“Long story short, we met on Tinder.” Miguel had just arrived to DC for the weekend from Las Vegas where he’s lived on and off for 12 years performing with Celine Dion, Shania Twain and Cirque du Soleil. Wes was in the city visiting his grandmother in nearby Fredericksburg, Virginia. This put them within Tinder-contact range, and made possible their initial connection. “Our conversations started cautiously at first, with both of us not really sure how or why the other would be interested in someone living across the country…”  However, from the first conversation, the two turned to daily FaceTime sessions and constantly kept chatting with one another online. Days turned into weeks, and eventually they decided to meet in person to see where things could really go.

“After a month of daily conversations and interaction, we felt like we really had gotten to know one another. It was apparent that our world views were fairly aligned, and that we were at similar points in our lives, and looking for the same thing.” Miguel took the leap and said he was ready to fly to Richmond to meet in person. Miguel arrived on July 3rd, and Wes hid in the baggage claim area at Richmond Airport to greet him for the first time. “That was the spot of our first embrace, and our first kiss was just a few short minutes later in the parking garage. It didn't take us long! That ended up being an amazing week. We were together for July 4th and met many of Wes's friends. The week was full of pool parties, fireworks, dinners, and amusement parks.  Everything that makes summer amazing.”

By the end of the first week, Miguel admitted to Wes that he was in love. During an incredible 80’s themed concert, dressed in full 80’s attire, Wes and Miguel danced their hearts out amongst the crowd. “We both realized that first week, that the other was ‘the one’. We were having such a great time dancing, surrounded by hundreds of people. Wes leaned in and whispered, ‘I love you.’ over the music. I was so surprised, I began yelling to everyone around us, ‘He just told me he loves me!’” 

Miguel and Wes continued to dance into the night. After the show was over, Wes wanted to show Miguel one of his favorite spots in the city. They walked down to a pedestrian bridge crossing over the James River in downtown Richmond. “It’s a beautiful spot where you can literally walk out over the middle of the river, and then look back at a completely unobstructed view of the skyline. We took a seat on a bench just to sit in peace and take in the city. We then both confirmed how much we loved each other.”

The relationship dove deep from the beginning, and both agreed to do everything they could to fly at least monthly to see one another. “We didn't have a lot of discussion about getting married or who would propose.” Wes said. “I think we both just assumed it would happen in its own due time.” While unspoken, they both assumed Wes would propose. “I began planning at the end of 2017, and decided I wanted to do it when we would both be in Denver, Colorado in February of 2018.” Miguel was flying over to teach at a dance school, and the date also happened to coincide with his 39th birthday. At the time, Miguel and Wes were still dating long-distance, between Vegas and Richmond. “After a lot of online research, I selected an amazing mountain overlook spot outside Denver, overlooking Lake Dillon. I coordinated with a photographer to be there hiding in the nearby woods to capture the special moment. I tricked Miguel in a way by saying we were gong to take a day trip to Aspen, which I knew would have us driving by the overlook. As we approached the overlook, I said ‘this looks like a cool spot for photos, let’s stop real quick.’ We stood there taking all the beauty in, and I turned to embrace Miguel.” With snow dusting the ground around them, Wes kneeled beside Miguel and taking the ring out of his pocket and asked for his hand in marriage. “He said yes and tears began to flow. Then he abruptly pointed out, ‘Wait a minute, there’s no one here to capture this, how is everyone going to know?’ So, I turned to point to the photographer hiding in the bushes. He was totally surprised!”

Miguel and Wes spread the news to their friends and family. Months later, the two contacted their wedding planner, Ashley Thompson, who they were quick to point out was a life-saver in their wedding planning process. “We met with her several times to lay out our vision of what we wanted, to select the venue, and the food. Overall, I think we remained pretty calm throughout the process. We knew Ashley was behind us, and we just trusted the process.” In December of 2018, Miguel moved to Richmond to be with Wes. As they drove together from Las Vegas, they created their reception playlist on the road trip. 

Miguel and Wes agreed that they wanted an incredibly fun celebration, focused on making connections and memories. This would be most possible in Las Vegas because, as Miguel said: “it is an easy trip for all of our family and friends, and a place where everyone, of all ages, could have a great time.” He went on: “While our wedding was classy, it was purposefully not designed to be overly formal or stodgy. We fell in love with the Las Vegas Springs Preserve as it fit our idea of a beautiful and unexpected outdoor location in Las Vegas.”

Decoration was simple, with a color base of subdued sage and a variety of blues.” Everything was selected to perfectly compliment the surroundings of the Las Vegas Springs Preserve Nature Conservatory. “We chose matching strong-blue Hugo Boss suits, tailored and sleek, with shiny brown shoes.  Overall, we were beyond excited with our wedding expierience.”

With everything in place, the two grooms woke up on May 4th, 2019 ready to be wed! “Here you had two men who finally found what they had always been looking for, at the age of 40. Getting to be legally married — something neither of us imagined would be possible. We each wrote our owns vows, from the heart, and with the desire to relay that emotion to those in the audience.”

When the ceremony began, Miguel and Wes approached the elevated platform from either side to where the officiant stood, meeting down the middle. With tears in their eyes, they greeted their parents and friends as they gave them away. “It turned out perfectly and demonstrated our love for one another in exactly the way we had imagined.” The ceremony led to a joyous celebration on the dance floor as the entire party participated with huge smiles on their faces.

“It was surreal to watch our two different circles of friends and family come together and watch them intermingle and get to know one another.” Miguel reflected. “It was amazing to essentially see my entire life flash before me, with friends from all of the places I’ve ever lived, all there in one place. Then, thinking about the memories and experiences those people represented. We both realized that this wedding would not have been possible for most of our lives, and by the grace of one single vote on the Supreme Court, we were given the ability to exercise our full rights to equality and happiness under the law. We realized that we were standing on the backs of so many others who had fought and protested before us for this day to be possible, so a sense of gratefulness was present and acknowledgement of how special this day was for us.”

Miguel and Wes are planning their honeymoon for New Zealand and Bora Bora this December. They are most looking forward driving across the New Zealand countryside together, with no strict agenda… followed by an incredibly relaxing 5 days in paradise.

Follow Miguel and Wes’ adventures on Instagram: @Miguelimadancer and @makeithappenrva

Wedding Photographer: Gaby J Photography @hellogabyj (https://www.gabyjphotography.com/)
Wedding Planner: Ashley Thompson (ashleycreativeevents.com)
Wedding Videographer: Robert Machado (http://www.machadovisuals.com)
Engagement Photographer: Joe & Robin @JoeandRobin (https://joeandrobin.com/)