When Andy and Taylor met for their first date, even the waiter could tell these two were something special. “Our first date was the day before my birthday, and the waiter thought we were so cute he brought us free ice cream at the end of the meal,” Andy recalls.
Sparks flew, and the couple had three more dates that week. “I remember Andy was a very anxious small-talker during our first date,” Taylor says. “He told me a lot about beer and road tripping. After a few dates, he began to relax, and I began to see myself with him for a long time coming.” Things progressed, and they each felt they had met their match. Andy proposed during a quiet night at home.
Even with plans for a two-year engagement, Andy jumped right into planning. “The hardest part was nailing down a venue,” he says. “The easiest part was the catering. The caterer does almost all the weddings for this venue, is reasonably priced and has delicious food. So once we decided on the venue, we already had the caterer lined up!”
As the wedding approached, the couple wanted nothing more than to enjoy every second of their special day. “I wanted something elegant and fun, and I think it worked out that way,” Taylor says. “We did everything in our power to make sure there weren’t details to stress over like wedding favors or color schemes, so we were able to perfectly execute a larger overall vision.”
Andy and Taylor wanted to break away from some played-out wedding traditions, but they still wanted it to feel classic. “I really wanted to have a formal ceremony because I felt I wanted that air of legitimacy since this would be the first gay wedding for most of our guests,” Taylor says. “We had wedding parties but both were mix-gendered, which is something I felt strongly about, and I also wanted to carve out space in the ceremony so both of us could have all of our immediate family participate in some way.”
As they look back on the day they became husbands, they both recall Taylor’s vows. “They were so incredible and touching. I don’t know that there was a dry eye in the place, and we got a great picture of my brother ugly crying behind me,” Andy says. Taylor adds, “I remember getting halfway through my vows and then looking up over Andy’s shoulder to see his brother already on the verge of tears. Then I looked out into the crowd and saw everyone looking the same way, and I had to take a moment before I became a weeping mess.”
Tears and all, Andy and Taylor were happy to celebrate their wedding day with their biggest supporters. Taylor recalls, “I remember during the recessional I felt like a kid who just finished a school play; waving at everyone in the audience, and I was just so happy to see everyone who came out to support us.”
—Kourtney Jason
