Black BeauTEA Talk // New York Fashion Week

Black BeauTEA Talk // New York Fashion Week

On to more pressing matters. This may come as a surprise, but once again I was not at New York Fashion Week this year. I know, right? How am I always way too busy to attend or work the show every year? (laughs) (One year I’ll actually be invited to the show, and then I can stop pretending I’m too busy to go. *ugly cries*) But that didn’t stop me from sitting on my couch stalking all of the websites and social media to catch every update, and of course everyone was serving looks! However this was the first year I paid special attention to the bridal looks, so let’s talk about my thoughts on the ones I’ve seen thus far.

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Real Couples // A Queer Appalachian Wedding: Peter + Hannah

Real Couples // A Queer Appalachian Wedding: Peter + Hannah

"Appalachia is our homeland. It’s where we first met, it’s where I began my transgender journey, it’s where we found a queer community that taught us how to radically love and be loved, it’s the smell of the mountain air, the clean crystal creeks, and the raw beauty of the fall foliage, so it was very easy for us to choose that location for our wedding. Asheville, being a world renowned wedding destination, was a little outside of our budget, but after a lot of internet sleuthing we came across a perfect venue just a hop over the border in Trade, Tennessee. White Fence Farm was the whole package: beautiful outdoor space for the ceremony, covered barn and kitchen for catering and reception, covered stage for DJ and dancing, a large fire pit, and even a farmhouse and a couple airstreams on the property that slept nearly all of our wedding party, and the price was unbeatable. But the real showstopper was the view. Located in a small valley right in the middle of the Appalachian mountains, the rolling hills loomed on all sides, and we planned it just right so that our wedding weekend coincided with peak leaf colors throughout the region. We were planning a Tennessee wedding from our couch in Austin, Texas, so putting the deposit down on the farm without having seen it was a huge risk. Turns out, we couldn’t have dreamed a more perfect setting.

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Black BeauTEA Talk // Fall Beauty Trends Inspired by Black Girls Rock!

Black BeauTEA Talk // Fall Beauty Trends Inspired by Black Girls Rock!

Hi beauties! How y'all feeling?!! I'm feeling AMAZING after having watched Black Girls Rock! last night on BET!!! I mean how glorious was that show?! If you watched please do tell me all of your favorite parts and which looks you were here for. I'm sitting here sipping this vanilla chai tea because it's too damn hot to be playing those hot tea games, okay?! Anyways I decided that I'm ready for fall because that is my favorite season, and I guess that means we should talk fall beauty trends, right?!!! After watching Black Girls Rock!, I saw a few of the trends I was gonna mention in September's write-up, so let's do this thang shall we?!!

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Real Couples // Intimate 14-Person Airbnb Wedding: Tazz + Sunny

Real Couples // Intimate 14-Person Airbnb Wedding: Tazz + Sunny

We got all that and more with our small, simple wedding in Woodstock. Both my husband and I wanted the day to be special but not overwhelm us with everything we’d need to do for it. We figured the easiest and most low-key way would be to rent an Airbnb that would sleep 14 people. We limited our guest list to 14 and basically had a weekend getaway-turned-wedding with our closest friends. 

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Real Couples // Dating App Love Story: Marilee + Nicole

Real Couples // Dating App Love Story: Marilee + Nicole

"I met this beautiful woman on a lesbian dating website. On the surface, we had only a few things in common, but we emailed each other for two months before we met—turns out, she absolutely spoke to my heart. I never thought I would get married, let alone meet someone. Things in my life led me to believe that I was meant to be alone and that merely surviving in this world was the best it would ever get. But Marilee completely transformed my world; now we have a beautiful home, a dog, and a bright future ahead."

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Real Couples // We Knew After A Month: Amanda + Lauren

Real Couples // We Knew After A Month: Amanda + Lauren

Our ceremony was, and is, the most meaningful aspect of our wedding for the both of us. Lauren wrote the whole thing. (Amanda: I would love to take even partial credit for it, but I can't. I contributed maybe ten words total. The rest of the time she just read me what she wrote while I cried. Good tears, obviously.) We loved that our vows were written to reflect our lives together—our joys, our struggles, our shared experiences—but it was also important that we each repeated those same vows to one another

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Real Couples // Second Grade Sweethearts Wed: Kurt + Ronni

Real Couples // Second Grade Sweethearts Wed: Kurt + Ronni

Kurt and I have known each other since we were seven years old as elementary school acquaintances. After reconnecting later in life while we both had significant others, we soon ended those relationships and began dating each other. Kurt eventually proposed on the playground of the elementary school we both went to. Pretty adorable.

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