Tuxedo-Inspired Details Filled This Luxe, Modern Wedding at The Admiral Room in Buffalo, New York

For their wedding at The Admiral Room, James and Ryan wanted a sleek, modern affair, but it was also of utmost importance that the day feel personalized and unique to them. From having their pups Henry and Remington walk them down the aisle, to wearing matching rainbow suspenders to add a pop of color to their monochrome tuxes, James and Ryan's day perfectly blended a contemporary sophistication with meaningful nods to their relationship. In addition to wearing sleek tuxes for the wedding, James and Ryan leaned into the black-tie nature of their wedding by threading tux-inspired details throughout other parts of the big day. Place settings are the reception were decorated with napkins folded to resemble a shawl tuxedo jacket while the dessert table included cake pops iced with black bow ties. And to make sure their pups matched the dress code when they walked James and Ryan down the aisle, the four-legged friends wore mini dog tuxedo outfits. "Our wedding was the most magical day of both of our lives (thus far, at least). From start to finish, the day encapsulated both of our styles perfectly—marble, gold, black tie, and utter elegance—while still remaining simple and effortless in the best way."

Beyond being a beautifully planned black-tie affair, the couple's wedding was also deeply meaningful. The recalls their ceremony as being the most memorable element from the wedding day. "While the reception was second to none in our own opinion, the ceremony was a symbol of our purest values—love, kindness, empathy, support, and perseverance. We remember every moment of the ceremony fondly including the Pastor’s (Thomas Yorty’s) sermon which, among other things, expressed the need for equality and understanding in a world fraught with negativity, inequality, and a general disdain for those proclaimed to be 'different.'" While to duo looks back on their ceremony fondly, they weren't sure initially that they'd be able to find a church where they could tie the knot. "We grew up Catholic and it was frustrating to the two of us that we couldn’t get married in the Church that we spent so much time in during our formative years. That led us to our search for the perfect ceremony location—and we landed at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Buffalo, a community that embraced us from the first meeting with the Pastor, all the way through the big day. Westminster is known throughout the LGBTQ community as having supported same-sex marriages for decades." In much the same way that the community chose to support James and Ryan, the couple decided to pay it forward with their wedding favors.  In lieu of providing physical favors, they made a donation to two organizations close to their hearts: Homespace and the Live Like Kelly Foundation. 

Looking back on their wedding day, James and Ryan encourage current to-be-weds to "enjoy every second moment, even when it seems like you can’t. Put down your drink, look around, breathe, and grab your spouse’s hand. I did it with Ryan and we both started to tear up—not only did we transcend boundaries with our wedding, we made it happen so effortlessly. Looking around the wedding reception after the dust settles, our hearts were warm with the love and support we received from our 360+ guests (plus those who were not able to be present with us)."