Wedding | Savannah & Julia

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We were introduced through an internship program in Washington, DC via email, subject line: "Roommates." We’ve been inseparable ever since.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We considered getting married in New England, where Savannah is from, but ultimately settled on an intimate French bistro in Brooklyn, a few blocks from our apartment. We fell in love with the back garden and generous pours of French wine. Choosing a venue close to home made planning (which we did on our own) so much easier. Bacchus gave us the dinner party of our dreams.

How many guests did you have?

We were embraced by 62 of our nearest and dearest, and it was absolutely perfect. We were able to spend time with every single guest.

What was your budget? 

We invested about 35k into the weekend.

Tell us about your outfits.

Savannah: I am a girl who likes simple, strong outfits. You can usually find me in some kind of power suit at formal functions. I knew that my wedding day would be no different, and I set out to find a one-piece jumpsuit that felt like me. I landed on an outfit from none other than the tried-and-true Nordstrom, which featured a form-fitting bodice and appliqué flowers on the sleeves. Fresh off the shelves from Anthropologie, my shoes ended up costing more than my jumpsuit!

Julia: I found my dress on StillWhite! It was important to me to buy a dress secondhand since I would only wear it for a few hours. I tried on several and ultimately sourced a brand-new Jenny Yoo dress in my size on the site after falling in love with it in the NYC showroom. I strayed from my secondhand commitment and wore a custom veil from New York City Bride. I wanted my heels to be super comfortable, so I chose a platform pair from Reformation. Our joint bachelorette in Provincetown, Massachusetts, was the perfect excuse to break them in.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding?

It was important that our day felt less like an event and more like an evening. We wanted everyone to feel included and important. We wanted to be able to hang out at a dinner party with all of our people. We were intentional about making our wedding as much about celebrating our friends and family as about celebrating us as a couple. We hand-selected vintage postcards that depicted places important to us to serve as our guestbook and wrote individual notes to each guest attached to their seating assignment.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate?

We have always celebrated our independence and personalized our wedding traditions to best represent us. We are keeping our last names and didn’t do any formal dances. It was one big dance party with Savannah as DJ.

We kept a seat at the ceremony and dinner open for Savannah’s stepdad, and her best man incorporated a letter he had written to Julia in his speech. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

We found ways to acknowledge our queer history and the work it has taken to be able to celebrate love proudly. Savannah created a collage with vintage photos of queer couples and framed a quote from the Obergefell v. Hodges decision to mark the significance of the day.  We also donated in honor of our guests to The Trevor Project in place of welcome bags and favors.

We avoided buying new things to put in circulation. We went with digital save-the-dates and invites; sourced decor from Facebook Marketplace, our local Buy Nothing Group, and our newly married friends; commissioned our brother-in-law to design and carve our wooden seating chart; and skipped wedding signage and programs altogether.

Any tips for couples getting married?

Make sure you both feel as though you are represented in the details of the day. Compromise and communication go a long way, so that when you get to your big day, you can see parts of each of you in everything.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about?

Photography - We were thrilled to work with Aly Hansen! Her instincts are shaped by vulnerability and soulful vision. It was an honor to be supported so completely by Aly and her amazing team.

Videography - We knew we wanted Super 8 film for our wedding and didn’t have to look far to find Vignettes by Nicole! She has a phenomenal eye, and our film was everything we were hoping for and more.

Florals - Sweet perfect angel baby Love in Bloom is a dear friend, and she brought her floral genius from Western Massachusetts to NYC just for us. She melded our two visions together perfectly by day and tore up the dance floor with us by night.

Beauty - TL Brides and her team were so great to work with. Juggling two bridal suites on the same timeline wasn’t a small feat, and they truly made it look easy. We were both so happy with our looks.

Venue/food - The entire team at Bacchus was outstanding. Meryl made the day completely seamless, which allowed us to be totally present with each other and our guests. The food was incredible - from oysters on the half shell to French onion soup and tiramisu -  we loved every course.

Photographer: Aly Hansen Photo @alyhansenweddings | Planning & Styling: by the couple | Flora: Love in Bloom @loveinbloo.ma | Videographer: Vignettes by Nicole @vignettesbynicole | Ceremony &

Reception Location: Bacchus @bacchusbistrowine | Celebrant: a Friend | HMUA: TL Brides @tl_brides |

Catering & Beverages: Bacchus @bacchusbistrowine | Dress: Jenny Yoo @jennyyoonyc from StillWhite

@stillwhite | Jumpsuit: Nordstrom @nordstrom | Veil: New York City Bride @nycitybride | Wedding Rings: Brilliant Earth @brilliantearth | Shoes: Anthropologie @anthropologie & Reformation @reformation