Save this story Save Story Save this story While visiting their families for the holidays in Northern Virginia, interior designers Cameron Billinghurst and Nolan Beck Rivera went on a Tinder date. As a sweet gesture, Cameron brought Nolan a single calla lily when they met for coffee. The two lost touch until exactly one year later, on December 26, 2019, when the two bumped into each other at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. “We reconnected and started talking every day,” Cameron says. During COVID, the two became even closer and decided to move in together in Richmond, Virginia. “We figured we could just rent a place and leave if we didn’t like it, but we found such an amazing creative community here,” says Cameron. “We’re six years in, and I don’t see us moving.” Not only did they become romantic partners, but they also co-founded a design firm, Studio Tarea , which focuses on bespoke interiors for residential and commercial spaces.
While it wasn’t a proposal, Nolan did have rings made for them both with The Circle Craft just a few months into dating. “I avoided calling them engagement rings for a while, and ‘promise ring’ had a weird ring to it,” he says. “So I just kind of said, ‘Oh here, I made us matching rings,’ and that was it.” In fact, there was no proposal at all when the couple started planning their wedding. “We started talking about what we’d both want out of a wedding and after a few years of that, we decided to just put a date on the calendar,” says Cameron. Adds Nolan, “Not very romantic, but we’re pragmatists. It just kind of felt like it was going to happen from the beginning.”
As they kicked off planning, the hospitality-inclined pair wanted to put guest experience first throughout the day and tap their creative community to bring everything to life. “From the get-go, we knew who we could trust to take our ideas and build something cool on top of them,” says Cameron. “We’ve also been to many weddings and made sure to include the things we loved while skipping some of the expected traditions that didn’t resonate.” Jokes Nolan, “We really streamlined a lot of the romance out of this thing. We just wanted everyone to arrive, have enough to eat and drink, and cut a rug with us.” He adds, “There were no jerks at this wedding. Everyone that was working it and everyone we invited was just the best.”
The to-be-weds set their date for June 6, 2026, at the Branch Museum of Design in Richmond. “It’s an old Gilded Age mansion that is now a design museum in Richmond’s Fan neighborhood,” explains Nolan. As the couple hoped to infuse their cultural backgrounds throughout the affair, this venue decision helped tie in a part of their history. “While the food, music, and much of the entertainment were informed by our respective mothers’ Honduran and African-American cultures, we felt our English-descended dads reflected in the Tudor Revival mansion where the whole thing took place,” says Cameron.
James Beard Award semi-finalist chef Brittany Anderson was a key player in bringing together this ethos of hospitality and culture. “We wanted the experience to be food-centric,” says Nolan. “She was able to weave together Honduran and Black Southern influences into a very unique menu that was very specific to us.” Floral design was also vital to the entire aesthetic of the celebration thanks to the work of Meredith Wheeler of Secret Flowers . “We wanted everything to be minimal and modern in contrast to the Tudor Revival mansion we were in,” explains Cameron. “We’re modernists, and I think the florals really helped keep the wedding in a modernist space.” The final team member who helped execute the celebration was Bryce Carson of Carson Ashby Events , who served as day-of coordinator and helped with last logistical details of the event. “I know that the wedding wouldn’t have gone nearly as smoothly without Bryce,” adds Nolan.
The dress code for the weekend was set with every groom and guest in the same palette. “We decided a long time ago that we wanted to do a dress code of white to beige for all guests,” says Cameron. “We were as excited or more excited to see what friends and family would be wearing than we were about our own looks.” Many friends wore vintage, some designed their own looks, and others even wore their own wedding dresses. “Including my ballet teacher, who wore her original wedding dress from long enough ago that it would be considered vintage today,” adds Nolan.
That said, the couple did put care into their attire. Cameron donned a wool silk suit by Grand Le Mar and black Jacques Solovière loafers. To accessorize, he wore a silver bracelet that belonged to his grandma Eddie Mae and a vintage Seiko tank watch. Nolan’s outfit went through a few trials. “I’d ordered a custom outfit with a matador-style jacket and big, cool design-y pants from a designer on the internet who turned out to be a scammer,” he says. “So I ended up having to go to SuitSupply in Washington, DC only a few weeks before the wedding, and it arrived just before the big day.”
