The Grooms Embraced Rainbows, Drag, and The Wizard of Oz at Their Pennsylvania Wedding
PJ Magerko-Liquorice and Jordan Millington-Liquorice met at a photoshoot in April of 2018. Jordan, who was photographing the “creative and spooky project” directed by PJ, caught a glimpse of his future husband getting ready. “When PJ turned around in his makeup chair in full drag makeup, it was love at first sight!” Jordan says. PJ agrees. “When we locked eyes, even behind all of the makeup, I could feel my soul open up and trust him,” PJ says. “I saw a future with Jordan immediately.”
Jordan proposed during Valentine’s Day weekend in 2021 after asking PJ’s mom, Maggie Hardy-Knox, for his hand in marriage. Neither Maggie nor Jordan were keen on secrets, but Jordan managed to wait two weeks. “I planned a special private dinner in a cozy house nestled on a stream,” Jordan says. “We stepped into the house and I couldn’t wait any longer and popped the question right then and there!”
Immediately, they knew where they were going to get married: at Nemacolin resort, where PJ is the VP of Brand Strategy. (He moonlights as a film director, writer, actor and part-time drag queen.) PJ and Jordan have lived at Nemacolin since 2019, and PJ grew up there as his mom, Maggie, is the owner. They selected their favorite spot on the property for the ceremony: “The most beautiful tree in the middle of Shepherd’s Rock golf course,” PJ says. From there, it was time to start planning the extravaganza.
Perhaps in order to understand the vibe of PJ and Jordan’s wedding, it’s helpful to know the meaning behind their chosen last name: Liquorice. After considering the options around keeping or mixing their last names, they decided to choose a word that “represents unity.” They chose Liquorice because “we’re both sweet and a little twisted!” Approaching their wedding weekend as two whimsical creatives, they worked closely with wedding planner and producer Emily Campbell at GoBella with her team, Amanda Allen and Kelsi Minett, art director Ed Libby, and the wedding operations team at Nemacolin. The theme? “‘The Soundtrack To Our Lives,’” PJ says. “That sums up our love for the audible and the visual.” They started by creating playlists for each event: rehearsal dinner, ceremony, reception, and so on. The fact that their wedding date, June 4, fell during Pride Month was a happy coincidence.
To kick off the weekend, they hosted a rehearsal dinner at Fallingwater, the iconic house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Here, they embraced their love of The Wizard of Oz by dressing in outfits inspired by Dorothy and the Tin Man created by Jackson Wiederhoeft. The outfits were filled with personal touches, like an embroidery of the couples’ dog instead of Toto, and the Tin Man’s clock heart set to 11:11, their lucky numbers. For speeches, they stood on a yellow brick road while guests enjoyed a vegan meal curated by brother-sister duo Robin and Jeffrey Selden at Naked Fig Catering.
Wiederhoeft was central to creating the fantasy. A friend of PJ’s since their freshman year at Parsons School of Design, Jackson made 32 looks total for the wedding, including ten for the grooms, ten rainbow suits and dresses for the wedding party, an outfit for officiant Deepak Chopra, and ensembles for the parents of the grooms. “I always felt like I would want him to design my wedding look years ago because he understands the language of drama and theatricality,” PJ says.
The morning ceremony started with Tryshe Dhevney playing crystal sound bowls at both the rehearsal dinner and the ceremony to center the guests before the wedding party processed in a sea of technicolor down a stone pathway. The grooms walked with their mothers down the aisle. Jordan and his mother Jennifer were accompanied by “Clair de Lune,” and PJ and Maggie walked to “When You Wish Upon a Star.”
Both grooms wore Wiederhoeft suits with cropped jackets and corseted shirts, but the similarities ended there. Jordan’s suit was made with blue, green, and yellow floral feather embroidery, finished with a green bow tie and tails. PJ wore a riff on the black tuxedo with a dramatic cape for the ceremony and licorice-esque boning in his corseted shirt. Deepak Chopra (in a white suit embroidered with constellations that were in the night sky when PJ and Jordan met) officiated the ceremony. “We felt so grateful, peaceful and still during the ceremony,” PJ says. “Deepak’s words of wisdom guided us all through the exchange of our vows with such grace and eloquence. Whenever we held hands, we felt so cozy and calm together.” The grooms note that their first kiss and recessional was “perfectly scored” to Lana Del Rey’s “Off to the Races.”
After the ceremony, the grooms stood on eight-foot ladders with sabers to cut the Magnolia Bakery cakes (assembled by the pastry staff at Nemacolin) before brunch. At brunch, they then danced with their mothers and gave the guests “a dose of drag.” Having drag artists perform was important to both grooms. “Most of our guests have never seen a drag show before, so we wanted to give them a taste with some of our favorites from across the country with alumni from both RuPaul’s Drag Race and The Boulet Brother’s Dragula,” PJ says.
They allotted for a “short disco nap” after the brunch, before the cocktail hour and reception. The start of the reception was marked by the song “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka The Chocolate Factory fading into “Flashing Lights” by Kanye West. “The perfect soundtrack while entering the alternate universe inside the tent,” the grooms say. For the “vigorous dancing led by DJ Eve Speciall,” Jordan wore a pleated rainbow coordinating set, while PJ chose a short suit embellished with rainbow feathers, which matched the decor. Reflecting on the ceremony, PJ says, “We’re excited to continue our lives as the old married couple we have been and will always be. Behind all of the eccentricity, we love to be in bed by 9 p.m., holding each other while falling asleep to Golden Girls.”
Photo: Corbin Gurkin1/54The grooms sneak a kiss before the rehearsal dinner festivities begin.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin2/54Tryshe Dhevney welcomes guests inside with her rhythmic sound bowls.
