Special Guest Kathryn Hamm at Say I Do! LGBT Wedding Expo on June 3rd!

We are so excited to announce Kathryn Hamm, of Gayweddings.com will be a special guest speaker at Say I Do! LGBT Wedding Expo on June 3rd!  How awesome is that?

Practically a legend in the same-sex weddings community, Kathryn is a pioneer in the gay weddings arena; promoting marriage equality before it gained the momentum we see today. Kathryn will be providing a weddings Q&A for couples who are looking to get the scoop on everything wedding for their upcoming same-sex nuptials.

We are elated to have Kathryn as a workshop speaker at our 3rd Say I Do! LGBT Wedding Expo!

Kathryn is one of the original "Poster Brides" of TwoBrides.com. She joined her straight mom (and company founder) as a full partner in the family business in 2005. She holds an M.S.W from the Catholic University of America and an A.B. in Psychology from Princeton University. Prior to becoming the President of GayWeddings.com, Kathryn spent 10 years as an educator and administrator in the Washington, D.C. area. Though she and her partner exchanged vows in a memorable ceremony on the Eastern Shore in 1999, they are not yet legally married.  via @ gayweddings.com 


We think it's totally cool that Kathryn's mom, Gretchen Hamm founded a company so Kathryn could have the same choices for her wedding as straight couples.  Seeing the lack of gay wedding products and resources, she Mrs. Hamm took matters into her own hands and created what now is GayWeddings.com.  And for that, we are all thankful!

Join Kathryn at Say I Do! LGBT Wedding Expo in Washington, DC on June 3rd! Kathryn will be presenting a Q&A: Everything You've Wanted to Know About Your Same-Sex Wedding For Free!  To register visit www.sayidoexpo.com or get your tickets through www.equalityvirginia.org.

Business Spotlight: Mixology Bartending

Today's business spotlight belongs to Mixology Bartending. Mixology can help you celebrate your nuptials with their personalized beverage services.  See below to learn more about Mixology!

Mixology Bartending Services Co is an award winning, woman owned beverage catering services company. In 2012 they were named one of the area’s Top 100 Minority Business Enterprises. T he company provides specialized services in the area of beverage and event planning. Mixology’s clients are unique in that they do not want just bartenders at their events they want a personalized beverage experience created just for them and their guests. Our client’s events are from 20 to 1500 guests enjoying the Mixology beverage experience. Our beverage experience can include Hand Crafted Signature Drink Creations, Organic and Dietary Fruit and Yogurt Blends, Bar Rental Services, Liquor Consulting, Wine Selection Consulting and Event Staffing.

Visit Mixology online at: http://www.mixologybar.com 

Gay Wedding, Small Budget

You don't have to spend a fortune to have the wedding of your dreams!  As a matter of fact, many couples are realizing that the wedding is just one small piece of their life together and saving, investing, purchasing a home and other things are equally important.  This shift in thinking, coupled with our economy has made many couples hesitant to shell out big bucks on their wedding festivities.  My research shows that well over half of same-sex couples are footing the bill for their weddings themselves without help from mom or dad and gay weddings on average tend to be a smaller spend than straight weddings.  But less money doesn't mean any less fabulous!

Here are 3 ways to save cash on your wedding without skimping on the quality:

Continue reading on Examiner.com Gay Wedding, Small Budget - Washington DC LGBT Weddings | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/lgbt-weddings-in-washington-dc/gay-wedding-small-budget#ixzz1aNzqqj4o

Say I Do! LGBT Wedding Expo - Washington, DC - June 5, 2011

For details visit: www.sayidoexpo.com

 It's here!  After much anticipation...Say I Do! LGBT Wedding Expo is back for year 2.

We are celebrating same-gender love and marriage in a grand way.

Join us at the Hotel Palomar on June 5th for a great event!

Love Portrait: Davone and Tiffany

We are delighted to bring you yet another love portrait. This time we get a glimpse into Davone an Tiffany's story. They are currently in the running to be our Cutest Couple, to vote for them click here to visit the contest page.

A 2008 Love Affair...
Our love affair dates back to 2 years ago in 2008. We met through Dollhouse Enterprises Inc., a social networking company for lesbians and bisexuals in which Davone is CEO and Founder. Tiffany emailed Davone regarding a few events she was interested in attending and they immediately began to date after that. Davone instantly knew Tiffany was something special. Tiffany told Davone she found her to be beautiful, smart, funny, ambitious, and down right sexy. Davone found Tiffany to be extremely attractive, intelligent, and so warm and giving. They had so much in common and conversations between them were never dull. Tiffany was hesitant to tell Davone her age as she knew Davone would have an issue with Tiffany being 27 years old and Davone was 35 at the time. It took Davone for a loop when Tiffany revealed her age, but Davone began to call Tiffany her PYT (pretty young thing)! Sadly 2 months later Davone started to push Tiffany away because of the age factor. Davone and Tiffany eventually went separate ways and they both were saddened, because they knew deep down that they were perfect for each other.

A Second Chance at Love...
Davone: 2 years and a couple of emails, texts, and phone calls passed by, in June 2010, we ran into each other at a Pride event. As soon as we saw each other, the same feelings from 2 years ago came over us. We hugged each other and we instantly didn't want to let go. Tiffany sent me the sweetest text at 5AM when I got home saying that she was happy for me and the growth of my company and that I looked amazing. I immediately called her back and we had an hour long phone conversation at 5AM which was amazing and felt like we never left that moment in 2008. We went to dinner the very next, or I should say the same day and we were inseparable ever since.

