Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness Brought His Grooming Expertise to Help Two Chic Grooms on Their Wedding Day

Having even a small role in Augustus Prew and Jeffrey Self’s highly stylized, modern and unconventional wedding day bash was undoubtedly bundles of fun And for Queer Eye’s grooming expert Jonathan Van Ness, who coiffed the tresses of both men for the occasion, it was a work of art.

The Netflix personality extended a helping hand to both Prew and Self as they got glam for their wedding day, one that defied conventions in just about every way. And undoubtedly, Prew tells The Knot, part of the fun was bucking tradition and completely personalizing the fun fete, which spoke to themselves and, hopefully,other LGBTQ couples.

“We weren’t sure what we wanted to do for our suits, but we knew that we wanted them to be expressive and unconventional,” he says. “We didn’t want it to feel like this formal thing. We wanted the sense of ceremony and ritual, and we wanted it to have all of the meaning but without any of the pointless trappings. And because gay marriage is two and a half years old, I feel like these traditions are not cemented in any way. This is a new thing.”

The two grooms opted for Mr. Turk tuxes that complimented each other, showing off their individual styles and preferences while still showing a thoughtful cohesiveness. Prew wore a white dinner jacket tuxedo with gold embroidery paired with a blue velvet bow tie, while Self opted for a printed, bright blue tux and a darker blue bow tie.

“It’s the idea that we’re walking down the same path but we’re choosing to walk it together as opposed to being forced to,” Prew says. “It’s the idea that your partner allows you to become the best of yourself rather than a codependent situation whereby you start to get in each other’s way.”

Prew also wore orange socks, an unsurprising pick given that orange peels hold significance in the pair’s relationship. On their first date, they went on a hike in a rather “remote” area, and Self made mention that he would always find orange peels on the floor whenever he had to make a big life decision. When the pair got to the summit of the mountain, there were orange peels strewn about the dirt floor.

“It was absolutely everywhere. And there was no one up there other than us, so it was this really magical, overwhelming moment where we both sort of pretended that it hadn’t just happened,” Prew says. “Ever since then, there’s always been orange peel at interesting, pivotal moments, and it’s just this weird kismet coincidence. Or not? Who knows?”

Other unique elements of the wedding included a custom wedding cake with three colorful layers depicting their interests: nature, the LGBTQ community, and the desert, as well as personalized vows that ended with a spell.

“Part of our theme was nature, so there were green plants [on the cake], and then there was the top layer with magical, swirling colors, which represents the mysticism of the world as well as the LGBT community and a sense of fun,” Prew says. “And then at the bottom, we made it more desert-y, which represented LA, which is the place where we met, and the desert. We like the desert a lot.”

Perhaps the most unique aspect of the couple’s wedding, however, was their vows, which were personally written and also ended with a spell, of all things.

“The spell was important because, again, we wanted everyone to share the experience, and we liked the ritualism of marriage,” Prew says. “The point of marriage, I think, is yes to share your life, but there’s also an element that’s sacramental in many ways. You are codifying through some kind of ritual, a joining together, and we, going to back to universal energy, and all that good stuff.”

“We got everyone to write a wish on parchment paper as they came through, and then we got everyone to put it in their hands, send it up into the air, and then we all lit a candle and a call together, and on that call was lots of different things, some coppel, some frankincense, an orange peel. We said a nice incantation together, the entire wedding, all 200 plus people together, and then released that into the air. That was our nod to the joining of souls together, as opposed to it just being ‘repeat after me,’ ‘say this,’ ‘I do,’ ‘you don’t.’ We wanted to show that it was our special moment, our little magic moment.”

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