Photographer Daniel Krieger sent me these photos of Erin and Lauren’s commitment ceremony, and I just loved them…there’s such a light and happiness captured in their faces…all weddings should be so lovely. Erin wrote a little bit about the day….
Lauren and I are a lesbian couple who live and love in Brooklyn. We talked about having a commitment ceremony/party/wedding for several years, but we could never figure out what to call it, how to plan it or what to wear. But we knew one thing – we wanted our event to take place in Brooklyn. Beyond that our priorities were good food, great friends, and an open bar; flowers and formality were of little importance.
Our planning came together in an event for 100 guests at iCi restaurant in Brooklyn. We had an intimate ceremony for 40 friends and immediate family under a durable tent and an intense rain storm. Lauren’s good friend emceed, our Mothers read poems, our Fathers handed us our rings, each of our best friends shared kind words, and we exchanged a shared vow as well as our own set of dedicated words. After the ceremony, guests signed a Quaker-style wedding contract promising to help us uphold our vows. Although we were surrounded by a heavy downpour, thunder and lightning, it was beautifully intimate and just what we wanted.
After the ceremony we hosted an additional 60 guests for a celebration with passed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. We had so much fun! In all of our planning, we tried to balance things we loved about traditional weddings with things that were unique to us. We think Daniel did a beautiful job capturing the celebration–from the intimate moments to the raucous good times.
[images from Daniel Krieger]