IN THEIR OWN WORDS: DANNY & MARIO

Sometimes, reconnecting with an old friend from school can lead to incredible things. For Danny and Mario, after reconnecting in 2015 they fell in love and got married on September 22nd, 2018.

“We met on the soccer field when we were in grade school. Later, we would go to high school together, sit next to each other in classes, but not exchange more than a few words until much later in life, when we reconnected as adults via Facebook. Our first date was in 2015. It was a total disaster! We met up for margaritas and both were so nervous that we completely word vomited our entire life stories (and gay history) to each other. I (Danny) was genuinely shocked to hear from Mario again the next day asking me out again. Our second date was much better!

I am a Leo, and Mario is a Libra. We each embody our star signs to a T. As a couple, we balance each other out perfectly. Mario grounds me and I like to think that I bring out Mario's adventurous side. It might sound super cliché, but we are the yin to the other's yang.

Our wedding was at the Queens Museum in New York City. We entered together walking over a glass walkway with the iconic Unisphere in the background to a cover of ‘The Rainbow Connection’ by Sleeping at Last. There was not a dry eye in the house! Later in the night, our guests walked through a giant scale model of New York City, which is the museum's main exhibit.

We didn't write our own vows, but we wrote a message to our guests which was important to us: ‘We can’t thank you enough for joining us. No matter whether you realize it or not, your presence here tonight is helping change the world. Your love and support are how the world moves on from a darker history where a night like this one was formerly inconceivable. We fully recognize how lucky we are to know little malice from our community of friends, family, and coworkers. In lieu of favors, we’ve donated in our guests’ honor to The Trevor Project, a national 24-hour, toll-free, confidential crisis hotline for LGBTQ youth. We hope that more kids can feel the way we do tonight and every day for the rest of our lives.’"

Find Danny and Mario on Instagram at @lookitsdannyg and @mimperiale.

Photography by: @Edward_winter