It’s easy to assume COVID has wrecked your honeymoon plans. With new strains popping up every other week (it seems) and mask mandates coming, going and coming again, the traditional honeymoon to some place exotic [...]
Finding the right officiant for your wedding, one who understands and respects your beliefs and traditions can be difficult — even more so for queer couples. Whether it’s a religious leader, a family member or [...]
When my (then) 12-year-old son told me he was gay, I was shocked by my reaction. As someone who has always claimed to be a staunch ally to countless LGBTQ+ friends and a fierce, lifelong [...]
There's no doubt that keeping safe during the COVID-19 pandemic is a must, and science points to being quarantined at home as the safest way of doing so. However, now that Michiganders have been living [...]
When Garnet Lewis and her business partners decided to name their gourmet food shop in Douglas Isabel’s Market & Eatery, they had a clear choice in mind. Their namesake was an area school teacher and [...]
Perhaps as a side effect of her time as the Ferndale Pride event chair, Julia Music got used to a regular question: "Will you marry us?" Not qualified to do so, she'd politely decline. But [...]
Though far from ideal, it's clear that the perception of LGBTQ people and their right to marry in the U.S. has changed for the better. In fact, a 2019 Pew Research Center poll shows that 60 percent of Americans favor LGBTQ marriage equality, compared to 30 percent who oppose it. What makes this statistic even more promising is that in 2004, those numbers were flipped. Still, despite this positive push forward and the fact that the legal right for LGBTQ couples to marry has been secured, it's vital to stay aware of legal pushes and organizations working to dismantle those protections across the country.
When Ross Owens went on vacation to Provincetown, Cape Cod, he was looking forward to a few days of sleeping in. So when his boyfriend, Rob, begged him to wake up at 4:30 a.m. on [...]
They say love comes at unexpected moments; it certainly did for Savanna Wojtanowski and Amy Balich. Though they were both Division I athletes in college, each played a different sport — soccer and softball respectively [...]
Planning a wedding at any stage can be tricky, and one of the most difficult parts is creating a ceremony that's uniquely one's own. To help with that struggle, Between The Lines has collected a list of 20 popular trends this year that might make planning easier.
Whether your wedding is a grand ballroom affair or an intimate close family gathering, it's almost guaranteed that music will play a major role in creating the perfect ambience. To help with any prospective big [...]
Securing a cake, arranging a florist, booking a venue and tailoring day-of wedding outfits are all vital, if stressful, steps in the process to a wedding celebration. Now, layer an LGBTQ identity on top of [...]
We are so excited to host the 9th Annual LGBTQ Wedding, Home and Life Expo this Sunday at The Henry, Dearborn's gorgeous hotel and event venue. It will be glamorous, delicious, fun energetic and entertaining!
The Bluewater Kings Band, one of the most popular wedding bands in the Midwest, will return for the fifth time to the Ultimate LGBTQ Wedding, Home & Life Expo on Sunday, Oct. 13. While the band is fully customizable – from three to 14 pieces – it will be a quartet who will perform at the expo.
From the moment that wedding planning starts, securing the perfect venue should be at the top of the list. In fact, finding the location of the ceremony and reception is so important that in the Brides.com "Ultimate Wedding-Planning Checklist and Timeline" it's ranked as something that should be secured at least a year in advance.
Whether one has just proposed marriage or accepted a proposal, planning for a wedding ceremony can be just as exciting. But between choosing a wedding venue, picking an outfit and arranging for a cake the [...]
When Joe Pawelezyke and Michael Pytlik met on Match.com in 2012 they knew they had similar interests, but it wasn’t until they dated for a while that they realized they both had a flair for [...]
Marvel and DC Comics crossovers have happened before but Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman getting engaged is certainly new. However, that's exactly what happened at Motor City Comic-Con in May when Ashley VanSickle, in full Captain Marvel gear, got down on one knee and proposed to her Wonder Woman, Deanna Mascia.
One of Detroit's most prized neighborhoods has gained a new addition to its gallery district with the relaunch of Blossoming Artists Gallery in Midtown. Located on Third Street and Willis, the space previously featured high-end pieces by major artists. In its new form, Blossoming Artists features the work of up-and-coming artists from Detroit, New York and abroad.
“Empire” made history on Wednesday, April 24 by featuring the first wedding between two gay, black men on primetime television.
BY THE WEDDING SHOPPE Planning a wedding is often a long process, with many decisions to make along the way. And according to The Wedding Shoppe in Berkley , finding the perfect wedding dress is [...]
In an effort to promote its Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons program, Disney's official Instagram page shared a post this week featuring two men getting married at Orlando's Walt Disney World resort. The vacation package [...]
LGBTQ couples will have the opportunity to get married during Ferndale Pride on June 1 at The Rust Belt Market, Ferndale's premier wedding venue.
