Jun 20, 20196 min read

Juneteenth LGBT Queer Tropical Wedding | Oahu, HI

UMMM.. is this real life? HOW Gorgeous are these two?!!

These two gorgeous beauties met just two years ago in Nashville, TN. Amy was smitten by Victoria and her dimples, while Victoria was just swooning over Amy’s cheek bones! The pair had an amazing time dancing and listening to country music. Fast forward 2 years and Amy lives in Hawaii, and owns a luxury Hawaiian experience company called Planes and Champagne, and they are preparing for Victoria to move to the island!

Being that not only is it PRIDE month, but also Juneteenth, we thought what better way to celebrate BOTH than honoring these two beauties on the beach! Chavah from Vida Chic events envisioned the whole shoot, saying she wanted the brides very non-traditional in black dress while having bright gorgeous blooms. These gorgeous gowns were from White Hot Hawaii! Because she envisioned a white beach, we chose Oahu’s east coast which is know for it’s bright white sands and aqua blue waters.. PERFECT.

Chavah put together this sweet circle arch and adorned it with beautiful tropical flowers… her vision was for a bright white beach, our gorgeous beauties in black, and loads of tropical flowers… and can we just take a moment, to gawk at the BEAUTY that is AMY (over here looking all regal AF! Ugh.. they’re amazing!)

Pamakane of Ocean Dreamer provided Amy’s bouquet, while Chavah of Vida Chic Events picked and assembled Victoria’s.

Amy said being able to celebrate Juneteenth in Hawaii was extra special as it’s now her island home, however with only 3% if the local demographic being black, it’s not something many people actually know about.

Throughout this prcoess, I learned what JUNETEENTH is… I honestly had no idea. I had never heard the term until Apple started popping it into my calendar (Thank you Apple) Luckily my friend Chavah educated me real quick… So for those of you who don’t know, it’s OK. I didn’t either… but I definitely think it is important to know. So here’s what I’ve learned…

Juneteenth is also known as “Freedom Day” because in 1865 it was the day the last remaining enslaved people in the U.S. were emancipated! Amy, who grew up in the south, said on Juneteenth there are celebrations with music, dancing and drinking! While the 4th of July is widely celebrated as the day the U.S. became FREE and independent states.. not all humans were actually free in 1776, it was until nearly 90 years later, on Juneteenth that all humans were finally FREE in the U.S. Powerful… definitely makes me look at the 4th of July a little differently and while I recognize it’s importance.. we’re all brothers and sisters.. .we’re all HUMANS… we are all reflections of one another… Why wouldn’t we celebrate the date that all humans were finally free?

How fitting for these beauties that Juneteenth also happens to fall during PRIDE month, so to celebrate BOTH, we honored these gorgeous Goddesses on the beach – celebrating them and all humans!

Victoria’s gorgeous bouquet was put together by the talented Pamakane of Ocean Dreamer… it’s peonies, orchids, hibiscus, ginger and other tropical blooms popped beautifully in the environment.

There was champagne… This sweet little cart was set up by Chavah of Vida Chic Events with little laser engraved name plaques by Picturesque Love. So sweet!

Chavah beautifully styled this tropical arch with lots of local favorites! She even threw in some gold peacock feathers for a little extra, EXTRA!

These two gorgeous women both identify as QUEER… They’ve had quite a beautiful journey that Amy will be sharing in her own words.. so stay tuned for that Magic.. because as a beautiful Nigerian goddess, who also happens to be queer she definitely has a lot to share, and we can’t wait to hear her full beautiful story direct from her mouth! <3

**UPDATE... Amy has shared her incredible take on her love for Victoria... scroll down to read it!

“Amy, are you A GAY?” I could hear my mother’s Nigerian accent in my head while I was swooning over these photos. It made me super weak with laughter as I envisioned her being utterly confused about what exactly queer means. The convo was hilarious. I love that Igbo woman.

Here’s the thing, Nigerian parents have a way of ignoring things that they don’t want to know the answer to or already know the answer to but don’t want to acknowledge or discuss it.

Before getting “left on read” was a thing on social media or via text, Nigerian parents had already mastered this art.

Curating and maintaining privacy while being explosively socially active is a life skill I should add to my resume. It’s been by choice and design until love happened to me. Like love love.

And besides, these photos are honestly too beautiful not to share sooo.....

SHE is Her:

I’ve fallen deeply in love with a woman. Although she’s not the first woman I’ve been intimate with, in the past I’ve consciously steered clear of relationships with women. “Nah, I don’t date women.” I’ll be honest, anything more than physical seemed “too gay” for me. Whatever that means. Chileeee I’m already unpacking that. I’ll report back when that “luggage” is empty, “clothes” are folded, and all are stored away.

SHE has allowed me to be more vulnerable, transparent, and even more expressive than I was before. Her beauty is enamoring, her touch is intoxicating, and she sings a song that puts my soul at ease. Bae can sang sang. She melts my heart...her dimples are wide and deep enough for me to find comfort in. Although I find comfort in her extraordinary culinary abilities, at least her dimples don’t come with calories. Lol.

She’s sweet. Supportive. Sensible. Smart. Sexy. SHE. IS. EVERYTHING. She’s so damn bomb y’all.

Additionally, she continuously encouraged me during the start of my business, Planes and Champagne Hawaii, a lifestyle concierge company. (shameless plug) But all FACTS.

I also understand her love language is quality time and I haven’t succeeded in that department while laying a foundation to not only entrepreneurship, but a beginning to a forever with her.

The Photoshoot

The number of people that reached out and was like, “Amy, so you got married without having a lit ass wedding that we could come turn up at?!!” The fact y’all know my wedding would be lit af makes my heart burst into champagne bubbles. I love y’all so hard. 🥂

Calm down, we did not get married. You did not miss a lit ass wedding in Hawaii. Most importantly, you did not miss the open bar.

Vida Chic Events reached out to me and stated they wanted to capture me and bae in a wedding style shoot at one of the island’s most beautiful beaches with the infamous wedding photographer Jenna Lee. Jenna Lee is almost never available but the universe aligned and she was free on Juneteenth. Crazy right?! Oh the universe.

Chavah Grant, owner of Vida Chic Events, literally coordinated this magical production in approximately 5 days. She told me she wanted to do BLACK wedding gowns, colorful flowers, white sand...I was like, “oh so this is going to be lit lit.” Got it sis.

I called my makeup artist friend Andrea Huff right away and made an appointment for her to come beat our faces to the GAWDS. And Sis deliverdt. Beatith to the horizons of the Melanated Gods. Love you Drea️.

I was slightly concerned Jenna, despite her impressive portfolio, wouldn’t capture our melanin properly. Sometimes vvhite photographers don’t give our glow the GLORY it deserves.

But she DEFINITELY delivered ! Whew.

So here I was... me and somebody’s daughter, ..somebody’s FINE AF daughter, getting photographed by Jenna Lee, with rings on from The Wedding Ring Shop, gowns from White Hot Hawaii, adorned with flowers from Vida Chic Events + Ocean Dreamer along a white sand beach on Oahu. Ziggy Marley’s “Beach in Hawaii” playing in my head...

A dream...a freaking dream.

I was nervous yet anxious and excited to write this. She deserves for me to love her out loud on Al Gore’s innanet.

This is me loving Victoria out loud. When she reads this, she’s likely going to bat her eyes with them long ass lashes she loves, with a smile so divine, and eyes that say, “I’m yours.”