However, the outfit wasn’t perfect just yet. “They had made a mistake with the pants, so we took them to Lida at Roya Alterations here in Richmond—another act of Bryce heroism—and she fixed them the day before the wedding,” Nolan says. He accented the look with silver and pearl calla lily earrings lent by a friend, vintage cufflinks in similar materials, his father’s watch, and Saint Laurent boots. “I bought them when I got one of my first big checks as a self-employed person and walked the heels off of them, so I had them redone before the wedding,” he adds.
Weekend festivities began with a picnic in the park in the gardens of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. “More than 80 of our 128 guests were from out of town, and it gave us all an opportunity to spend a little more time together,” says Nolan. That evening, the grooms had an intimate rehearsal dinner at the home of their friends Lucia Zolea and Patrick Inskeep, who are also parents to their flower girl, Jane. “We’d designed their garden a couple of years ago, and it was a really special place to share with our loved ones and have dinner,” says Cameron. Dinner came from the couple’s favorite, Ronnie’s Original BBQ . “Ronnie himself was there, which is kind of a big deal,” adds Nolan.
As the guests arrived on the wedding day, they were treated to cocktails and delicious bites before taking a seat in the ceremony area. On the lawn, the floral team crafted a chapel in-the-round of corn stalks, grasses, and Spanish moss with guests seated in four quadrants around the center. “We had a gospel choir off to one side singing a cappella,” explains Cameron. “My grandmother used to take me to church with her, and this was our way of bringing her into the ceremony. Guests were given white paddle fans, and the result felt romantic and rooted in the South in a non-traditional kind of way.”
The grooms walked down the aisle to “Never Let Me Go” by Florence and the Machine sung by the choir and had the ceremony officiated by their close friend Lanecia Rouse. “Asking Lanecia to officiate was actually one of the first decisions we made for the wedding,” says Cameron. “Lanecia also gave a brief history of jumping the broom and its significance in the Black community, and reminded everyone (in a fun, beautiful way) that the rights that we ourselves were exercising that day (interracial marriage and gay marriage) were both hard-fought and not necessarily secure for future generations, which makes it especially beautiful that we’re able to do this and that everyone showed up for us.” The grooms reflect how the ceremony really made them feel as if they were part of a community.
Next came dinner inside the mansion. “We wanted to keep table arrangements very pared back to accommodate family-style service and guest interaction,” says Cameron. “The final result—stalks of corn on simple chrome bases—was pretty striking when you entered the space, but also incredibly practical at dinner.” Guests were seated based on thoughtful decisions by the grooms. “One of the most fun parts for us of the planning process was creating the seating chart for dinner and imagining all the ways we could connect our loved ones from all over,” explains Cameron. “It felt really special to see it happen in real time. We only invited lovely people that we wanted there, and everyone gelled so perfectly.” Chef Anderson served a menu of grilled chicken, mushroom risotto, veggies, and ticucos, a tamale-like dish native to Honduras. Cheerwine cake from Chef Leah Branch sweetened up the night further.
The grooms broke into a custom disco ball piñata to start the reception. “We filled it with lollipops, chocolate, flavored condoms, poppers, wigs, fake mustaches, candy cigarettes, heart-shaped glasses, and a silver thong,” says Nolan. “I don’t know who got the thong.” The dance party started as a hundred mylar balloons floated down from the choir loft and a kaleidoscopic video of flowers was projected onto the dance floor. Adds Nolan, “Every minute or two a balloon would explode, and everyone would cheer and just keep dancing.” In addition to dancing and mingling, guests could have a tattoo done by Vincent Riquier of The Ceremony Tattoo. “The most popular designs were a drawing of a calla lily that I’ve had tattooed on my shoulder since Cameron and I got together, and the word Amor in my handwriting,” says Nolan.