Alysse Dalessandro and her bridesmaids trekked from three different states by plane, train and automobile on Saturday, Jan. 19 to Bombshell Bridal Boutique in St. Clair Shores during Michigan's worst snowstorm of the year. But [...]
As much as everyone loves Valentine's Day, let's face it - trying to find the perfect gift for your loved one after the holidays can be tough. Whether it's for a new partner, a long-term [...]
For the first time ever, David's Bridal has featured a same-sex couple in a new ad. The Pennsylvania-based company is taking a more diverse marketing approach after filing bankruptcy late last year, according to Ad [...]
The White Collection Bridal Boutique in Portishead, England, has taken some much-needed steps toward inclusivity. The boutique put up a window display featuring a mannequin in a wheelchair wearing a wedding gown, which isn't seen [...]
Planning a wedding can be difficult and it's a cause of significant stress for many couples, and perhaps even more so for same-sex partnerships because of the potential for discrimination. However, the following apps can [...]
Lynelle Osborne (left) and Monica Givens of Linden. BTL Photo: Andrew Cohen. Well, Facebook may be considered a bit passe by today’s social media standards, but as Monica Givens and Lynelle Osborne [...]
Khiana Gaffney was living in Birmingham, Alabama, in 2016 when she made a quick trip home to Detroit to celebrate her grandmother’s 90th birthday. While back in the Motor City, Khiana spent a little time on social media to learn a bit about the local girls. One of those girls, one of those who caught her eye, was the woman who is now her wife, Aleeya Gaffney.
On a warm, partly cloudy Saturday in Ferndale, thousands of people donned their best rainbow gear and gathered on W 9 Mile road to show their Ferndale pride June 2. But, instead of a casual [...]
Anybody who knows and loves Amy and Anna Crandall of Kalamazoo knows how attached they are to their dogs, Dalton and Tucker. It was no surprise to family and friends when the couple involved their [...]
Ashley Howe and her fiance Justine Simpson have been to several bridal shows, but none quite like the Ultimate LGBT Wedding and Anniversary Expo held on Sunday, March 11, in MotorCity Casino's state of the art ballroom in Detroit.
Trying to figure out what to wear for the wedding? B. Ella Bridal, located at 570 S. Main Street in Plymouth, is in the business to serve up your dream wedding attire, and for all the right reasons. B. Ella is a full service bridal shop that offers not only bridal gowns, but also bridesmaids dresses, mother of the bride/groom gowns, prom dresses, full accessories and alterations services. B. Ella just celebrated its 14th year in business, and owner Brittany Blase had some insight on what’s trending this season.
Michael B. Anthony Florist, located Downriver in Wyandotte, is all about the business of flowers – and they have the reviews, awards and passion to prove it. Owner Michael Bak bloomed his business in 2013, and has since won Local 4’s “Vote 4 the Best” Wedding Florist for two consecutive years, Wedding Wire’s Couples’ Choice award in 2017 and 2018, and has also been named The Knot’s Best of Weddings 2018.
Jefferson Market Bakery located at 609 W. Jefferson in Ann Arbor lets you have your cake and eat it too! Owner Nic Sims and her top cake artist Moriah Elkins, are ready to serve up some delicious sweet treats for your big day.
In order to help with selecting wedding music - which should be the most fun part of planning, but is often times the most overwhelming - BTL asked a couple experts, Chris Blanchard (aka DJ Loki) and Walter Cooper (aka DJ Romeo), to weigh in.
Equal parts of budget and passion plus a well-thought-out plan equals the perfect honeymoon or vacation.
The excuse of religious freedom is being used more and more these days in an effort to allow individuals and businesses the right to discriminate against LGBTQ couples.
Towanna Jackson and LaShawn Peterson of Southfield were married on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2016, around 1 a.m. inside the Plaza Royale Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. “My sister was able to catch a flight [...]
When Christi Brown worked with Diana Balbaugh and Danielle Beauregard during their wedding preparations she "saw a love between them that you don't see too often. These two are the epitome of true love and [...]
Over the last seven years, the Ultimate LGBT+ Wedding & Anniversary Expo has grown exponentially, allowing us to offer a one-stop shopping experience where you and your entire wedding party can walk along aisles and aisles of the area’s best wedding products and services in one convenient location.
Detroit — It's a long process to pick a venue, a photographer, make the guest list and worry about the floral arrangements — among countless other responsibilities. But, whether large or intimate, two people join together in a celebration of love.
Many people grow up dreaming of the Cinderella–Prince Charming wedding. And last September, one couple got to see their dream come true during their Prince Charming–Prince Charming ceremony. Dr. Theodore Carson Baker, II (57) and [...]
Towanna Jackson and LaShawn Peterson didn't have a traditional engagement proposal. "I asked LaShawn a bunch of times and she told me 'no' a bunch of times," said Towanna. "She told me one day, 'We [...]
