Happy Friday, Cakelets! Back in July, the uber talented Jen Huang came to us with an incredible giveaway. One lucky same-sex couple was going to win an engagement shoot in celebration of the enactment of New York’s law allowing same-sex couples to be wed. A handful of love stories later, a couple from Texas was chosen, and now we get to share the stunning photos! A huge thank you to Jen for allowing us to host such a fantastic giveaway. And, a big congrats to Naomi + Rachel (who, as a result of this contest also decided to make it official and elope while visiting NYC for this shoot!).
Here’s Jen to share her experience/vision:
My vision for the shoot was to capture Naomi + Rachel’s love in a way that reflected who they were, and what they loved best. It also aimed to showcase love in a form that many people disagree with – sometimes barriers like that can be broken through photographs – and I hope that this shoot does help break those barriers! Naomi had sent her and Rachel’s story in for the contest, and a part of it included stick figure drawings by Rachel of the two of them having breakfast in bed, so that became the inspiration for the first portion of the shoot. Poppies & Posies and Lael Cakes helped bring the vision together, with 50s/60s era colors, sweets and accessories. It was so easy to shoot Naomi and Rachel, their love was so apparent in every single photograph. There is no difference between photographing a same sex couple or a straight couple – love is love! Hope everyone enjoys the styling and execution of this shoot, but I also hope that it helps everyone celebrate this new equality in NYC and finally I hope more/all states follow in allowing everyone to wed!
What kind of post would this be if we didn’t hear from the happy couple? Naomi was kind enough to share how the weekend went down:
When I came across the announcement for Jen’s engagement shoot contest I was ecstatic to see this opportunity for same-sex couples to be recognized and celebrated! I knew right away that Rach and I HAD to enter the contest. We were so happy, excited, proud, honored and humbled to find out we won the contest and would (in a sense) represent all same-sex couples wanting to make a commitment to each other! The day of the photoshoot, we felt totally pampered–I loved having my hair and makeup professionally done and seeing all the beautiful flowers Poppies & Posies created for us. At the Coney Island shoot everyone around us kept congratulating us, telling us how great we looked and taking our photos–we felt like celebrities! Jen was absolutely incredible to work with–she’s insanely talented and also really warm and fun! We loved working with her so much that we’ve decided to bring her down to Texas for our big wedding bash in May of next year!
In a way, the photoshoot has changed our lives…made us feel a little more accepted. As a result of the contest, we actually decided to take advantage of our short weekend in NYC and have a legal marriage ceremony. Even though our marriage is not legal in Texas, it feels so incredible–so legitimate–to have this legal document recognizing our love and commitment. Of course, it’s most important that WE recognize our love, but it’s also wonderful to know that others do too. We are so lucky to have so much love around us.
Photography: Jen Huang Photography / Cakes: Lael Cakes / Floral & Event Design: Poppies & Posies (poppiesandposiesevents.com) / Makeup: Facetime Beauty / Breakfast Dress: Free People / Wedding Dress: Etsy (Bride’s own) / Venue: Jen Huang Studio in NYC and Coney Island NYC
