How better to celebrate your first anniversary than to relive your whole love story!? We are delighted to share Gabriel and Randall’s story, in their own words, with our heartiest of congratulations on this sterling milestone!

“In 2019, both Gabriel and I both worked for non-profit organizations with missions that are gearedtowards supporting the well-being of low-income/abused/neglected children. That year we were both selected for a fellowship for Indiana youth workers called The Journey. This fellowship is a 3-day retreat to develop skills, make professional connections around Indiana, and inspire one another to stay in the challenging field to increase positive outcomes for youth.

“I got to The Journey early and was filling out paperwork after getting settled in my room. While waiting for the coordinators to start the first session, in walks this stylish, attractive, easy-going man with great hair and he seemed to already know a few people in the room as he was greeted with joy and hugs. At the time I had a boyfriend, but just seeing this stranger (Gabriel) for about 15 seconds, I felt an instant connection in my soul that's hard to even describe.

“During those 3 days, Gabriel and I had a couple of meals at the same table and participated in activities with the group, however, Gabriel definitely did not notice me much at all. That retreat ended on a Thursday. That Sunday we ran into each other at church (not knowing we attended the same one). I was with my boyfriend at the time, and he was with friends. Both of us were in complete shock at seeing each other and we both thought about the interaction all day. We shared a couple texts but did not really talk to each other until the next fellowship in May 2019. This time I showed up late and when I walked in, Gabriel knew instantly that he had missed me and wanted to spend a lot of time together. For the rest of that retreat we were inseparable.

“One night of hanging out until 2am led to some drinks the next night that led to us kissing at the bar. Hilariously, until we kissed, I was not even aware that Gabriel was attracted to men. He never told me that he was, nor did he try to cross any lines before that so him kissing me what somewhat shocking. That night was like being in movie that you know will end well and I'll never forget it.

“I thought Gabriel was smarter than I was and because he was extremely independent it was a breath of fresh air as previous dates of mine were not. I found (and find) him extremely attractive, somewhat quiet, hilariously confusing, and passionate about supporting the needs of young people in the community. I knew very early on, that I wanted this man to be my husband. One big issue at the time though was that he wasn't out of the closet yet.

“Gabriel thought of me as an outgoing and mostly carefree person who have a conversation with anyone in the room or the wall. He noted that we really matched and complimented each other in regards to the levels of maturity, intelligence, and goals. He found me attractive and somewhat impatient too.

“We told each other that we loved each other for the first time after 6-months of knowing each other. Gabriel was still in the closet so known of his friends and family knew about us, but he allowed me to tell mine. At one year of knowing each other, the pandemic was just getting started and because of the population I worked with at the time, I had to isolate from everyone, including Gabriel. We saw each other on FaceTime and even had some very socially-distanced interactions too. We knew pretty instantly that being apart in this way was never going to work for us, so we risked what felt like a lot at the time and shared each others' air and germs. In July of 2020, I somewhat in jest mentioned marriage for the first time and without hesitation, Gabriel said, "well of course, we're going to get married." 8-months later, we were engaged.

“Gabriel arranged dinner to celebrate our two-year anniversary. He was casually dressed and I had brought a random gift, so I had no idea that this night would be the one we got engaged. But, then presented me with a handmade book telling the story of our relationship. Gabriel had drawn images of each significant moment in our relationship. The last page of the book was an image of a stage. He explained that it was the stage for our future together. We were both extremely emotional.

“On our walk back to his apartment to drop, we turned a corner and I saw a structure made of wood that was exactly like the one drawn on the last page of the book that Gabriel had just given me. I instantly knew this was for me and turned to look at Gabriel, his eyes filled with tears. He smiled at me, grabbed my hands and said my name. After both of us freaked out for several seconds, he got down on one knee, quoted a beautiful Taylor Swift lyric, and put a white gold ring on my finger. I said “yes” without hesitation and had never felt so happy.

“As we walked to Gabriel's apartment, I asked him if my friends knew because I wanted to call them. He assured me that no one knew and we could start calling everyone once we got to the apartment. When I opened the door to the apartment, there were over 30 people that we loved waiting for us. Friends and family traveled from Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas to be there for this special event. Just when I thought I’d never been happier, I felt the happiest I’d ever felt in my life.

“On our wedding day,I was filled with joy and hope based on the very loving messages that people shared with us at the rehearsal dinner the night before. I was overwhelmed by how our love inspired other people and to see their tears and smiles was the cherry on top to a dream day that I did not even know I needed. I also could not stop thinking about how a much younger version of myself could not have ever imagined my wedding to a man that I loved. Younger me was prepared to live a life where I lied about what I truly wanted because being openly gay seemed like an impossible reality.

“Gabriel walked down the aisle with everyone standing. He hugged his mom and waited for me. I walked down the aisle already in tears and see the most beautiful man that I've ever laid eyes on smiling and being so excited for me to get to him. At the end of the aisle, I hugged by mom and got to the stage and married my favorite person on the planet. To exchange vows, was the favorite part of our day. I have never taken anything so seriously and have never been filled with so much emotion in my life. And to look out at all our friends and family smiling and cheering for us, as the sun set in the background, is a moment I want to relive over and over again.

“We had a pre-ceremony cocktail hour and one post-ceremony which included hors d'oeurves and great music. We entered the room and thanked the guests with some personal messages. Each table was labelled with the name of a US President (an obsession of mine to learn about) and included a wooden name plate for each person at the table. We both danced with our moms and Gabriel had made a beautiful slideshow for his mom that everyone got to see. We fed each other cake while an Ariana Grande song (that we enjoyed a lot while dating) played in the background. We made our single friends do a hoola hoop contest (instead of a bouquet/garder toss). We surprised everyone by getting on chairs and performing "I Wanna Dance with Somebody". And we had a photobooth for the guestbook that everyone loved.

“We have heard from several of our friends and family members that our wedding was the best they had ever attended (including my 83-year-old grandmother who's been to a million). People talked about all of the personal touches we added, the great music, food, the beautiful venue, the speeches, drinks, dancing, all of it.

“For our honeymoon, we went to Playa del Carmen, Mexico and had the most relaxing 6 days imaginable. We barely used our phones, read books, drank champagne, swam constantly, shared romantic dinners, and were in bed by 9 pm almost every night.

“Looking back on our day, I can truly say that we made it to a place in life where nearly all the variables of our happiness were in one place at the same time.”

Credits

Ceremony & Reception Venue Mavris Arts & Event Center

Photographer Nick Raz Photography, @nickrazphotography

Officiant Michael McFerran

DJ Lights Out Entertainment (JT Miner)