Queer couple in white suit and dress shirt and tie kiss before their Providence Rhode Island wedding ceremony Michelle Schapiro New England Queer Photographer

In my line of work, I get to meet a lot of cool people. And I’m meeting them at a really great time, as they focus their energy on planning a wedding, proclaiming their love and inviting family and friends to witness their partnership. B and K are two people who are so cool, so easy to be around, that I immediately felt a connection to them and was delighted to be their wedding photographer.

B and K pass as a straight couple, but their queer community and identities are incredibly important to them. As a photographer who is deeply involved in my own queer communities, I was a great fit for these two darlings as they sought to create an event with as many LGBTQ vendors as possible.

The wedding itself was at one of my favorite venues, the Roger Williams Botanical Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Providence is a quick trip from Boston, and the miles are worth it for this incredible space. The venue is on the grounds of the botanical center, and B and K were able to have an outdoor ceremony by the gazebo, and hold the cocktail hour and reception in the gorgeous greenhouse spaces filled with lush plants. As someone who fills my own home with an ever-growing collection of plants, this was a dream come true.

B and K stood up and made vows about their commitment, and they did it surrounded by the most important people in their lives. To give you a better idea of where they were coming from, here are their own words about their relationship and creating space for a wedding together.

Queer newlyweds embrace in greenhouse at Roger Williams Botanical Center in Providence Rhode Island Michelle Schapiro New England LGBTQ+ Photographer

K. (she/her) and I (he/him, they/them) were acquaintances during college. About 5 years after graduating a mutual friend reintroduced us. I was immediately smitten. K was living in San Francisco and I was living in Washington DC. The distance made it impractical to date, so we wrote letters for four months before exchanging phone numbers. Shortly after, I went to San Francisco to visit K, and we decided that we wanted to try to be together. I moved to San Francisco 6 months later.

We lived in California for four years, then moved to Rhode Island to be closer to family. K proposed to me on 5th the anniversary or our reintroduction.

The wedding planning process was very challenging for us both. As a queer couple with passing privilege, perspective vendors frequently treated us according to heterosexist assumptions. It was hard to see ourselves represented in the images and ideas we encountered. When interviewing vendors we would let them know that I was the bride and see how they responded. We tried to chose vendors who could see us fully. Finding vendors that reflected our community and our values was the best decision we made for our wedding.

K and I got married in the Roger Williams Botanical Center on May 11th, 2019. We received such a warm response from our community (and our vendors). I think our family and friends could feel how hard we worked to show them our whole relationship. We're so grateful for everyone that helped make our wedding day so special.

—B

And here are just some of the gorgeous images created at their love party. It was a beautiful day, and one to remember forever.

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