Meet Kenneth & Joey, two loving hearts who finally got their day at the alter to celebrate their moment of bliss and were as gracious as any couple could be. They got married at the landmark Brooklyn Academy of Music, only six months removed from the signing of the same sex bill and surrounding their wedding was a natural and heartfelt feeling of happiness. On their wedding day, Kenneth & Joey fell into the arms of friends and family as they arrive from all over the borough ready to mark the occasion. The shouts of joy echoed throughout the building filling the atmosphere with a kind of youthful excitement and energy one would normally find at a pep rally for the local high school swim team.

The celebrant was a great homily speaker whose collected manner and sense of humor were welcomed and entertaining.  His message was passionate, funny and full of genuine sentiments. He truly captured the spirit of the union. As for decor, we can’t say enough wonderful things about the folks over at BAM, who threw a memorable shindig that evening. We were not only impressed with their constant professionalism and charm and how gracious hosts they were, but were equally blown away at how wonderfully they transformed the room.

It was a heartfelt evening, as we once again celebrated love, family, friendship and equality. We laughed, we cried and even got into the Soul Train line.

Editor’s letter: By Michelle Ogundehin

Posted: January 27th, 2012

March: Divine Inspiration

I was reminded recently of a mantra made famous by Mother Teresa that could be read as a blueprint for living a fulfilling life. It goes thus…

‘People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centred;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone may destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is all between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.’

Whether you believe in God, spirits, the universe – whatever you wish to call that which is beyond you, me, us – it makes no difference; the sentiments remain the same. Whether we call it taking responsibility for the way we interact with the world or taking responsibility for our words and actions, the sentiments, again, remain the same. No-one can be perfect, and nor should we aspire to be, but in these difficult times when the instinct to blame or flee may become stronger, I thought this was a beautiful ‘poem’ for us all to keep in mind.

Initially we felt really odd and awkward in front of the camera, since its not everyday you have people snapping photos of you. But they really made us feel really comfortable, and gave us great direction. It all started with the engagement shoot, which kept on getting delayed and postponed by us until we couldn’t hold it off any longer. It was shot 10 days before the wedding and they worked extra hard and put together a slideshow for our wedding day.
Tatjana and Charles are incredibly friendly, easy-going and all around awesome to be around. I can’t tell you how many guests told me how much they loved our photographers! They were there for everything. They will do anything, go anywhere to get the perfect shot. They aren’t just interested in taking your picture, they want to capture your moment in a way you never thought somebody could. Unlike other photographers they were not pushy and obtrusive at all. They captured moments I didn’t even know they were there for! They are incredibly passionate about photography and it really shows in every image they take. They have a truly unique vision and I am so grateful to have found them. Everytime I look at our wedding pictures I relive the best day of my life.