The grooms did a grand sparkler exit and sped off on Nolan’s 1973 BMW R75/5 with cans tied to the back. Afterward, many guests headed off to Babe’s of Carytown, the oldest lesbian bar on the East Coast. “We hung out there until about 2 a.m., dancing and catching up with all of the people who came into town to celebrate us,” says Cameron. “We closed the night across the street at 7-11 with celebratory Slurpees.” Adds Nolan, “Drinking a bright red Slurpee in a white tux is pretty harrowing, but we just really wanted Slurpees.”
Looking back, the grooms share how wonderful it was to have their community contribute to their celebration and to have so many details feel specific to their story. “It’s the best wedding I’ve ever been to,” says Nolan.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 1/62 We designed the invitations ourselves and used photos by our friends Lucia Zolea and Kate Jennings. The vintage calla lily brooch was a gift from Lucia, too, and the back of the rehearsal dinner invitation was a photo of her garden, which we designed and is where we had our rehearsal dinner.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 2/62 Cameron wore a wool silk suit and Nolan wore a tuxedo. Our goal was to look sharp and well-dressed, but we really wanted to create the space for all of our guests’ outfits to shine through as well.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 3/62 We got married in a 1919 Tudor Revival mansion in Richmond that now houses the Branch Museum of Design.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 4/62 I borrowed my dad’s vintage Seiko watch, and the bracelet was from a friend’s shop, Na Nin . —Nolan
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 5/62 We decided to get ready together in what was Mr. Branch’s wood-paneled bedroom. Mrs. Branch’s bedroom is where family and close friends got dressed.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 6/62 It was so special to have so many friends from all over the world in one place.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 7/62 We loved that, even with the somewhat strict dress code, there were no outfit repeats and everyone was able to bring their own perspective and voice.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 8/62 My sister’s shoes by Cult Gaia . She wore a dress that was inspired by Greek statuary. Her rings were made by our friends at The Circle Craft . I helped design the rose a few years ago. —Nolan
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 9/62 This patio on the roof was actually a great spot to micromanage everything from.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 10/62 I love a blurry photo. — Cameron
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 11/62 The couple who built the house had a really robust collection of Renaissance art. We loved the look of modernity in front of a 16th-century Flemish tapestry.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 12/62 Nolan made our gold bands with The Circle Craft shortly after we started dating. Our wedding rings are from the Mayan city of Copán in Honduras, which we’ve visited a few times. They’re silver with pieces of different semi-precious stones inlaid. — Cameron
Expand Photo: Katie Harris 13/62 We opted for an in-the-round ceremony so we could be surrounded by the people we love.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 14/62 Meredith at Secret Flowers created this incredible room out of tall grasses and moss.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 15/62 Cameron brought me a single calla lily on our first date six years ago and they’ve held their importance to us since. —Nolan
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 16/62 Guests were greeted with chilled peanut soup with sunflower chili crisp as they arrived.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 17/62 Our stylish friend Sam in a J.Crew suit and a shirt by local brand Ledbury . He made the tie himself.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 18/62 Courtenay and Kerry having a laugh.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 19/62 Audra wore a tuxedo and oversized sculptural earrings. She and her seven-year-old daughter came up with the idea of using one of them as a corsage.
Expand Photo: Katie Harris 20/62 The ceremony from the rooftop.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 21/62 Several people made their own outfits. Some people wore their wedding dresses. And the only person who didn’t get the memo blended right in once he took his jacket off.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 22/62 Our flower girl, Jane, with her mother, Lucia, and our ring bearer, Robby, with his father, Bobby. We’ve been so lucky to be a part of Jane and Robby’s lives since they were born and it was really amazing to have them there on the day.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 23/62 Jane did an excellent job as the flower girl. She wore the sweetest little dress from Tia Cibani .
