Cemetary - Glendale Cemetary / Bloomfield, NJ Officiant - Sheryl Lipuma / Forever and Always Weddings
Rings - Anna Sheffield
IN THERE OWN WORDS -Krystyn: "We didn't have a traditional proposal, as in - there wasn't one. I never believed in that stuff, it just seemed odd to me. I always thought communication about the future should just happen, not something someone should wait for. We talked about getting married for years but we always decided against it because we felt the traditions associated with the ceremony didn't match who we were as people. Every ceremony was scripted to include a man and woman with an obvious power differential; we just felt uncomfortable by all of it. We wanted to make sure that if we did a marriage ceremony it was tailored specifically to our values.
How we met: We met about 6 years ago at a mutual friend's house party. We became best friends before we even dated. We share the same macabre interests and dark sense of humor… pair that with our vegan, atheist, LGBTQ, and feminist values and you have your favorite guests at any family dinner table.
Our interests: We are both animal rights activists. We enjoy volunteering at local farm sanctuaries, cooking vegan food, and spending time with our wonderful adopted cat, Dahlia. We also love to travel, and we go on quite a lot of road trip adventures. We really have no geographical restrictions on the places we'll explore.
Our Rings: Richard and I designed the ring we used in our ceremony from Anna Sheffield, a jewelry shop in Brooklyn that is known for their non-traditional jewelry creations. The ring has been on my finger for years, although we never called it an “engagement ring,” per se. It was a symbol of our partnership in our own unique way."
Richard: "I’m still on the hunt for a unique vintage wedding band, but it’s one of those things that will happen by chance. I have a ring I purchased for $20 until I can find the right one for me. It’s really not about the money anyway – we were never materialistic."
Flowers: DIYKrystyn: "I made my own floral arrangement by getting flowers from a local supermarket. I couldn't fathom paying $150+ for a florist to construct a bridal bouquet for me. I took a chance with what I would find the day before our ceremony, so I was so thrilled to discover one last bunch of dark calla lilies. I paired this with dried lavender, eucalyptus, and baby's breath. It seriously cost less than $20 to make. I also grabbed a few extra bunches of calla lilies to decorate the gravesite where we performed our ceremony."
