Like many of you, we are concerned (to say the least) about the chaos that will undoubtedly ensue when Trump takes office. AGAIN! We are especially concerned for our undocumented immigrant and LGBTQIA+ communities. We, at Once Upon a Vow, stand with every single one of you who are trying to figure out how to best brace for this impending future.

Because of the outright threat to marginalized communities, especially immigrant and LGBTQIA+ communities, we are sharing a few recommendations to help guide you. Fair warning, it’s a lot of paperwork.

If you’re worried about what the next administration has in store for you and your partner, it may be time to legally get married. To support immigrant and LGBTQIA+ communities, we are offering free marriage license signings and a 20% discount for elopement ceremonies in Boston, New York City, and New Jersey.

If you don’t want your wedding ceremony to be this boring, uncomfortable, stiff experience that you have to get through, you’ll prioritize your wedding ceremony. If you do want a wedding ceremony that feels genuine to you, you’ll find a wedding officiant that tells your story with the warmth of a good friend. If you want a wedding ceremony that makes you feel comfortable even if the thought of being the center of attention makes you uncomfortable, you’ll choose a wedding officiant who gets you.

We have a few things in common with Vice President Harris. We too are first generation children of hard-working immigrant parents who raised us with strong community-centered values and a deep-seated love of family. Plus, we’re wedding officiants! So when we remembered that she officiated her step-son’s wedding, we found one more thing in common with our future Madam President.

With that in mind, it’s important for us to get an idea of your vibe so we can reflect that back to you on your wedding day. After all, your wedding ceremony will be the first shared experience for your guests so ideally this milestone moment in your lives is a true representation of you and your love.

This summer we celebrated three couples during our fifth annual Pride Grows in Brooklyn event, which is our annual wedding and event services giveaway for queer folx planned and executed by a diverse group of progressive, socially conscious, and impact driven wedding pros.

Many bilingual or multilingual partnerships wonder how they can plan a wedding that seamlessly connects all their loved ones to the joyful personal touches throughout. We definitely don’t want the abuelitas and aunties to feel left out, ESPECIALLY during the wedding ceremony.

Since we are increasingly becoming a multicultural, multilingual world, it’s so important to find ways to blend your culture, your roots, and of course your language to honor the beautiful corners of the world that made you who you are. Trust us, it’s also incredibly important for your guests! Alongside other multilingual wedding vendors, we spoke to Love Inc. magazine to share our two cents about planning a bilingual or multilingual wedding.

Heather and Susan were married on a perfect spring day on May 23rd, 2023 at the iconic Ladies Pavilion in Central Park with just a couple of their closest loved ones. They chose to celebrate their journey with our fully-personalized Intimate Love wedding ceremony experience, which highlighted their out-of-this-world Trekkie connection across the world wide web. While they were 4,291 miles apart, their love knew no bounds and their ceremony reflected the beauty of “reuniting with a long lost love from a past life.”

Angela and Meghan were married on a brisk winter day on January 21st, 2023 in The Garrison, a gorgeous estate nestled in the Hudson Valley. It was important to them to share their story in a fun and authentic way that celebrated their multicultural union, their love of family, their deep bonds to their community, and their winding journey to one another. Our fully personalized All In Love wedding ceremony experience was the best fit for them!

Unity rituals are a symbolic representation of two individuals uniting as one team and one family. There are many popular unity rituals that each have specific meanings, history, and cultural roots that can amplify the message you’d like to convey on your wedding day.

Max and Maya waited a long time to get married since their original wedding date was impacted by COVID. Just like all good things though, their wedding day was absolutely worth the wait! They got married on one of those quintessentially perfect Fall days in Bear Mountain alongside their family and friends who were so incredibly excited to celebrate them at last.

New York City models, Bri and Shel, got married on June 2nd, 2023 at Rule of Thirds, a well known Japanese restaurant with the most delicious fluffy pancakes. While NYC may seem like an accessible city, many venues are inaccessible AF so it was a priority for Bri and Shel to choose a venue with intentional accessibility for wheelchair users.

Wedding ceremonies are an opportunity to create a joyful space that grounds you, fosters connection among your loved ones, and sets the tone for your love party. The most powerful wedding ceremonies are personal, engaging, and emotive. When wedding ceremonies reflect your personalities, values, and relationship, it becomes a core memory you’ll lovingly look back on for years to come.