Benny & Kyle: Vintage Desert Wedding in Cincinnati
Benny and Kyle first met while attending their junior year of college at Northern Kentucky University. They were both art students and had several classes together. Luckily, they made it into the same internship.
“The very first time I ever saw Benny was in a ceramic wheel throwing class. Usually in that studio, people get so dirty that the normal attire is sweats, or just junk clothes. Well, when Benny walked into the room, he was so well dressed that he caught my attention immediately. He seemed so fun and was showing lot of personality in the studio. His laugh was infectious. I looked over at my friend sitting at the wheel next to me and told her that I had to meet this guy.”
“For the longest time, we never really spoke to each other during classes. Eventually I mustered up enough courage (and alcohol) to message Benny on Facebook, where at first I was rejected!”
Benny eventually did mention wanting to be friends and hangout at some point. So, during their Fall Break, Benny and Kyle got together to hangout for the first time. Their activity? Drinking an entire bottle of Jim Beam Devil’s Cut Whisky, and listening to music. They both fell asleep on the living room floor, only to be woken up the next morning by Benny’s roommate. The two continued to spend time together, eventually leading to an official first date.
It was a cool and crisp November night. Benny took Kyle to a nice Italian restaurant called Sotto, located underground in downtown Cincinnati. “It was a total surprise to me, and neither of us had been there before. We were even seated next to their incredible wine cellar. We shared a meal because, you know, college budgets, but everything about the night was spectacular. We ended up at my place with Benny having brought a copy of my favorite movie: Goodfellas.”
When Benny and Kyle first started dating, they really just enjoyed each other’s company. Benny was not out yet with his family. Only a few friends knew at the time. And things were complicated for Kyle as well. However, everything changed when for the first time Benny and Kyle said, “I love you” to each other on New Year’s Eve of 2015.
Their relationship grew more serious, and Benny and Kyle started to discuss the idea of marriage. “At this stage in our relationship, we lived together in a house with our two dogs and we both worked in retail. For weeks, Benny was asking me my work schedule for Saturday, March 2 and if I could request it off. In retrospect, I should have known something was up.”
Benny and Kyle started the day slowly, taking in the peaceful morning. In the early afternoon, Benny told Kyle to start getting ready, as he had made a special dinner reservation at an undisclosed location. “It really didn't strike me as odd, as Benny is always a bit spontaneous. As we were walking from the parking garage, I realized where he was taking me… Sotto! They sat us down at the same table as our first date, right next to the wine cellar.
Benny acted just as surprised at being seated in the same place as their first date. Kyle was also oblivious to the fact that their friend who is a photographer, was sitting at just the table adjacent to them with her boyfriend. “I just thought 'Cincinnati is a small city, there's only so many places to eat anyway."
The server recommended that they order Sotto's special doughnuts for dessert, so of course the two obliged. “Our waitress came out with a closed dish to showcase what I thought were doughnuts, and when she arrived she asked me to open the lid and the next thing I knew, a gold ring was staring me right in the face, and Benny was on his knee professing his love for me. Time stood still, I was in utter shock. When I said yes, the whole restaurant cheered. Then, another table ordered us champagne; turned out our two best friends were there, too! It truly is a moment we will never forget!”
The wedding day was set for October 10th, 2020. Benny and Kyle found the perfect venue, a place called Mojave East, which used to be an old boat mechanic shop on the Ohio River. “We knew being there that first time that this was the place we wanted to get married, and we were actually the second couple to book with them. As a creative, Benny also immediately had an idea for a mural design, and when we went home that day he designed it on photoshop and sent it over to the Mojave team in which they had it painted as the first thing you see when you enter the venue!”
The decoration centered around a vintage-desert theme, something not too common in Cincinnati. Combining their love for Beyoncé and Peter Pan, Benny and Kyle combined a line from each to include in their vows, "I'd rather give up everything, than to live my life without you. To live with you, will be an awfully great adventure.”
A very light mist came down from the sky as Benny and Kyle’s friends walked down the aisle to Rainbow, by Kasey Musgraves. “When her lyrics, ‘everything is alright now, ‘cause the sky has finally opened, the rain and wind stopped blowin’, the rain literally stopped, and then the song, Otherside, by Beyoncé started playing. This is when our mothers walked us both down the aisle to give us away at the alter.”
The reception was decorated with over 100 house plants. Rather than utilizing fresh florals, Benny and Kyle opted to mix-match everything along with vintage tableware. “I felt like I was floating through the whole day,” Kyle reflected, “I was incredibly happy and excited to be marrying the love of my life. The day does feel like a blur.”
“To be honest, we didn’t realize how so many of the ‘traditional’ wedding aspects did not apply to us as a gay couple, and there were not many alternative suggestions to help. While we were planning we found ourselves constantly asking ‘who walks down the aisle?’ ‘who gives away whom?’ ‘who takes what name?’ ‘how do we …’ and the list goes on and on.”
As far as wedding advice goes, the newlyweds recommend throwing out any traditional rules that don’t suit you, and doing what makes you happy. Hiring a videographer is also something they recommend, “We didn’t and I really wish we did. I would love to watch the ceremony over again.”
Benny and Kyle were especially happy with the work of @mkf.phto with the over 10,000 photos she took, @thesocialcollective who designed and curated the wedding, and @mojaveeast for providing the perfectly stylish space for their wedding celebration.
“Benny and I have been inseparable for the past 5 years, and are so in sync with one another, our friends don't see us so much as married but true soul mates. Our friend Kathryn loves our love so much, she just asked us both to co-officiate her wedding next summer.”
Now married, Benny and Kyle can’t wait to be able to venture back out in the world again and go on their honeymoon.
Venue — Mojave East
Photography — Mackenzie Frank (Instagram)
Planner — The Social Collective
Officiant — Mathea Harbaugh
Catering — Garnish Catering
DJ — DJ Isicle
Rentals — Queen City Vignette
Makeup Artist — Ashley Olivia