We always talked about getting married like it was second nature but on a chilly evening in October Tiffany said lets go get our initials tattooed on our ring fingers to signify our love. We went to a tattoo parlor in Greenwich Village and got engaged. As flashy and over the top as I am, this was the most low key thing She has ever did, but it was the most emotional thing as well. It was as if Tiffany got down on one knee and asked me to be her wife, but we did it OUR WAY! We instantly went into planning mode for our wedding and that's where we are now. We are planning a huge Diamond winter wonderland theme wedding that will be taking place in December of 2011 in Long Island, NY. We will officially be getting married in Connecticut about a month before our huge NY ceremony. We are planning on honeymooning in St. Barts. After about a year of being married, Our plans are to expand our family and have a child.

About us as a couple:
We truly enjoy laughing together, laughing, shopping, traveling (Tiffany took Davone to Aruba for her birthday in September 2010), working on our weekly radio show Dollhouse Life Chat, going to Broadway and off Broadway shows and being pampered at spas. We also attend church weekly as our faith and spirituality is very strong to us and keeps our relationship grounded. We have date night once a week to take time out as a couple because our work schedules can get hectic at times. We both got a second chance at love and we vow to not let it go this time around.

A little bit more about Tiffany Jackson and Davone Madison:

Tiffany Jackson, New York City, is 29 years old and works as a computer engineer, Radio Talk show host and IT expert on the weekly internet talk show Dollhouse Life Chat Radio Show and is starting her own IT Consulting firm in 2011. She loves technology, sports, cars, and helping others in any way she can.

Davone Madison, New York City, is 37 years old and works as a finance supervisor for the federal government. She also CEO and founder of Dollhouse Enterprises Inc., social networking company for lesbians and bisexuals that has entities in NYC, NJ, ATL, TX, Philadelphia, and Canada. She is also owner of Dollhouse Media Group and host of Dollhouse Life Chat Radio Show, a weekly internet talk show. Davone will be appearing on TLC's show Say Yes To The Dress which will showcase her looking for the perfect wedding dress at the prestigious bridal shop Kleinfelds in NYC. She is the first African American lesbian to be featured on the show and the 3rd lesbian to be featured on the show in 6 seasons. The episode will be airing in April 2011.

Love Portrait: Katrina and Toni

The meeting...
I am an author of lesbian fiction and one day I noticed this person named Toni sent me a friend request me and I really didn't think anything of it at first. The same evening, Toni posted a poem on my wall and I was blown away by it! That hardly ever happens because, as a writer being in the publishing field, you can imagine I read tons of poems. But there was something about her poem that gave me goosebumps and a strange sense of deja vu! I knew I just had to find out more about her, although I did so secretly and very quietly. Toni eventually contacted me wanting information on publishing her first book and we spoke very briefly on the phone, but my interest was already piqued at that point.

The Connection...
Things started to take off quickly after that, we had a very intense connection. What's funny I had told myself I was going to give up on finding a great relationship because I'd been met with such disappointment in the past. We met for the first time in person on Valentines day. That weekend we spent together was like something out of a movie; deeply romantic and fun! We went on a cruise through the gulf of Mexico and I remember looking at some of the older couples on board and I turned to her and said "I'd like for that to be us someday." She smiled at me, took my hand and said "I think I could arrange that."

The Future...
Ever since then we have been building towards a beautiful future together. Toni and I complement each other so well it wa like we were designed for each other! We hope to someday settle down in San Francico, buy a beautiful, old Victorian home and move our kids plus maybe a crazy cat and dog or two into it to live happily ever after!

New Find: La Bella Bride Magazine

Photo from La Bella Bride.com

While in one of my favorite places today, Borders; I came across a magazine I'd never seen or heard of before.  Now, there are a lot of glossy, eye-catching magazines on shelf many of which I consider the same-old stuff, same-old articles and tired themes. 

La Bella Bride is a New England publication that features trends, love stories and real weddings mainly in the New England area.  On the cover, was an African-American model which for a publication that is not exclusively for African-Americans is rare to see.  And inside they actually featured a same-sex couple, a lot of information and inspiration. I was instantly drawn to ad by Diane Gaudett which featured a stunning black and pink table design with a damask runner.  LOVE IT!

On their site, they show snippets of the wedding of Alan and Luis who tied the knot at a lake wedding in Connecticut.  I personally love their matching tuxes.  Check it out here: http://labellabridemagazine.com/blog/?p=381.

Say I Do! Kicks off Wedding Expo Plans With A Sweet Event

We are so excited to kick of the Say I Do! season of events.  And we figured why not start with something sweet AND raise funds for a worthwhile cause. It's a win-win!

On March 13, 2011 over 350 people will meet with cake bakers and dessert makers of all sorts at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bethesda, MD!  Couples looking for their perfect wedding cake, event planners looking for vendors, socialites looking for sweet treats for their next big shindig will all be coming together for a grand tasting.

We are so excited to not only put together this event but also to raise funds for Youth Pride Alliance, a local non-profit organization dedicated to creating safe events and support for our LGBTQ youth.

To learn more about Let Them Eat Cake! visit www.letthemeatcakedc.yolasite.com.  Tickets are almost sold out as the event is at capacity. So if you're planning to attend, grab your tickets now!