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Intimate Chicago Lurie Garden & Bowling Lesbian Wedding | Rya & Britt + Lio

April 2, 2023

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Weddings

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Close up of two brides holding their little Chihuahua in between them. Their Chihuahua is facing the camera and her lower right canine is visible in her closed mouth. She is dressed in a shirt with a rainbow colored collar. Both brides are giving their dog a kiss, eyes closed, from either side of the dog. Their bouquets are visible in the bottom foreground with trees/tree branches in the background.

Rya & Britt’s story began way back in 2008 via Facebook of all places. Their beginning was so drastically different than their now, but their very first date was one of the most stereotypical lesbian first dates ever. It lasted about eight or nine hours and Rya had no idea it was even a first date (she did eventually figured it out). Then, keeping with the lesbian stereotype, they moved in three months later to really complete the U-Haul lesbian trope (hey, it’s a trope for a good reason).

When it came time for the proposal, Rya was incredibly nervous. She planned the whole day for them and this start of a new chapter in their lives, Britt didn’t know about any of it prior to it happening. Rya used her student loan refund for the ring and planned it so well to set up a separate bank account in order to receive the money without Britt knowing and then suspecting anything. Britt kept asking her about it because she thought there was something wrong because she wasn’t getting the money refunded. She even insisted on calling the bursar’s office and Rya had to brush it off saying there was some clerical error that was getting resolved. Rya even conspired with Britt’s sister. They enjoyed the Art Institute day of where there was a visual art piece; there were moving art pieces which screamed words at the guests. At this point Britt starts to feel something was different in their day and so she stayed in front of the installation to see how long Rya would stay there with her (it turned out, quite a while).

Then they went to the Lurie Garden which is where they had their first kiss on their first date. It’s because of this that this place is such a magical and sentimental place which made their ceremony venue even more wonderful. They looked out onto the water and luckily enough, there were art students around who were kind enough to get their proposal photographed, impromptu. Some of their couple portraits were taken at pretty much the exact spot they shared their first kiss.

Rya was so nervous and Britt will not let her live it down. They had just watched Frozen with Britt’s niece recently. And Rya said, quoted by Britt, “I think I’m going to keep you”. To Rya’s credit, she does not do well under pressure and it is one of those stories that will forever remain cherished.

The wedding was originally supposed to be a very short list of twenty people, but since Britt’s grandmother’s passing, they decided to expand their guest list to be surrounded by more of their loved ones.

Dog moms of two years to Lio who is named after the Liopleurodon dinosaur, they knew she absolutely had to be the guest of honor at the wedding. Lio, and only Lio, is Rya & Beth’s entire wedding party.

The idea to host a bowling and laser tag reception was to accommodate their younger guests, but then they quickly realized that bowling and laser tag would be great fun for all the adult guests as well. After all, they wanted to host a wedding that would be fun for everybody. To end the wedding day festivities, they’ll enjoy some drinks at Nobody’s Darling, Chicago’s best Black-owned lesbian bar.

When Rya & Britt were together for 2-3 years they had joked that they got engaged on April 1st, but were not in a place to actually officially get engaged; it was a bit of an inside joke between the couple. So you may be asking, was this their real wedding? Well, who’s to say, really. I think it might be. No, it definitely probably is. 🙂

Thank you thank you to Rya & Britt’s amazing creative team!

Photography | Mei Lin Barral Photography
Venue + Caterer | Whirlyball
Officiant | Close friend of the couple Rae Kyritsi
Makeup Artist + Hair Stylist | Blow Out Junkie
Rya’s Engagement Ring | Carson Pirie Scott
Britt’s Engagement Ring | Vintage piece from MS Jewelers from Portsmouth, NH
Britt’s Heirloom Pieces | Vintage jewelry from her grandmother
Rya’s Wedding Attire | Long Tall Sally
Rya’s Shoes | Adidas
Britt’s Wedding Attire | Macy’s
Lio’s Caretaker (Dog Caretaker) | Rya’s Mom 🙂
Ceremony Guides | The couple’s friends!

