate and spread the word to make marriage equality a reality in Washington. The debate continues on when to get a puppy. But Natalie says baby comes first! In the meantime they like to keep active by going to concerts, walking around Greenlake, hosting board game parties, visiting wineries, traveling and trying new things.
Photo by Urban Light Studios
Photo by Urban Light Studios
Melissa and Abil - married at ULS on 9/18/11
Melissa and Abil had been together 20 years when they chose their venue. They loved ULS because around every corner, behind every door was a surprise. After 20 years of surprising each other, they decided that 'Surprise' would be the theme of their ceremony. They were thrilled with this element of the ceremony, and so were their friends and family. They felt like the queens they always knew they were.
Personal side note from Elise: Melissa and Abil had one of the coolest, unique celebrations in ULS history- from the way they set up the room to the FLASH MOB (yes, you read that right) during their reception, they constantly surprised US with their kindness and creativity.
Photo by Cindy "Montana" Zimmerli
Photo by Cindy "Montana" Zimmerli
Noel and Scooter - married at ULS on 2/19/11
Noel and Scooter met on Match.com 5 plus years ago, which is a story in itself, so it is true online dating does work! In December of 2009 they were going to Paris to celebrate Noel’s 40th birthday and Scooter decided to kill two birds with one stone and also pop the question…so under the Eiffel Tower in the cold dark winter's night on the shores of the Siene, Scooter read off the inscription on the ring he was about to put on Noel’s finger “And you, a windrose, a compass, my direction, my description of the world”…and then “will you marry me?”. 13-1/2 months later at Urban Light Studios, the perfect place to represent them, on a cold February night Noel then put the other ring onto Scooter’s finger and read that inscription which was from lyrics of a song that a good friend wrote and then later sang in the ceremony: “And when all is said and done, you’re the only one, that makes me feel serene, so take my heart…”
Photo by Urban Light Studios
NeSha and Merrill - married at ULS on 9/25/11
NeSha and Merrill met at work and have been together now for about 3 1/2 years. They're both from the Seattle area, and felt lucky that so many of their friends and family could come to their wedding to show their love and support. They just bought a house, so fixing that up (and doing yard work) is kind of their hobby right now, but both like live music, road trips, and hanging out with friends.
photo by Birch Hill Studio
photo by Birch Hill Studio
Katie and Shawndelle - married at ULS on 7/4/11
Katie and Shawndelle met at a Halloween party and started dating on Fourth of July the following summer. They got engaged at the Pride parade in 2010, and decided to get married on July 4th 2011. They have been in love for 4 years now and plan to stay in that place between sleep and awake where they can still remember dreaming, forever.
Personal side note from Elise: Another super creative and special celebration! Katie and Shawndelle had their guest BYOC (bring your own cushion) for their ceremony which was awesome and so different. I was also lucky enough to be able to sign their marriage certificate with the rest of their guests; it was such an honor and so humbling to show my support for them in that way.
Photo by Aaron Briggs
Photo by Aaron Briggs
There is a current debate in Washington over marriage equality and we want to point you toward an important organization doing wonderful work in the fight for equality called Washington United for Marriage. We are looking forward to all weddings being legally recognized unions soon!
ShareComments
Kailee - Monday, September 19, 2011 @ 10:50 PM
You saved me a lot of hsasle just now.
Kelis - Sunday, September 18, 2011 @ 4:21 AM
There's a sceert about your post. ICTYBTIHTKY
