Alie & Kayla

Occupations Alie (she/her) is a nonprofit operations manager; Kayla (he/him) is a senior technical trainer

Wedding date October 17, 2024

Number of Guests 100

Number of Attendants 11

How You Met Kayla and Alie first crossed paths in 2014 through Greek Life at Towson University. Although their mutual friend, Aimy, advised Kayla against pursuing Alie to avoid creating complications within friend groups, the two continued to cross paths. After graduating in 2016 and 2017, respectively, Kayla and Alie embarked on their own romantic journeys, their paths diverging yet still intertwining through their friendship with Aimy. Little did they know, a spark had been ignited, with Alie confessing to her friends about her crush on Kayla during NYC Pride in 2018. The universe and fate had plans, and in 2021, they found themselves both single. On November 18th of that year, a group of friends gathered for a queer happy hour in Baltimore, where Kayla gathered the courage to unveil his crush on her and Aimy’s request not to ask Alie out. To their delight, Alie revealed that she had harbored a crush on Kayla all along, and from that night forward, their story truly began. Their first date was a cozy evening at Kayla’s home, indulging in the shared joy of Hallmark Christmas movies—a tradition that would become a cherished part of their love story. After eight months of dating, Alie moved in with Kayla, and in October 2023, Kayla proposed!

The Engagement Kayla planned what appeared to be his own birthday celebration, but the true purpose was to propose to Alie. He ensured all their mutual friends would be present and even arranged for Alie’s friends to slip into the backyard beforehand to help with decorations and setup.

Since Kayla and Alie had bonded over card games like “The And” when they first began their relationship, Kayla decided that would be a great way to guide Alie to the proposal spot. He secretly placed a card in the deck telling her to step outside into the backyard. As she walked out, the song “First Time” by Teeks played. In that intimate moment in front of family and friends, Kayla expressed to Alie how their reunion after seven years apart felt destined and asked her to spend the rest of their lives together.

Wedding Design Inspiration The jewel tones of the fall, serving as a subtle rainbow

What Was Unique and Special About Your Wedding Day Kayla shared a dance with his father at the wedding. Despite—or perhaps because of—his transition (Kayla is a trans man), having this moment with his dad remained important to him. Rather than letting traditional gendered expectations dictate the day, Kayla chose to honor what mattered most to him and created this meaningful father-son moment.

Plot twist: That same friend who requested us to stay away from each other? She married us! (We love a full circle moment.)

As a queer couple, we dreamed of a wedding where everyone could feel completely safe and wrapped in love and joy. These pictures capture exactly that, pure happiness all around.

Favorite Details Each table corresponded with a picture of when we were that age (ex. Table 1 had pictures of when we were 1 years old). Kayla had cufflinks that said K & A and had the wedding day stitched on his shirt sleeve. Alie wore a rainbow veil at the reception.The bride and groom each danced with both of their respective parents. Alie & Kayla shared a private final dance to end the night.

Most Unexpected Event On Your Wedding Day Kayla dramatically broke down when Alie walked down the aisle. The Maid of Honor did a FIRE rap for her speech.

Piece of Advice Try not to take the day too seriously, the whole point is to celebrate your love with your support system by your side! It’s easy to get caught up in all the details, but make sure you take some intentional moments alone with your new spouse to let the moment truly sink in.

BEAUTY Evine Beaute (makeup); Crowned by Dani (hair) BRIDESMAIDS Azazie Bridesmaids Collection in shades burgundy (bridesmaids) and cabernet (MOHs) CAKE Caroline’s Cakes CATERER Festive Board Caterers FLOWERS Kukka Flowers supplied the wholesale flowers, and the bride and groom assembled the arrangements with the help of their moms and friend, Janice. HONEYMOON Secrets Maroma Beach, Mexico LOCATION Cylburn Arboretum MUSIC DJ K-Leena OFFICIANT Aimy Avila PHOTOGRAPHER Raelika Photography WEDDING SUIT Bindle & Keep (suit); Taft (shoes) Wedding Dress Ava Laurenne Bride (gown); Betsey Johnson and Converse (shoes) Day of Coordinator Create With Brianna