THREE YEARS OF PRIDE GROWS IN BROOKLYN
Pride Grows in Brooklyn is a beautiful tradition that started in 2020 to celebrate engaged LGBTQIA+ couples. In partnership with local socially-conscious small businesses, we produce intimate love ceremonies at no-cost to the couple. This minimony giveaway is an opportunity for small business owners, like us, to present our offerings, our talents, and our values to celebrate queer couples looking for alternatives to large, more traditional matrimonial festivities.
MANIFESTING JOY AMIDST UNCERTAINTY
The summer of 2020 needs no introduction. As the warm weather settled in, so did the reality that the pandemic was here to stay. For our Programming & Events team, a season normally defined by joyful gatherings, was instead marked by cancellations of long-planned celebrations and hapless unending uncertainty.
“Participating in Pride Grows in Brooklyn for the third year in a row continues to be one of the pride events I have grown to look forward to most. Rarely in the wedding industry do we get the chance to give back to our community so directly in a collaborative, community-oriented way.”
The new global paradigm ultimately forced us to close our farm doors and conjure up creative solutions to safely share our space, and thus, the idea for Pride Grows in Brooklyn was born. In the early summer, we banded together with officiants Daniela VillaRamos and Karla Villar of Once Upon a Vow, Patina Rentals, photographers Judson Rappaport and Debbie-Jean Lemonte, wedding planner Justine Broughal of Together Events, DJ Empanadamn and florists, Outland Botanicals to offer our expertise and services and produce three mini weddings for queer couples, at no cost to them. The Pride Grows in Brooklyn family sought to create a safe space for love and celebration for our queer siblings during an unprecedented tumultuous time.
Only a few weeks after making a call for applicants to participate in this giveaway, we produced three beautiful minimonies. After the final love party concluded, a storm rolled in and left a double rainbow hovering over the farm. We couldn’t have dreamt it up any better.
BUILDING ON A TRADITION
From the moment the pergola came down and the last chairs were packed away, we knew that Pride Grows In Brooklyn was a tradition we wanted to cultivate in the years to come. The entire team was buzzing with ideas on how we could further improve the experience and vendors outside the Pride Grows In Brooklyn family began reaching out to offer their services and join the energy exchange.
So, when June 2021 rolled around, we put our heads and hands together to produce year two of Pride Grows in Brooklyn. In the second year, we invited new friends to join the folding including: wedding coordinator The Productionista, photo booth rental Firework Photo Booth Co, queer event decor Dash of Pride, caterer Pixie Scout, and make up artists Simple & Sultry. We also added an additional giveback element to express gratitude to our LGBTQIA+ elders and pioneers. As we thought about how to celebrate the queer community for our second year of Pride Grows in Brooklyn, we felt it to be fitting to honor our queer elders who have been incredible models of strength, solidarity, and community. You, the public, helped us fundraise for SAGE USA — a national advocacy and services organization supporting and uplifting LGBTQIA+ elders since 1978.
When the day of the ceremonies arrived, three beautiful couples, each with their own style and flair, shared their vows on an incredibly beautiful day and brought absolute magic and joy to our space.
THREE YEARS IN THE MAKING
If someone told us in June of 2020 that we would host Pride Grows in Brooklyn three beautiful blue-skied years in a row, we simply would not have believed it. Yet last Sunday, even more new friends generously donated their time and expertise and joined the family including: linen-maker Morefully, grazing table curators, Bourgeois Baskets, florist Miriam Bloom Designs, and COVID coordinators Vow Digital House.
Together, we produced two intimate minimonies on an astonishingly perfect day. Mere weeks after making a call for applicants online, we listened as couples exchange vows next to lush beds of kale and collards and next to a glorious green wall of wildflowers against the backdrop of the East River.
As folks in the love industry who generally work with engaged couples over a period of months, it’s incredible to witness the Pride ceremonies come together so quickly without compromising their charm, detail, and personal touch. It’s truly a reminder that love can be celebrated in so many different way – one size certainly does not fit all.
In the days leading up to the third year of Pride Grows in Brooklyn, the forecast threatened thunderstorms, but as we began setting up, the clouds slowly drifted apart and the sun poured in. The two weddings were quite different and spoke to the unique personalities and stories of each couple. Loved ones flew in from out of state at a moment’s notice, and once again, we were reminded of the power of making folks seen, heard, and celebrated for their love and joy. 🖤 🤎 💜 💙 💚 💛 🧡 ❤️
“Dani and I know the complexities that our LGBTQIA2S+ community has to contend with given our current day realities. As my main co-conspirator and the founder of our small sib business that has been serving queer couples from the very start, my sister has always advocated for expanding civil rights and creating more welcoming spaces for me and our greater queer family. Thanks to Dani’s earnest allyship and ongoing efforts to build a network of inclusive vendors, I joined a wedding world that was more embracing of me than the one I had known as a queer consumer.
The fact is that the same biases and prejudices that we see and experience in most spaces exist in this industry. That’s why we believe it’s incumbent upon businesses, especially those that center LOVE, to implement protocols and practices that align with our values, ward off hate and bigotry, and uplift and give back to our beloved communities. That’s what Pride Grows in Brooklyn is all about and Once Upon A Vow is forever proud to be a part of this annual collaboration.”
Pride Grows in Brooklyn Photo Gallery
Photos: Judson Rappaport, DAG Images