Portland was just recently named one of the best cities to be single in. While Portlanders are split on whether to agree or disagree — the truth is that it’s one of the best cities to get married in, too! The average wedding spend here is lower, at just $26,473. Living here, I might be biased. But what other city has its own wedding llamas?!

Weddings often heighten the traditional performance of gender, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Let the idea of performance empower you to rewrite, reclaim, or reinvent gender roles to express your unique identity. 

Atlanta, Georgia is known for its “City in the Forest” vibe, amazing music, and, don’t forget, peaches! It also landed at number THREE on the best places to get married in the U.S. It’s not surprising — there’s a place for any kind of wedding. It’s also easily accessible via train, air, or major highways, which is a big factor for those with out of town guests!

Bethany and Greg didn’t want to drop tons of money on their wedding. Instead they opted for a simple front porch ceremony at their Ohio home to celebrate the day.

By making what felt like my first adult decision, I had hopped on an escalator and couldn’t get off. We grew to love each other, and I wasn’t miserable. Yet I increasingly wondered, is this it?

Everyone who has found their person deserves to celebrate that love in a way that's personal and meaningful. And the biggest moments of joy come when we are comfortable being our true selves.

San Francisco is one of those cities that’s both magic and really authentic. It doesn’t apologize for being itself, and neither do its couples. The average wedding spend for 100–200 guests is $63,00–105,00. San Francisco is also home to the nation’s biggest Pride events. You can only imagine the magic that comes from a city priding itself on authenticity and artistic expression, not to mention the beautiful views and venues at your disposal!

As Schoenfilms captured the couple dancing to a vintage gramophone, Matt couldn't help but gleefully remark, "It really feels like we're getting married today! All we need is the officiant." Of course, the couple doesn't plan on that until the fall of 2020... when the roaring 20's are officially back.

After meeting and falling in love, Abirami and Dilshan maintained a long-distance relationship. But the distance was simply too much, so Dilshan proposed to Abirami by surprising her at her apartment—on one knee, holding out a beautiful diamond ring. What followed was a magnificent wedding full of vibrancy, vivacity, and colors inspired by their South Indian and Sri Lankan cultures. 

Jessica Hunt is based in Columbia, South Carolina and loves to travel to nearby cities like Asheville, Charlotte, Atlanta, and beyond for passionate couples who share her ideals and want to invest in their wedding photography.

For millennials who wants to see our world become a more socially aware and sustainable place to live, mined diamond engagement rings are simply no longer an ethical choice. Thankfully, Clean Origin exists. Clean Origin is paving the way with their collection of ethical lab grown diamond wedding engagement rings available in a variety of vintage-inspired, classic, halo, and solitaire styles.

We are so in love with the new Choose Your Own Wedding planning subscription from queer wedding planner Cindy Savage of Aisle Less Traveled. Her new subscription allows engaged couples to take full advantage of Cindy’s expertise at a fraction of the cost of hiring a traditional wedding planner.

If you've ever considered a destination wedding in Seattle, we'll convince you to go for it. And if you're lucky enough to already live around the Emerald City, then you already know how special Seattle weddings can be! We've compiled our favorite reasons we love Seattle weddings, too! Here are eight undeniable reasons to consider having your big day in Seattle.

If you too are thinking about making your own wedding flowers but need some pointers to get started, here are a few things that you should always keep in mind while working on a DIY floral project for the big day.

We met at Dore Alley, Folsom Street fair's smaller, gayer, and more local equivalent. I was experimenting with my exhibitionist side, walking around naked and being the social butterfly that I am. Eugene and I passed by each other from afar a couple times, but we didn't talk until the end when he saw me putting my clothes back on and talking to a friend. He came up to me and asked me a little about myself and asked for my number. We took a selfie together for his contact in my phone, and a couple weeks later, I hit him up for our first date.

If you are getting married during this time of the year, or if you just love the darker vibes that are accepted during this season, but that seem to get stares the other 11 months of the year, then here are some of our favorite dark and spooky items for your day.

Handfasting is a marriage unity ritual that has been used during weddings for centuries. Like many other unity rituals, such as unity candles or sand rituals, it represents the combination of two people coming together to create a new singular entity.

Trans people have always existed and will always exist regardless of official documentation. Full stop. So what can you do to make your wedding more welcoming to your trans and gender nonconforming guests?

There are tons of different body types, but our physical body doesn’t have to be an emotional hurdle to get over. In fact, we should all be honored to be given this life to live in our skin.