Hey! Want to hear a joke?
Q: what do you get when you mix marijuana and a wedding?
A: a weeding!
In all seriousness, you may be wondering what cannabis and weddings have in common. The answer to this question, my friend, is very simple. With the legalization of recreational marijuana usage going into effect in Maryland last summer, we’re seeing a rapidly increasing number of couples that incorporate cannabis into their wedding. Whether venues allow guests to smoke outside or the couple distributes joints as favors, it’s clear that there’s actually quite a bit of intersectionality between the cannabis and wedding industries.
When I first heard about Fingerboard Farm, I was blown away that they were a functioning farm, grew their own marijuana plants and sold homemade cannabis products, and allowed weddings on the property! I was inspired to do this styled shoot because I wanted couples to know that there was a venue that would allow them to fully enjoy their day without having to worry about whether or not a little weed would get them into trouble. Some venues still have incredibly strict policies in their contracts regarding cannabis consumption on property, and I just wanted couples to know that Fingerboard Farm was a safe space for them and all of their 4/20-friendly guests.
If you know me, you know that my mission with Eternal Moment is to bring more inclusivity to the wedding industry. Throughout the planning phase of this styled shoot, I got so much feedback along the lines of “are you sure you want ‘those people’ to be your target audience?” or “why would I want to be involved in a shoot glorifying drug use” or “that kind of shoot wouldn’t be good for my brand”. Of course, this negativity only reinforced the need for content like this. I just feel like it’s not our place as wedding vendors to judge, ostracize, exclude, or stigmatize any of our couples. If they want to have a “weeding,” they absolutely should be able to!
On April 21, 2024, my vision came to life. The beautiful flowers created by Revive Florals, the one-of-a-kind drinks invented by No Ice Liquid Catering, the handmade jackets from Denim & Pearls, the insanely delicious cake from Sugar & Cream bakery, and all of the other details made this styled shoot even better than I could have imagined! On top of all of that, the people that came together to make this shoot possible were all absolutely top-tier. I think everyone laughed the entire day, and we all came away with some new friends!
Let’s talk about the details of this special day (because they’re my favorite things to talk about).
The Seating Chart:
Look closely at this one! Instead of table numbers, each table was named after a strain of weed. I did my research and picked out names that evoked the vibes of a wedding day, like wedding cake, cloud nine, all time high, love potion, yellow roses, and haze. Then, I took it a step further and hid some cannabis-related easter eggs in the guest names. You can find the names of celebrities like Cheech and Chong, Willie Nelson, and Snoop Dogg among the guests, and the other names were made up of additional weed strains like Baldor.
The Flowers:
When Anna from Revive Florals reached out to me to offer to be a part of this styled shoot, she expressed how excited she was for the opportunity to work with marijuana leaves. She absolutely hit the nail on the head when it came to bringing the pinks and purples of my vision board to life, and then she added some freshly cut leaves from Fingerboard Farm’s own plants to further enhance the arrangements! Her bouquets, cake flowers, and ceremony arrangement added so much beauty to the day.
The Dresses:
Fiona’s light and airy chiffon dress with floral lace details and beaded straps made her look like a fairy princess floating around the farm, while Amber’s intricate lace dress brought all the boho vibes. Though the dresses were so different from each other, they were perfect for the theme of this shoot and helped to differentiate the vibes of the two couples.
The Drinks:
Oh. My. Gosh. When I tell you these were some of the most delicious and beautiful drinks I’ve ever had, I’m not at all exaggerating! No Ice Liquid Catering brought their A-game with the creation of the two signature drinks featured in this shoot. The bride’s drink was a “Wedding Runtz” and was made of pina colada with handcrafted raspberry syrup, a crushed raspberry sugar rim, and a blackberry “bud”. You read that right, that thing on the top of this drink isn’t actually weed, it’s a cleverly disguised blackberry! The groom’s drink was “Grandaddy Purple” and was made of Old Grand-Dad bourbon whiskey, handcrafted blueberry syrup, apple juice, lemon juice, sugared mint and blackberries, and edible shimmer. Yum!
The Cake:
Taylor, the owner of Sugar & Cream Bakery, is a genius when it comes to baked goods. My family has bought cupcakes from her in the past and they were fantastic, but this cake was a whole new level of good. The vanilla bean icing was so light and creamy, and the cake itself was incredibly moist and flavorful. I sent her inspiration pictures, and she came up with a cake that was even more beautiful than what I asked her for. Not to mention, she had a friend drive more than 2 hours to deliver the cake to me because she wanted to make sure it arrived safely!
The Couples:
Amber and John traveled all the way up from Southern Maryland to be a part of this shoot, and I’m so glad they did! They were such a sweet and funny couple, and they really let their personalities shine throughout the day! If you’ve been following along with previous Eternal Moment shoots, you probably recognize Fiona and Mikey from my inclusivity shoot back in November. I just love working with these two so much, and with Mikey’s job being in the cannabis industry, it made perfect sense to bring them back for another day of beautiful content! I’ll just let these photos of the couples speak for themselves, because words can’t do them justice!
This styled shoot turned out so much better than I could have ever hoped for, and it’s truly thanks to the talented and wonderful team of people that shared their time and talents with me! Massive thanks to all the following people:
Planning: Kyla Edwards (Eternal Moment)
Venue: Fingerboard Farm
Couples: Fiona McPoyle & Mikey Dearing, Amber & John Branham
Photo: Carissa Wilson (Photobug Photography), Izzy Karmilowicz (Black Lili Photography)
Cake: Taylor John (Sugar & Cream Bakery)
Denim Jacket: Aly Corpuz (Denim & Pearls)
Drinks: Fi & Kellen Beaver (No Ice Liquid Catering)
Flowers: Anna Swihart (Revive Florals)
Glam: Devon Savage (Makeup by Savage Beauty)
Dresses: Allison’s Alterations and Creations
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EDIT AS OF 6/19/24
On June 18, 2024, Governor Wes Moore announced that he would be pardoning more than 175,000 convictions for marijuana. He said, “We took action that is intentional, sweeping, and unapologetically large because we know that policymaking is powerful” (Wes Moore). This is a tremendous step forward, but according to the Last Prisoner Project, there are still thousands of people across the United States that are still currently serving time for similar charges (The Last Prisoner Project, 2024). With more and more states legalizing the consumption of marijuana, it’s imperative that more states follow Maryland’s lead and release people serving time for nonviolent marijuana-related charges, and pardon people who have these charges on their record. I would be remiss to share photos from this styled shoot without acknowledging the people who have lost their freedom for using something that is now legal. This styled shoot, and Wes Moore’s actions, are steps towards a more inclusive and fair future, but it’s important to realize that there is still work to be done.
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Sources:
The Last Prisoner Project. (2024). Exactly How Many People Are Locked Up For Weed?. https://www.lastprisonerproject.org/cannabis-prisoner-scale
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