It's hard to believe that Tie the Knot, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and husband Justin Mikita's bow tie-centric non-profit partnership with the Tie Bar, took 5 years to offer a formal wedding collection. But with spring in swing the couple took something old and something new, and created a chic offering of accessories just in time for every wedding you've been invited to this season.
"We basically took inspiration from fabrics and textiles we had at our wedding," Ferguson told OUT. "Then we colorized them to colors that are very popular in weddings right now with the help from the Tie Bar." Ferguson credits the accessory brand for helping bring his and Mikita's wedding aesthetic up to date with today's wedding and style trends.
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"We're always looking for inspiration for collections," Ferguson said. "We look to what's happening in our lives for what we're inspired by. And we're coming up on an anniversary--well, we have an anniversary every year and the 'big four' is nothing huge--but so many of our friends were also getting married this year so it felt like a good time to do a wedding collection based on our own taste level."
The nods to the couple's own nuptials that were implemented into the collection shine through in pattern and color selections_from dusty blues and greens to peacock feathers and textured medallions_and would fit into ceremonies whether you're in a church pew, a folding chair in a New England backyard or standing barefoot on the beach.
Dana Ann Richards for Tie the Knot
Upon its founding in 2012, Tie the Knot set out to raise money to promote nationwide marriage equality. Since the Supreme Court's ruling in favor of marriage equality nearly 2 years ago, Tie the Knot has since shifted its mission to workplace equality and overall social equality for the LGBTQ community. "We kept joking that we wanted to be put out of business," Ferguson said. "Once we got to the top of the mountain we had to realize there was still work to be done_you could get married on Friday and lose your job on Monday in certain states, and that didn't sit well with us."
Though Ferguson doesn't know what comes after the fight for workplace equality, he knows his joking dream of going out of business may never be realized. "I grew up gay and bullied in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and I know as pie-in-the-sky as I want it to be at times, I don't think it's something that's ever going to go away," he said. "There's always someone to look after in the LGBT community, so I think we'll just continue what we're doing and find the people in the community who need the help."
Tie the Knot's formal wedding collection is available today through The Tie Bar.
