How did you meet?

We met on social media of all places. We had mutual friends, added one another, started chatting and that chat turned into our first date. I picked him up, took him to my place and made him a nice dinner because I felt like it was more personal and intimate then taking him somewhere to eat. At that moment I knew I was in trouble. We had amazing chemistry and just talked the whole night away. It was great to get to know such an amazing man over time and let him into my heart.

Tell us about the proposal:

Funny thing, we were actually both thinking about proposing to one another but I beat him to it. Tony was in Northern California working with the wild fires when I went to visit. He had picked me up from the airport and my heart was pounding out of my chest the whole way home. We went to the room together and as he was bringing my stuff inside I got down on one knee. He covered his mouth in excitement and said YES!

What inspired the design or theme of your wedding day? 

To be honest, Tony has always made me feel like royalty. Not only myself, but also my niece, whom I have been raising since she was a baby. Tony took over that parenting role as soon as I met him, and he made me and my niece feel like a King and her, a princess. So we went with a royalty theme, with a modern geometric flare. The lion represents pride and strength.

We had lion pins on our lapels as well as crown chairs provided by San Antonio Enchanted Events that also had lions on them. Our strength being our relationship; through all the trials and tribulations we have and still will face it is our strength that will get us through it together.

Our Pride of having one another and letting no one, not even society get in the way of what we share. Along with that, we used rainbow accents as well for representation of our LGBTQ+ Community. Naturally, the traditional way was not the way for us.

Why did you choose the venue and vendors you did?

So as a same sex couple we actually got turned away from a few venues in the San Antonio area. At first, I really wanted a modern wedding because I am from the country. Going more into it, I felt a country wedding for two gay men in Texas would be way too ordinary. I saw 32 venues in the area and the Kendall Point was actually the second venue I had seen. I loved it immediately! Everything was perfect! From the beautiful staircase, to the amazing chandeliers. The layout brought my imagination to life. I felt I could do a million things and it would just be so stunning. After seeing all the venues, I decided I would come back to the one that would be best for our theme. We picked Got It Covered as our caterer as let me just say their food was amazing and I didn’t hear nothing less from all my guest. I would definitely not have traded them for anyone else. Our florals were by Freesia Designs and they were so spot on of carrying out my vision. The staff, especially the owner, was so amazing and friendly.

What were some of the most unique elements of your wedding? 

I feel like our wedding in general was unique. It’s not everyday you see a gay marriage in the heart of Texas. But to really show our royalty theme, we each had a golden crown and our princess (my niece) had a Tiara. I had a long black cape which I felt was the most unique. It was custom made by the amazing (Vivi La Grand) and came to life with what started as an idea and ended in the most dreamy cape one can think of. We also had drag-show performances by Vivi La Grand, Gemini B. York, Kitana Sanchez, Amerie Parker and Meagan I. Dlux, a live pianist, an extravagant firework display, and beautiful cakes with unique rainbow designs as soon as you cut into it. Our Chicana transwoman friend and advocate in Corpus Christi, TX actually officiated our ceremony which made it that much more special. The overall experience for all my guests was unique, as the wedding was not only for us but for them as well. We made sure to put our hearts into making it something our guests can remember forever. Showing everyone Love Is Love and it EXISTS!

Did anything about your wedding exceed your expectations? 

I feel like we had a strong group of individuals helping us throughout our big day. Our day-of coordinator Valeria Buse, all of our Groomsmaids & Groomsmen and even my guests made my wedding dreams all come true! I hear many horror stories about wedding days, but I expected to be busy, I expected to be on a schedule and I expected it to be imperfectly perfect. I feel like not many people get to enjoy their big day, but we did, to the absolute fullest! Honestly, it is a day we will never forget. There was so much love filled in our venue. From all my LGBTQ+ family, to my blood family, to my closest friends; you just felt the love that night all around and that is more than I could have ever asked for. It was simply beautiful and it was the shared love, by far, that exceeded my expectations.

What advice do you have for couples planning a San Antonio wedding? 

I cannot say this enough; please check with your vendors before hand! Don’t ever feel like you are bothering them. Don’t be afraid to make sure everything is perfect for yourself on your big day. Pick amazing food, have the right entertainment, set up meetings with vendors. We had a few vendors cancel on us last minute and it was so stressful because they double booked or simply forgot. Don’t ever settle! We had venues turn us away, but that didn’t stop us from having our dream wedding come to life. If one doesn’t meet your needs then good riddence. Above all, enjoy your big day and take in every moment because it’s a big one!