Modern and full of meaning, Jonathan and CJ’s wedding at The Oaklander is a true celebration of love and family. In contemporary fashion, the grooms got ready together, helping each other into their custom ink-toned suits from Surmesur Custom Menswear and their bespoke bow ties from Knotzland before heading to the Carnegie Museum of Art’s Hall of Sculpture for their ceremony. It was there that each member of their wedding party – who was also clad in blue – carried a single flower down the aisle before placing it into a “Love is Love” sign to form the shape of a heart. Afterwards, the pair documented the day with Lady Mountain Films before heading back to The Oaklander to celebrate. Dark linens, blue flower petals, and a geode-inspired wedding cake from Tasty Bakery decked out the space. While the grooms were inspired to incorporate sapphire shades into their decor to honor their birthstone and September wedding date, their celebration ended with more color than they could have dreamed of. Guests spontaneously formed a circle around the couple for the last dance of the night as “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was played – a tune that is not only nostalgic, but also representation of their love, according to the pair. Proving that the most magical moments of a wedding day are the ones we can’t plan for, this feature is sure to tug at your heartstrings!
About the Couple
We began at G2H2, which is a monthly gay happy hour in Pittsburgh. We got engaged via a scavenger hunt proposal that ended on Market Street Pier.
About the Wedding
Both our birthstones are sapphire blue for September, which is why everything in our proposal and wedding was blue. This is also why our wedding hashtag is #heblueprintedmylife.
Favorite Moment
It was midnight and the reception was ending. The DJ announced he would play one last song but he chose one that wasn’t on our list. The song was “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” Not only is this a beautiful song that immediately took me back to watching “The Wizard of Oz” as a kid, but this song obviously connects a very special meaning in queer culture in reference to the gay flag.
All of a sudden out of nowhere, people started forming a circle. I looked around the room and every person I love the most in the world was swaying with their arms around each other. I grabbed my husband and we took our place in the middle of the circle. THIS MOMENT was nothing short of magical.
It wasn’t on our list, and it didn’t make our spreadsheet (LOL). But it was real and spontaneous and I can’t imagine a better way to have ended that incredible day. What a beautiful thing to know (even for us over-planners) that the most incredible things in life can still be those you didn’t plan for and the ones you never saw coming.
