Simply Sophisticated Events: Real Wedding: Dina and Melissa; A Love That Stands the Test of Time

This wedding had me at, "Hello!" When I was contacted by Dina to help her plan her wedding celebration, I was thrilled for two reasons: 1) Same sex marriages haven't been legalized in Louisiana yet (Louisiana is always last in everything but seriously, guys, what's the hold up?!?!?) and 2) She told me she wanted to have a Medieval Themed Wedding. Immediately, upon meeting her and seeing her genuine smile, I knew I HAD to help her.

If you were to spend any amount of time around Dina and her partner, Melissa, you would immediately see that these two are truly in love. A ceremony and reception that pays homage to yesteryear, was quite appropriate, because it was easy to see the love between the two could stand the test of time.

The wedding was held at The Manor, in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Tudor Style home was the perfect setting. The couple had already been married in D.C. but wanted to celebrate with their family and friends.

Staying true to theme we chose bold colors with varying shades of reds, burgundies, golds, and purples. The flowers were natural arrangements of daisies, lilies, roses, ivy, and assorted flowers. Guests were greeted by a town crier and invited to eat, drink, and be merry. The guests were also given engraved chalices and tankards to drink from and invited to have their palms read as they entered.

The ceremony, performed by the brides' mothers was held on the back porch of the house and with personal vows shared between the two, there was not a dry eye in the house.

The reception was held under a tent where there was lots of dancing and fun to be had. Dinner was served in stations featuring braised beef, herb roasted chicken, and Louisiana favorite shrimp and grits. For dessert...let them eat cake, of course! The brides chose two simply decorated cakes with branches intertwined between the two cakes to celebrate the union and the two families coming together.

Complete with fire dances, palm readings, stilt walkers, juggling, and belly dancers, it was an entertaining and memorable day. However, the most captivating moments, were those between Dina, Melissa, and their family and friends which illustrated the overwhelming amount of love, acceptance, and support they all had for one another. Here are just a few pictures from their wedding.