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 24/62 Our good friend Lanecia officiated the ceremony.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 25/62 We walked down the aisle to a gospel choir singing “Never Let Me Go” by Florence + the Machine.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 26/62 Entering the circle. It was a singular experience.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 27/62 Lanecia approached the ceremony so thoughtfully and spoke about love, history, and the cultural context of the ceremony.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 28/62 It looked like a cult gathering. — Nolan
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 29/62 I grew up going to a Southern Baptist church with my late grandmother, Eddie, and the music was always a really special part of the experience. I knew I wanted that cultural connection to be a part of the day from early on. Four vocalists from Gospel Touch sang selections for guests before and during the ceremony. — Cameron
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 30/62 Mr. Billinghurst and Mr. Beck Rivera.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 31/62 Jumping the broom.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 32/62 We had a 12-minute ceremony, then it was off to dinner.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 33/62 My other love, my 1973 BMW R75/5. I made the heart and tied ribbons around soup cans earlier in the week. — Nolan
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 34/62 My friend Arlene thrifted that shawl about an hour before the wedding. — Nolan
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 35/62 Our cocktails were mignonette martinis and mojitos. The mignonette is a signature drink at Bar Buoy , a restaurant we designed. And we drink a lot of mojitos.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 36/62 Judson and Quinton having a chat after the ceremony. We made sure everyone had drinks and food from the moment they arrived to the moment they left.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 37/62 I actually think the seating chart was like a fun puzzle where we got to introduce people we thought would get along. Watching people come together ended up being one of the best parts of the wedding. — Cameron
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 38/62 We asked Meredith to go super minimal with the table decor. We wanted something tall and dramatic but that wouldn’t interfere with cross-table conversations.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 39/62 All in all, pretty minimalist tables. Each place setting had a scented candle with a special scent that we developed with Na Nin. The place cards were hand-etched by Leah Schmidt .
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 40/62 We have 800 of these matchbooks leftover if you need any.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 41/62 Dinner was served family style. We had grilled chicken, mushroom risotto, cornbread, and ticucos, a pre-Hispanic sort of tamale from the mountains of Honduras. Everything aside from the chicken was vegan. Chef Brittanny Anderson knocked it out of the park.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 42/62 Chef Leah Branch came to personally plate and serve the cake. Instead of doing a big central cake, we chose to have individual portions of her Cheerwine cake that she serves at The Roosevelt , one of our favorite restaurants where we signed our marriage certificate last year.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 43/62 We had a local Latin candy shop, Dulceria Minilandia , make our disco-ball piñata. We filled it with candy cigarettes, wigs, condoms, poppers, fake mustaches, and chocolate... and one silver thong.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 44/62 Friends, neighbors, and family watching us bash a piñata.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 45/62 Carla grabbing some candy cigarettes.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 46/62 Piñata treasures.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 47/62 Friends, neighbors, and family watching us bash a piñata.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 48/62 90 out of 100 of these balloons exploded.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 49/62 Dancing the night away.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 50/62 Our neighbors, Michael and Arlinda, looking sharp in their mustaches.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 51/62 What a fun party!
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 52/62 Murilo getting inked. Some of our guests got their first-ever tattoos that night.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 53/62 Dance party!
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 54/62 Friend and clothing designer Maya Shaw looking incredible.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 55/62 Jordan and Kael. Jordan wore the first wedding dress she bought for their wedding last year but ended up not wearing. Kael is wearing the shirt that Jordan made for him to wear at their wedding.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 56/62 We had a projection of a floral kaleidoscope across the dance floor. It looked really stunning and distorted across everyone’s white outfits.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 57/62 Saoli, Emi, Alisha, and Jacqueline enjoying their skinny European cigarettes. Alisha actually made her own dress for the night.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 58/62 We did it!
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 59/62 People really loved the balloons!
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 60/62 A good-looking group of people.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 61/62 Had to do a sparkler exit.
Expand Photo: KT Preston Photography 62/62 Driving off on the BMW. We just parked around the corner then got in a friend’s car to hit the gay club. — Nolan
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Source: Lifestyle
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