Washington D.C. residents Aisha Mills and Danielle Moodie became one of the first same-sex couples to apply for a marriage license in March 2010. They tied the knot in a glamorous garden wedding on August 7, 2010.
Danielle’s mother, Shirley Newton, is a yoga instructor. She woke up early to give Danielle and Aisha a special yoga session.
“The theme of the practice was us coming together as a couple to speak our truth and living our true life,” Danielle says. “We were in tears the entire time.”
Aisha found her fit and flair wedding gown (left) from Demetrios. Danielle’s biased cut pleated gown was designed by Carmen Marc Valvo.
A photo of Danielle and Aisha next to a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, picked from their friend Rashad’s mother’s garden, decorated the common area where the bridal parties were getting ready.
Makeup artist Joyal McNeil gave both Danielle and Aisha their glamorous wedding day looks. She chose gold shadow and berry lips for Danielle.
Danielle’s aunt gave her locks a side-swept style.
Mcneal also used the berry lip color on Aisha. Her hairstylist Chiranda from Deeva salon added a feathered headpiece to complete the old Hollywood glamour feeling that Aisha was going for.
Aisha and Danielle kept the theme “live, laugh, love” going throughout their wedding. They filled vases with the words on them with flowers picked from Rashad’s mother’s garden.
Going along with the old Hollywood glamour theme, Danielle picked out a pearl bracelet to wear on her wedding day.
“When I met Danielle, my first impression was that she was breathtaking,” Aisha says. “There was something about her that was a kindred spirit to me. We really didn’t have anything in common on the surface, but there was something about our souls that connected.”
“She is beautiful,” Danielle says of her bride Aisha. “She is absolutely brilliant. It’s wonderful and extremely sexy to be able to speak with someone about politics and social issues. My first romantic impression of Aisha was that this girl is the total package.”
Aisha and Danielle selected red roses and white lilies for their wedding bouquet.
During their ceremony, Danielle and Aisha had their guests surround them in a circle of love.
“It was important that it was a representation of our love and really brought our guests into that love,” Aisha.
The ladies squeeze each others’ hands tightly as the say their vows.
Aisha and Danielle were ecstatic when they were pronounced legally wed. “It was like the Fourth of July, New Year’s Eve, Halloween and the day Aisha proposed to me all wrapped up in one,” Danielle remembers.
Danielle and Aisha’s wedding attendants Jehmal Hudson and Elmus Mosby and their maids of honor Erica Fener and Nicole Moodie embrace the newlyweds.
Aisha’s father James Mills kisses his baby girl and wishes her well on her big day.
Aisha raises her glass to the rest of her life with Danielle.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy in my life!” Danielle says.
Aisha and Danielle show off the rings that display their life-long commitment to each other.
Danielle and Aisha are excited to love each other “openly and unapologetically.”
“We looked at each other and we were like, ‘Oh my God!,’” Aisha says. “’It’s happened! You can’t get rid of me now!’”
Danielle and Aisha coined their big day, “The Moodie Mills Affair.”
A wedding guest holds up Aisha and Danielle’s official certificate of marriage. They are one of the first same-sex couples able to attain a marriage certificate in Washington D.C.
“The entire wedding was an elegant cocktail affair,” Aisha explained. This allowed guests to move around and mingle and get to know each other.
Elegant Affairs Caterers served mini cornucopias of tuna tartare during the couple’s reception.
“Everyone came up to us during the reception and during the cocktail hour and said, ‘I feel absolutely honored to be a part of your day.’”
Bouquets of deep red roses sat as centerpieces at tables.
Aisha and Danielle held each other tightly and danced to “Here with Me” by Blaze for their first dance.
Danielle’s dad Michael Newton was close to tears as he danced with his daughter on her momentous day.
The cupcake trend has been big in 2010. Aisha and Danielle opted for lemon and dulce de leche cupcakes with buttercream icing for their wedding day dessert.
Danielle laughs as she feeds her new wife a cupcake.
“There’s something about having to be so deliberative and intentional about your love that makes it feel even more profound,” Aisha says.
“I wanted to be married to this woman for years,” Danielle says. “Now I find any opportunity to use ‘wife’ anywhere that I possibly can. I can’t say the word ‘wife’ enough.”
“If you can get through wedding planning together, you can get through anything,” Aisha says of planning a successful bash with her sweetheart Danielle.
“There was something about our souls that really connected,” Aisha says.
“Our wedding day was so powerful. It was this wonderful celebration of love,” Aisha remembers. “Our guests were just overwhelmed with our connection and our love.”
All photos by Craig Paulson Photography
