Colorful, Queer Traditional Jewish Wedding at Branford House in Connecticut

Isaac and Garrett’s colorful, queer traditional Jewish wedding at Branford House shines like a gem in my memory. Emotion, intention, and color were the keywords of the day. And Regina Burrus of Weddings by Regina Marie coordinated some of the most beautiful and unique design elements I’ve ever seen. (Check out another queer, interfaith wedding planned by Regina here.)

The wedding began at the Inn at Stonington, where the grooms and their wedding party all hung out together, ate lunch, and generally stayed calm and happy before getting dressed. Each groom eventually separated, dressing in incredible, rich hued suits. They reunited in an emotional first look that literally gave me chills. I was so moved. We took a few couples portraits under cover of the balcony roof (it rained steadily all morning) before heading to Branford House.

Because of the inclement weather, plans changed last-minute (as they are wont to do). Thankfully, Regina was there to gracefully manage the situation so the couple didn’t have to be bothered! (I.e. this is why you want a wedding planner.) While she coordinated the changes, we took vibrant and colorful wedding party photos outside of Branford House. Afterwards, the grooms and their closest people went inside to sign the katubah and prepare for the wedding. 

The traditional Jewish ceremony began with their parents leading each groom half-way down the aisle, at which point the grooms took each other’s hands to process the rest of the way. The rabbi stood beneath the chuppah, which was covered with a colorful homemade family quilt. The Jewish rituals began, and the grooms’ parents and friends participated. It was a beautiful ceremony, concluded by the grooms smashing the glass and a kiss. 

It was still raining afterwards, but we braved the stormy weather to take a few umbrella photos of the new grooms on the Branford House patio. Cocktail hour took place inside (this was one of those last-minute changes). Every grazed on hors d’oeuvres while gorgeous table settings were finalized. The colorful taper candles glowed.

Isaac and Garrett had asked for colorful abundance and knew they were drawn to bold, primary colors. (Apparently, their exact words were, “We’d like our wedding to be super bright and colorful, but ummm……. NOT like a rainbow unicorn threw up everywhere. Got it?!?” Beyond that, they trusted Regina with their vision and let her do the design. The end result was dazzling. I’m not typically blown away by wedding design (I’m always more interested in the humans), but in this case, I couldn’t stop taking photos. Branford House’s dark, gleaming wood contrasted richly with the bold colors of the florals, glassware, and candles to create an unforgettable tableau. 

Following moving speeches and a delicious dinner, the dance floor was hopping.  Every generation made it out there, and at a certain point, Garrett decided to get up on the chair for the horah! It made for one of the best photos of the night.

More than their wedding aesthetic (which was traditional queer fabulousness to the nth degree), these two wiggled into my heart because they are awesome humans. Period. It was such pleasure being a part of this day. I’m so grateful I met them, and I’m so happy to know these two wonderful grooms found each other. And thanks to this amazing vendor team for pulling off such a gorgeous wedding!