Vermont Wedding Photographer | Gay Wedding Photographer | Two Grooms Wedding Photos
Joe & Mike’s Joyful Vermont Wedding | Cavendish, Vermont
For these two grooms, even a surprise downpour couldn’t damper their quaint Vermont wedding
An 1845 venue called Inn at Glimmerstone Mansion, located right in the middle of Vermont, caught Joe and Mike’s attention as they were planning their Vermont wedding. Photographing their wedding was delightful, as Joe & Mike had to be the most giddy guys I’ve ever seen on their wedding day. They started out calm, cool, and collected, but as soon as they had their first look, their grins poked through and their giddiness was nearly palpable.
A Quintessential Vermont Wedding?
When you hear “Vermont wedding,” your mind likely also goes to a quaint field with a barn and fall colors around a bottle of maple syrup. Wellll…..that’s not exactly how it looked, because fall only happens for a few weeks a year and their wedding was in summer, but Vermont still performed well under pressure.
Then in melted. Yup. There was no rain predicted, and during cocktail hour into the reception, the heavens opened up and POURED onto everyone—so that meant everything had to move inside.
But no worries, because Joe and Mike were just excited to be married and celebrating with everyone.
They had a wedding party of 14 for a total of 16 bridesmen/bridesmaids/groomswomen/groomsmaids, best women/best man, (and whichever gender-neutral terms for this gay wedding and mixed-gender wedding party are understood best), making for a very color-coordinated blended wedding party.
Because there were 16 of them—not counting their flower kids and ring bearers—I was able to do quite a few fun and funky photos with the group. They were a fun group, as you can see!
LGBTQ+ Weddings: Working as a Gay Wedding Photographer
When working as a gay wedding photographer, it’s not 100% of the time that the immediate family is completely comfortable and approving of the relationship, unfortunately. Many of the gay weddings and LGBTQ+ weddings I photograph mean at least a few family members decided to not show up, which can be heartbreaking.
Luckily, this was not really the case with Mike and Joe. Joe’s father really stepped it up with his outfit, and let me tell you—it not only made ME happy, but I’m pretty sure his colorful outfit and fun persona made everyone grin!
After their vows and celebratory walk down the aisle, there were a lot of happy tears and hugs. Vermont has always been an open and inclusive state, and same-sex marriage has been legal in the state since 2009. In fact, as a gay wedding photographer based in the Northeast U.S., Vermont has always felt at the forefront of gay rights—and I recall knowing that even as a teenager. A cool fact about Vermont if you’re an LGBTQ+ couple: Vermont was the FIRST state to introduce civil unions (2000), and the first state to introduce same-sex marriage as legal (2009) via legislation rather than litigation. (MA was the first state to actually legalize same-sex marriage.) You can read more on the USA’s long and overdue road to legalizing LGBTQ+ marriages in all 50 states right here.
As you can see, their vows were filled with lots of laughs, joy, and support from close friends and family. The ceremony itself took place in the oh-so-green garden, with steps leading up to the trellis where they said their vows. What I really liked was how excited all their groomswomen and groomsmen were to be participating, even though the crew was generally in their 30s and 40s. I loved it! After all, tons of folks get married who aren’t 25.
Despite the Rain, These Two Grooms Had the Best Day Ever
We took more portraits and lots of candids (such as this one of Joe crying happy tears following his ceremony, below), and then the sky opened up and we had to rush inside.
Vermont’s Inn at Glimmerstone Mansion has a separate 1.5-story barn for receptions, and it’s made the old-school way with exposed beams, a rickety staircase, and wooden nooks and crannies all around. It fit their ~100 guests snugly, and when it came time for their wedding intros, I used some off-camera flash for some fun images.
They danced the night away, including sweet mother-son dances for both grooms. And then it was time to party and dance, dance, dance! These two grooms had such a tight-knit network of friends, and it made for endless photos of their shenanigans. A few minutes before my photography duties were over, it stopped raining—allowing me to have a smooth, safe drive back home.
Joe & Mike, I wish you nothing but the best! Cheers to you two and your Vermont wedding. ~
Kathryn Cooper Weddings: Vermont Wedding | Gay Wedding Photos | Inn at Glimmerstone Mansion Wedding
omg you can feel all the love! thank you also for a bit of the history lesson surrounding the importance of LGBTQ marriage laws in Vermont. All I can say is GO VERMONT!! So beautiful!