LESBIAN WEDDING PALM SPRINGS BY STEPH GRANT.

31 December, 2016 LESBIAN WEDDING PALM SPRINGS, CA // KASEY + JENNY

Posted at 5:25pm in Bridal Portraits, LGBT, Love, Rehearsal Dinner, Weddings by stephgrantdev 2 Comments

I sat here with coffee this morning reading Jenny & Kasey’s story and reflecting back on my time spent with them on their wedding weekend and our friendship in general. I first met Jenny in LA back when I lived there. I think we were at a show at Hotel Cafe or the Viper Room (ahh all the shows and all the brunch. It’s hard to keep track.) We hit it off and kept in touch over the last decade. I FINALLY got to meet Kasey this year when her and I had dinner while I was in town for work. We sat there for hours laughing and sharing stories. Like we were old chums! It all clicked! They were such a great match and I was lucky to get to tell their love story that I’d been following for years on social media. What a day! Everything was perfect and beautiful. Most importantly, they were surrounded by so much love. Although I have to act fast like a ninja…one of my favorite things to do during the ceremony is capture reactions to the vows. So many smiles and happy tears. Now we get to the good part: Q&A time with the girls!

1. Where do you live? Tell us a little bit about what you both spend a majority of your time doing.

We live in West Hollywood, CA, but will be moving to Highland Park in 2017. I (Jenny) work as a Music Executive at Capitol Music Group in Hollywood, CA. There I work on strategic opportunities to sync our artists’ music with Film & Television Media. Kasey is a Music Supervisor at Chop Shop Music. She works on specific television shows and films, handling the creative (finding the perfect song for the scene) and logistics (clearing songs and budgeting) for each project. In our spare time, we exercise, go to concerts, explore Los Angeles, travel (if we’re not in LA, we’re probably in Palm Springs or Del Mar), watch Netflix, search for the perfect breakfast spot, and hang out with Buddy (Yorkie), Scooter (cat), and Alfie (cat).

2. How long have you been together?

Roughly 3.5 years

3. What is the first thing you remember about the other when you first met? Where were you?

Kasey: Tough one for me, because we met many times before we actually knew each other (we work in the same industry). The most important “first time we met” experience was on our first “date.” I was sitting at a table at Mohawk Bend, waiting for Jenny to walk into the room (I had not seen her in over a year). When she did, my heart skipped and I thought, “Oh, this is going to be interesting, she’s gorgeous.” Jenny: Like Kasey said, the details are a bit fuzzy on our actual first meeting but i’m quite certain it was about 10 years ago and most likely at a show. Our first “date” however, was quite memorable especially given that I had no idea it was a date! I was there under the impression that we were just two work associates having dinner before a show. When i walked in and saw her from afar, sitting in the corner I knew it was no ordinary ‘work dinner.’ I had this literal gut feeling that this was something different, something special and i was in ‘trouble.’ 😉

4. How did the proposal go down?

Jenny and I had a conversation when we were dating, where she asked me if I would like to be proposed to, or do the proposing. I said, no question, YOU are asking me to marry you. I was not going to be proposing to anyone. Many months went by and we had a trip planned to Kauai over Christmas/Jenny’s Birthday. At this point, I knew what I wanted; I wanted to be with Jenny and did not want to go into the New Year unattached. I decided to buy a ring and propose in Hawaii. It ended up happening on a beach on the north side of Kauai, called Anini. Jenny: I had NO idea it was coming, zero clue. We were alone on Anini Beach when it started to rain. I pulled an extra towel out of my bag and we sat there watching the waves in the rain. All of a sudden, Kasey reached into her bag and pulled out a box and not so secretly put it into her pocket. While on one knee she pulled it back out and said, “Jennifer Lynn Swiatowy, will you marry me?” I was in absolute shock – it was as if time stood still. The only response i could get out was “are you for real? is this a joke? wait are you serious?” I went on like that for about 30 seconds then after realizing this was no joke, of course said YES!

5. Your wedding was an absolute dream. Was there one memory that sticks out more than others? Why?

Kasey: The wedding day (and weekend) was filled with so many incredible moments. As much as I tried to stay present, it was very difficult, as there were so many wonderful things happening all around at any given time. Being surrounded by our closest friends and family was quite overwhelming. You also do SO MUCH planning leading up to an event that seems to only last minutes. I remember reaching the aisle with my parents on both sides. I could hear the song playing (live performance of I’ll Be By Your Side by Patrick Droney and friends), and seeing this mass of people standing up, all loved ones. Then at the end of the aisle stood my closest friends and the person I was about to marry. That feels like 30 memories wrapped into one. Jenny: Man this is hard. There was so much love that weekend – so many moments full of pure joy, it’s hard to name just one but if i had to it would be the moment i walked down the aisle. To see everyone’s faces as I walked with my mom by my side is something i’ll never forget. I don’t think I made it even half way before i burst into tears. The love and joy i felt seeing everyone there to celebrate my love and commitment to Kasey was the most powerful emotion i’ve ever felt. It will be hard to top that.

6. Where’d you go on your honeymoon and why’d you choose that location?

Bora Bora & Moorea (French Polynesia) – We knew we wanted to honeymoon right away after our wedding. Given that we were getting married in November we had to go someplace tropical. It has always been a bucket list destination (for Jenny). I (Kasey) love anyplace tropical with water to jump into. I didn’t need much convincing to spend time in a gorgeous place on an overwater bungalow. Jet skiing, scuba diving, snorkeling? Easy.

7. Looking back now…what is one piece of advice that you would give to other couples planning their wedding?

Just one? No way. 1) Decide on your budget well before you choose your venue and get into planning and know that you’ll probably…most definitely go over budget 😉 2) If you are putting on the wedding, make sure that the day of (at least) you have a coordinator or someone in charge. You want to be able to enjoy your weekend and not have to be the point person to worry about the details. 3) Give yourself as much time as possible and make the most of it. We both have very busy jobs and found that even with well over a year to plan, some things didn’t come together until the very last moment. It’s the most stressful thing we’ve ever done (but it doesn’t have to be).

8. Top 3 things that make a marriage last?

Jenny: I’d say Communication, Honesty and Trust are always important in any relationship and I’m sure key ingredients of a successful marriage. One month in, I’d say speaking to your wife from a loving place (no matter what, no matter how mad you might get) will help. Kasey: Well, we are just a few months into it, so I’m not sure I have sage advice at this point, but, 1) Open Communication 2) Acting with love towards each other, even when it feels difficult 3) Working together as a team.

Check vendor list below to see all of the freaking awesome people who played a part in this day! Now click play and check out my view from their gorgeous wedding.