Queerly Beloved: How Six Wedding Vendors Threw the Most Magical LGBTQ+ Wedding Day Boston Has Ever Seen
Where It All Started
Some ideas start as a joke. This one started as a conversation between several small business owners in the wedding industry all feeling the same way — and ended with seven couples married, four hundred strangers dancing together, and $4,000 raised for the Trevor Project.
I’m so proud — and honestly still a little overwhelmed — to share the full story of Queerly Beloved, the LGBTQ+ group micro-wedding and disco celebration that my co-founders and I brought to life on January 5, 2025 at The Sinclair in Cambridge, MA.
This is that story, from the spark of an idea to the moment seven newlywed couples stepped onto the dance floor for the very first time. And yes — there are a lot of photos.
In the weeks after the 2024 presidential election, something shifted in the wedding industry. Clients who had been planning summer celebrations were quietly pivoting — canceling or fast-tracking their big days, booking city hall appointments, eager to protect their rights and their assets before the unknowns of a new administration took hold. As a wedding photographer, I was watching couples I loved make hard decisions out of fear.
Lindsey "Lensy" Michelle - a fellow queer wedding photographer - felt it too. She had already started building a vendor list to connect queer couples with wedding professionals offering discounted or free services during this uncertain time. We started talking about going further - about throwing an actual event where we could just give weddings away. Lensy put it best: she wanted to help as many people get gay married as possible.
I threw out the idea of a dance party, a live show, drag performances. The energy was immediate, and within 48 hours, six of us were in a group chat together, plotting what it could look like.
That was the beginning of Queerly Beloved.
The Day Itself
On January 5, 2025, The Sinclair opened its doors to something Cambridge had never quite seen before.
During the day, seven LGBTQ+ couples gathered for private micro-wedding ceremonies — intimate, personal, and entirely free. Every detail was a donation: the venue, the florals, the photography, the officiant, the design, the food + cakes, the videography, and the makeup services. These couples had fast-tracked their wedding plans, and Queerly Beloved met them exactly where they were.
Each couple received a personalized ceremony written just for them by Jusmine Martin, custom florals from Althea Floral Design, photo and video services, and their own wedding cake. Nothing was generic. Nothing was rushed. Each of those seven unions was treated like the once-in-a-lifetime moment it was.
The Party
At 6:00 PM as the weddings neared an end, the doors opened to the public — and Boston showed up!
More than 400 guests flooded The Sinclair. Local queer wedding band The Femmes, opened up the night and DJ Dayglow and Fruistand kept the floor packed all night. Drag artists performed, a glitter bar and photo booth were available. The energy was electric, joyful, and completely necessary.
The newlyweds joined the party after their wedding ceremonies had their first dances surrounded by hundreds of strangers who had shown up just to celebrate them. It was one of those moments that doesn’t feel real until you’re looking at the photos afterward.
The suggested $25 donation at the door and contributions throughout the night raised $4,000 for the Trevor Project, a crisis intervention nonprofit serving LGBTQ+ young people. Every dollar beyond the event’s hard costs went directly there.
What It Meant
I’ve photographed a lot of weddings. I’ve watched a lot of couples say “I do.” But there was something about January 5th that felt different - more urgent, more communal, more necessary.
These couples weren’t just getting married. They were making a statement. And the hundreds of people who showed up to dance with them, celebrate them, and witness them? They were making one too.
Our hosts Briar Blush & Sherman
We thought we might have a couple of roaming performers. We ended up with an hour of drag. We thought the event might break even. We ended up donating $4,000 to an organization that protects queer kids. We thought we were throwing a party. We ended up throwing a lifeline.
I am so grateful to my co-founders — One Bell Designs, DJ Dayglow, Dearly Studio, Lensy Michelle, and Althea Floral Design — for saying yes to this wild idea and showing up completely. And I am so grateful to every single person who walked through those doors. And especially all the of the kings and queens who put on a show for us that night.
Rusty Hammer
Heather Rose
JP
Sherman
Lavendar
Chanel the Angel
Chanel the Angel
Briar Blush of RPDR18
Briar Blush of Ru Paul’s Drag Race
A Note on the Photography
As the photographer behind this blog, I want to be transparent: shooting Queerly Beloved was one of the most meaningful experiences of my career. I was documenting something historic - at least in the history of this little corner of the wedding world - and I tried to honor that in every frame.
The images throughout this post are both mine and Lindsey Michelle’s as we truly collaborated on our approach to this event and captured throughout the ceremonies and the party that followed.
What’s Next for Queerly Beloved
Queerly Beloved isn’t over - it’s evolving. Stay tuned. If you’re a vendor who wants to be part of that community, or a couple looking for your people in the wedding industry, keep an eye on us and reach out anytime.
“Queerly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate love.”
Thank you to The Sinclair for giving this event a home. Thank you to every vendor and performer who donated their time. Thank you to everyone who danced.
And to the seven couples who trusted us with one of the most important days of their lives — congratulations. It was the honor of a lifetime.
— Amanda
One Bell Designs
Bringing the visual vision to life, One Bell Designs contributed the stunning design elements that made Queerly Beloved feel like the celebration it was always meant to be — polished, intentional, and full of heart.
Althea Floral Design
No wedding is complete without flowers, and Althea Floral Design made sure every couple had something beautiful to hold. Custom florals - bouquets, lapel pins, and more - were crafted for each ceremony, donated entirely as a labor of love.
Amanda Macchia Photography (that’s me!)
I’m a wedding and portrait photographer based in the Boston area, and I have the honor of telling love stories for a living. Queerly Beloved gave me the chance to photograph something I’ll never forget - love in its most joyful, resilient form.
Dearly Studio
Jusmine Martin of Dearly Studio - a secular micro-wedding chapel and small event space in Somerville’s Bow Market - served as our Justice of the Peace. She wrote personalized ceremonies for all seven couples and officiated every single wedding that day. Her warmth and intentionality set the tone for everything.
DJ Dayglow
Every great dance party needs the right person behind the decks. DJ Dayglow brought the disco, the energy, and the soundtrack that kept four hundred people on their feet all night long.
Lensy Michelle
Lensy Michelle is a wedding and elopement photographer who, in the wake of the 2024 election, started building a vendor list to connect queer couples with affirming professionals offering discounted or free services. That list sparked a conversation, that conversation sparked an idea, and that idea became Queerly Beloved.
CONNECT & EXPLORE
Browse more of my wedding work.
Find LGBTQ+ affirming vendors: queerlybeloved.com
Support the Trevor Project: thetrevorproject.org
Inquire about wedding photography.
Wicked Makeup
Cat Creates Content
Salt + Pine Films
Vendor Credits
Event organized by @onebelldesigns @djdayglow @dearly.studio @althea.floral.boston @lensymichelle @amandamacchiaphoto
Event space donated by The Sinclair
Florals by Althea Floral Design
Wedding ceremonies officiated by Dearly Studio
Photos by Amanda Macchia & Lensy Michelle
Photo booth by @fireworkphotoboothco
Beauty Services + Glitter Bar by @wickedmakeupboston
Videography provided by @saltandpinefilms
Wedding cakes by @lionheartconfections
Content Creation by @cat.creates.content
Snacks provided by @littledonkeyboston
Music by DJ Dayglow @thefemmesband @fruitstand.gay
Drag artists: @restingclownface @briarblush @rustyhammerdrag @chaneltheeangel @heather.rose.666 @dragqueenjp @lavender_the_queeen @travis_ti_