Dancing With Them

Ash had a grand plan. It involved Penguin Island, a professional camera crew, and a metaphor about penguins mating for life. It was supposed to be the 'perfect' proposal.

Then, life happened. COVID shifted the coordinates, and the 'perfect' proposal became a spontaneous moment in their living room on Ash’s 30th birthday - tipsy on champagne, with Ash’s daughter Mckenzie and their spoodle, Harry Winston, right there in the middle of the chaos. It wasn't the island, but it was exactly them.

They first met at a Jungle Body mega class in 2015, but the spark didn't truly catch until a Facebook message and a starlit picnic at Cottesloe Beach four years later. Since then, they’ve been building a life that balances Ash’s eye for design and sports stats with Rosie’s 'boss babe' energy as a CEO.

Their wedding at Sandalford Winery was a reflection of that balance: black velvet and gold details, a one-of-a-kind Tuscany Bridal princess gown, and a vibe that felt both incredibly high-end and deeply personal. They ditched the traditions that didn't fit, wrote vows to Kenzie, and danced into their marriage to Tim Halperin.

"Marriage is a daily choice," Rosie says. And at Sandalford, under a canopy of fairy lights and surrounded by the people who fight for them, that choice looked like pure magic.

Ash & Rosie’s elegant winery wedding is now live on the blog 💫
www.dancingwiththem.com/ash-rosie-wedding

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There's a line Kayla and Tiffany come back to a lot - we know how this ends. It doesn't mean certainty about the details. It means certainty about each other, which it turns out is the only kind that actually matters when you're trying to build a life 💫

They eloped in the Anza-Borrego desert last November. Two proposals, vows they wrote themselves, a best friend who flew in from Florida, and an officiant who asked them to pause before they began - just to take it in.

The night before, they found a record player in the Airbnb with a Chris Stapleton record on it. One of their songs. They slow danced in the living room and called it a night.

This eloepemnt is up over on the blog for you 👆

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Here's what we do: publish real love stories (weddings, elopements, parties and anything in between) from LGBTQ+ lovers, educate wedding vendors so you don't have to, and create practical planning guides for questions that don't have good answers elsewhere.

When you need to see a photographer's actual trans wedding portfolio, not just their diversity statement - we feature those photographers. When you're trying to find masculine-of-center fashion advice that covers fit, budget, and where to find tailors who won't make you explain yourself - we're building that content. When you need ceremony language that doesn't assume your gender or relationship structure - we publish alternatives.

We've been here for years with a community of vendors and couples who've shared their stories. We're extending what we've built: more trans and nonbinary content, deeper coverage for masculine-of-center folks, polyam ceremony structures, legal guides, vendor education.

If you're q***r and planning a wedding, or a vendor working with this community, this is where we're headed.

Jess first heard Paddy's voice on the phone in 2019. She'd been organizing a Trans Awareness Week panel and needed a nonbinary speaker from the industry. Someone mentioned Paddy Paddison. They emailed, talked logistics, and Paddy sent through a headshot for the event poster. Jess looked at it and thought, well, this just got complicated.

They never met at that event - Jess couldn't make it. But months later, early 2020, Paddy's face showed up on Tinder. Jess sent a message. A few days later they were meeting for their first date in Victoria Park.

Five years later, they got married at Hackney Town Hall. Both of them had wanted to marry there before they'd even met each other - the palm trees, the big steps out front, the fact that it was home. They'd lived together in Hackney since the beginning.

The week before the wedding, they found out a section of the legal ceremony required gendered language to be read aloud to everyone. There's no gender-neutral option for that part in the UK - it's what makes the ceremony legally binding. They discussed cancelling. Then their registrar Lynn stepped in and found a way to make it work without using gendered language for Paddy.

Jess was nervous about dress shopping. She'd had a difficult relationship with her body and worried the whole experience might feel hard. Sara at Morgan Davies made it safe. The first dress Jess tried on was the one. She tried others just to be sure, but kept coming back to the first.

Paddy ordered suits from ASOS to try on at home - less pressure, more control. Found one they loved, made alterations to the jacket so it fit right.

The day itself was sunny after weeks of rain. Red mustang. Photos in Victoria Park at the exact spot where they'd had their first kiss years earlier. Tacos at the reception. "I Feel Love" by Donna Summer when they walked into the venue, then their first dance to Sister Sledge before the whole room joined in for George Michael.

www.dancingwiththem.com/jess-paddy-wedding

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Dancing With Them is for LGBTQ+ people planning weddings. That's it. Not just the couples who photograph as obviously q***r. Not just one slice of the community.