Portrait of two brides embracing one another facing each other. They are in an almost-kiss. Their eyes are closed and their mouths are slightly open in a soft smile. They are standing in a park with hedges in the middle ground and Chicago buildings in the background.
Close up of the "The Lurie Garden Millennium Park" engraving in the wall outside the park in Chicago.
Close up torso portrait of one of the brides in a sweet-heart neckline black jumpsuit holding her bouquet loosely on her left side. Her right hand is sitting lightly on her waist. She is smiling softly off camera to her right. She is standing in a garden with a hedge in the middle ground and Chicago buildings in the background.
Springtime at the Lurie Garden in April in Chicago. There are purple flowers planted in the ground and Chicago skyscrapers are visible in the background.
Two brides standing in front of a stone wall. One is standing in front of the other holding both bouquets up high at head-level in front of her while her soon-to-be wife is adjusting her jacket belt for her.
Portrait of two brides smiling and looking straight to camera. They are holding their bouquets in front of them. They are standing in a park with hedges in the middle ground and Chicago buildings in the background.
Wedding guests holding pride balloons and watching them flow in the wind. One is in the shape of a flag and it is the pride flag which incorporates the black and brown stripes as well as the trans flag. The other balloons are blue, pink, and white in reference to the trans flag colors. There are traditional shaped balloons as well as pink heart-shaped balloons.
Portrait of two brides embracing facing one another with their arms around each other. One of the brides is whispering something in the other bride's ear which is making her open-mouth smile, scrunch her nose in joy/laughter, and closing her eyes. They are holding their bouquets in front of them. They are standing in a park with hedges in the middle ground and Chicago buildings in the background.
Close up of some purple small flowers planted in a garden set in a stone wall. There are Chicago buildings in the background including the Harris theatre in Millennium Park.
Portrait of two brides kissing and embracing facing one another. They are holding their bouquets in front of them. They are standing in a park with hedges in the middle ground and Chicago buildings in the background.
Close up of a bride wearing a sleek and modern red dress with an attached cape/wrap holding her bouquet in front of her. She is standing in a park with hedges in the middle ground and Chicago buildings in the background. She has a soft closed-mouth smile and is directly looking to the camera.
Mother and stepfather of one of the brides. The mother is lovingly holding a framed photograph of a deceased relative who could only be at the wedding in spirit.
Two brides kissing after being pronounced wives. They have their arms wrapped around one another in a passionate embrace. There are trees in the far background.
Close up torso portrait of one of the brides in a sweet-heart neckline black jumpsuit holding her bouquet in front of her. She is smiling directly to the camera. She is standing in a garden with a hedge in the middle ground and Chicago buildings in the background.
Two brides and their guests right after the ceremony concluded. Both brides are crying and wiping away tears. Both are holding their bouquets.
Close up of a bride wearing a black sweetheart-neckline black jumpsuit holding her bouquet in front of her. Only her torso and upper legs are framed in the photo to showcase the bouquet.
Facade of the Chicago Institute of Art with trees, hedges, and grass in the foreground.
Close up of a bride wearing a sleek and modern red dress with an attached cape/wrap holding her bouquet in front of her. Only her torso and upper legs are framed in the photo to showcase the bouquet.
Two brides standing side by side with one having her arm across the other's back and resting her head on the other's right shoulder. They are facing away from the camera viewing the Chicago skyscrapers in the background.
Bride holding her little Chihuahua up near her face. The bride is looking at her dog with a soft smile and the dog is looking slightly off camera in a slightly disgruntled fashion. Her eyes are turned more backwards and her lower right canine is visible through her closed mouth.
Close up of pride balloons. One is in the shape of a flag and it is the pride flag which incorporates the black and brown stripes as well as the trans flag. The other balloons are blue, pink, and white in reference to the trans flag colors. There are traditional shaped balloons as well as pink heart-shaped balloons.
Ceremony officiant mid-speech holding an open journal. Guests are surrounding them as they're listening to the ceremony.
Two brides walking hand in hand with their guests crossing the street. They are both smiling with one looking at her wife and the other looking off camera. Downtown Chicago is visible behind them.
Two brides' bouquets set atop a stone bench. They are resting against one another so that they appear to be one big bouquet. There are city buildings and city street lights in the far background.
Two brides and their officiant mid-ceremony. The officiant is reading from an open journal. There are guests surrounding them and city buildings in the background.
Two brides resting their foreheads against one another, standing facing one another. They are holding their bouquets and standing in a park with trees in the far background.
Two brides walking side by side walking out of a building being greeted by friends and family. Both are holding their bouquets in hand and are smiling and looking to their right.
Close up of bride's feather/sparkle/jewel earring. She is looking away from the camera and her hair is blowing in the wind. She is holding her bouquet in front of her.
Black and white photo of two bride standing side by side. They are smiling wide-open-mouthed and holding a bouquet each. There are trees surrounding them and Chicago buildings in the background.
