Love is love for AJ and Rob. They met in 2007 through online dating. “What started out as a four-hour casual phone conversation turned into a first date, and the rest is history,” AJ says.
While on a bowling date, AJ was overcome with happiness when he knew in his soul that he found his match. “I thought to myself at that moment, ‘I could see myself marrying this guy and starting a family with him,’” he says. For Rob, he knew AJ was the one several months into the relationship. “He has such a huge heart,” he says. “He always spoke about his family and friends with such love in his voice, and he would do anything for them. We shared many of the same values and viewed life in such a similar way that I knew he was my one and only true love.”
AJ planned an unforgettable proposal to take place at the balcony of Carthay Circle Restaurant in Disney’s California Adventure. He contacted the restaurant manager, who really went above and beyond to make it magical. They enjoyed a three-course meal as the only diners on the balcony. “When we were done, I told Rob how much he meant to me through the past seven years and that I couldn’t imagine spending my life without him,” AJ says. “Around the corner, the waitress came with a plate that said, ‘Will you marry me?’ I then took out the ring and asked him if he would be my husband.” Within five minutes, the fireworks show started at Disneyland, which they could see from the balcony. They celebrated with two glasses of Disney’s Fairy Tale Champagne, and once the fireworks ended, the waitress handed them two front row passes to the World of Color show at California Adventure.
They enjoyed engaged life for a couple months before they started planning. “Rob and I both agreed early on that we wanted a smaller, intimate wedding with just our closest family and friends,” AJ says. They planned to bring elements from their engagement into their wedding. “The original Carthay Circle Theatre was more than just a movie house—it reveled in Hollywood’s Golden Age, hosting gala premieres in a time when the stars, the movies and the theaters were big. In the nostalgic spirit of keeping that feeling alive, we chose a wedding theme that celebrated the grandeur, which was uniquely Old Hollywood,” Rob says.
From red carpets, velvet ropes and a black-and-white dance floor, to custom napkins with the couple’s logo, gold place settings and Oscar awards for the wedding party, no detail was left untouched. “The atmosphere was amazing,” AJ recalls. “It was truly like stepping back in time and being at a Hollywood event in the ’40s or ’50s.”
They did break some traditions, one being that they walked down the aisle together. “I remember thinking, ‘This is it, please don’t cry.’” AJ recalls. “Then the music of Michael Hughes’ ‘Solitude’ started to play, those double doors opened, and off we went. The most memorable part about that moment was walking hand-in-hand with my soul mate—the one I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
— Kourtney Jason