Your identity doesn't disappear because of who you married. A pan person in a hetero-presenting partnership is still pan. A trans person planning their wedding has specific needs that most wedding content doesn't address. Nonbinary couples need ceremony language that actually fits.

We feature all of it. Some of you have been here for years. Some of you just found us because you searched for something specific and kept coming up empty everywhere else.

If you're LGBTQ+ and planning a wedding, this is your space 🖤

Steve found Rodo online while working a remodel job in Puerto Vallarta. Their first phone call lasted 14 hours. Not in pieces throughout the day - one continuous conversation that stretched from afternoon into the next morning. There was a realization halfway through that something had shifted and neither wanted to let go of the other.

Their first date was a sunset cruise. Steve, being Steve, had joked about bringing 90 Day Fiancé camera crews to the airport. Rodo showed up half-convinced it might actually happen.

A year later, New Year's Eve. Steve made sure Rodo's entire family was in Puerto Vallarta. Karaoke night, spotlight ready. Just before midnight, Steve started singing "At Last" by Etta James, then dropped to one knee as fireworks went off over the water. Rodo thought he was messing around until he looked over and saw his family in tears.

They got married in Puerto Vallarta - the city where they met, where they'd spent enough time that it became a second home. Contemporary design because they own an interior design company and they wanted something that looked like them.

They forgot their dogs at the start of the ceremony and had to run back for them, which everyone's still talking about. Dancing fairies led guests to the dancefloor. Fireworks lasted three minutes, perfectly timed to the music. What.a.night.

Fourteen hours on the phone turned into this 😍

www.dancingwiththem.com/steve-rodo-wedding

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We publish the full arc of q***r relationships. The falling in love part, yes. Engagements and weddings, absolutely. Honeymoons, family planning, the decision to have kids or not have kids.

But also the harder stuff. Divorce. Navigating family rejection. Relationship dynamics that don't fit templates. The gap between what you thought marriage would be and what it actually is. Coming out later in life. Blending families. Miscarriage and fertility struggles. All of it.

We're paying closer attention now to who isn't finding themselves in this content. The trans person trying to figure out name change logistics while planning a wedding. The masculine-of-center person who can't find a single suit that accounts for their body. The bi person whose identity keeps getting erased because their partner reads as the opposite gender.

If you've been here for years, you know this already.

If you just found us, this is what we do.

We don't just share the pretty parts. We share the real parts, through the lens of the wonderful humans in our community (read: we share your stories, authentic to your voice).

If your wedding day vision includes a space that feels like a big warm hug from your community, let us introduce you to .takecare.

This Brunswick gem is q***r-owned, sex-positive, and built for connection - the kind of place where you can marry your person surrounded by people who see every part of you and cheer it on.

From sun-drenched timber ceilings upstairs to a ground-floor space that’s fully accessible, every corner invites celebration without compromise. The team here knows weddings aren’t one-size-fits-all, and they’re all in for helping you create a day that actually feels like you.

You’ll find Studio Take Care in our directory of inclusive wedding vendors - and if you’re in Melbourne, it’s worth popping by to see why couples keep falling in love with this space 🌈

Paola & Alina’s wedding was a love story woven with intention, history, and deep meaning. They chose a place that held their beginning, a date that honored ancestors, and a moment that carried the weight of those who fought for love before them.

A unity candle for LGBTQ+ lovers who paved the way. An ofrenda filled with memories, making sure lost loved ones had a seat at the table.

Every detail felt like them, vintage books, handwritten love letters, custom art on every napkin, and outfits that turned heads (even down to an unplanned moment where Paola’s nails matched Alina’s dress perfectly). And of course, a Taylor Swift soundtrack with friendship bracelets to match.

Some weddings are beautiful. This one? It was a story, one that won’t be forgotten!

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Find even more q***r love over at
www.dancingwiththem.com

"Black and white photography strips everything back to what matters most - love.

No distractions, no noise, just the way their hands reach for each other, the emotion in their eyes, the quiet moments in between.

There’s a depth to black and white images that feels timeless, raw, and deeply intimate - because when the colors fade, all that’s left is feeling.

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Find even more q***r love over at
www.dancingwiththem.com

Your wedding, your rules. Want to arrive on horseback? Do it. Dreaming of a ceremony in the middle of the forest, a disco ball hanging from the trees? Make it happen. A dance floor under the stars, a champagne tower that never stops flowing, or a pizza truck for dinner - if it feels right for you, that’s all that matters.

Forget what a wedding ‘should’ be and create a day that feels like yours from start to finish.

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Find even more q***r love over at
www.dancingwiththem.com