Two brides laughing together. One is standing upright, in the middle of brushing hair out of her face and the other is resting her hands on her thighs, hunched over, mid-laugh looking off to her right, away from her wife. They are standing in between two rows of trees in some grass.
Brides open mouthed smiling/laughing with one looking at the camera and one has her eyes closed in glee. In between them is their officiate and friend who is in mid-conversation with them. One hand is outstretched to one of the brides while the other is making a gesture while talking.
Close up of two brides holding their little Chihuahua in between them. Their Chihuahua is facing the camera directly. She is dressed in a shirt with a rainbow colored collar. Her eyes are wide open and her tongue is barely visible through her barely open mouth. Both brides are giving their dog a kiss, eyes closed, from either side of the dog. Their bouquets are visible in the bottom foreground with trees/tree branches in the background.
Two brides kissing, one with her arm wrapped around the other. Their backs are to the camera and they are standing in a garden with Chicago skyscrapers in the background.
Close up of two brides holding their little Chihuahua in between them. Their Chihuahua is facing the camera directly. She is dressed in a shirt + tutu outfit. One lower right canine is visible through her closed mouth while she is looking off camera. Both brides are looking at their dog with open-mouthed smiles.
Two brides kissing, facing one another with Rya's hands on Britt's arms. Rya is standing and Britt is sitting atop a stone bench. They are in front of an intricately carved stone archway in Chicago.
Two brides standing in a park embracing in a hug where one has her arms wrapped around the other from behind. One is looking straight to camera and the other has her head rested on the other's shoulders. Both have soft smiles.
Close up of two brides holding their little Chihuahua in between them. Their Chihuahua is looking off camera. She is dressed in a shirt + tutu outfit. Both brides are smiling and looking at their dog.
Two brides' black leather jackets with their respective bouquets laid on top of them on a park walkway.
Close up of two brides holding their little Chihuahua in between them. Their Chihuahua is facing the camera directly. She is dressed in a shirt + tutu outfit with a rainbow-colored collar. Both ears are pointed straight out and one lower right canine is visible through her closed mouth. Both brides are looking at their dog.
Two brides standing facing one another mid-slow dance. They are smiling at one another and are surrounded by trees in a park.
Two brides standing facing one another embracing in a romantic and peaceful hug with their arms wrapped around one another. One bride is resting her head on the other's chest. Trees and street lights are visible in the background.
Black and white photo of two brides, arm in arm, walking on a city crosswalk. There are cars and trees in the background. One is facing the camera and the other is softly smiling at her wife.
Bride seen pre-bowling ball throw. The bowling ball is in her right hand, being held behind her while her left hand is counter-balancing that action. "Whirlybowl" is painted on the wall behind her and there are wedding guests seated/standing behind the bride and one has a bowling ball in her hands.
Two brides seen from behind. One has her left arm wrapped in the other's right arm. They are walking away from the camera.
Black and white photo of two brides sitting in the back of a cab, one has her head on the other's shoulder. They are both smiling with their eyes closed. Their bouquets are slightly visible from resting on their laps.
Bride seen mid-bowling ball throw. The bowling ball is in her right hand, being thrust behind her while her left hand is counter-balancing that action. "Whirlybowl" is painted on the wall behind her and there are wedding guests seated/standing behind the bride.
Close up of an illustration of the two brides with "[illustrated heart] Rya + Britt" written underneath. There is a blue + cloud printed paper to its left and above the brides' illustration is a note that says "Oop...just gonna schooch right past ya. Geez, sorry. (wince) Just gonna...pin this Riiiiiiight [written diagonally going down to the right] -there- -yeah...sorry [indistinguishable writing] Rya + Britt".
Close up of a banana cream pie on a black tablecloth. There is an unidentifiable mousse/cream pie in the background on the same table.
Two brides standing and chatting with their family members who are sat in a semi circle which is open to the bowling lanes. The seated guests have their heads turned towards the brides in conversation.
Bowling ball case from the front, featuring multiple bowling balls of different colors and numbers.
Black and white photo of the lasertag arena light up sign. The sign is surrounded in total blackness/darkness with no visible detail other than the sign.
Bowling ball case featuring multiple bowling balls of different colors and numbers. There is one person seen through the metal case about to select a bowling ball.
Three wedding guests each holding a bowling ball (the guest on the far left is holding two bowling balls). They are all facing towards the camera and smiling. There is a big painted "WHIRLYBOWL" on the wall behind them.
Whirlyball green exterior name sign that has the name of the company and "EAT DRINK GAME ON!" below. It has logos and imagery of a bowling ball and three bowling pins.
Black and white photo of a bride shown from behind having just thrown a bowling ball that is rolling in the lane. Her right hand is still outstretched from throwing the ball and she is leaning forward towards the lane.
Whirlyball exterior sign in the shape of a bowling pinball with the words "EAT DRINK GAME ON!" written on it. There is an arrow to the sign's left that points down and right.
Two brides hugging each other, facing one another standing on a park walkway with trees in the background.

Mei Lin (first name, pronounced "may-LYNN", she/her) is a queer pug-loving musical theatre enthusiast who's passionate about commemorating diverse couples in love and their four-legged family. Trans rights are human rights. Love is love. Stop AAPI Hate. Black Lives Matter.

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