Paul and Alex met for the first time in 2012 in Las Vegas, of all places, where they were introduced by a mutual friend. They did not spend much time talking to each other on this occasion, but each one filed away a memory of liking the other. A year and a half later, Alex was visiting the UK, and they once again found themselves at the same party. Alex's trip was going terribly, though. Nothing had gone to plan and she was stressed beyond belief. Seeing Paul's familiar face immediately made her relax a little. Due to changes in Alex's schedule, the two spent a great deal of time together on that visit. Despite being seemingly as different as can be, the sparks of love began to form. When Alex returned to South Dakota, where she was, unfortunately, living at the time, the two began to write each other long, letter-esque emails about their daily lives and deeper feelings. It wasn't long before Paul came to visit Alex. They spent delightfully lackadaisical summer days together in a midcentury cabin in the Colorado Rockies. Paul took Alex to look at dams. Alex took Paul to search for chumbly wumbly animals in the wilderness. They drove together through the gorgeous landscape while sharing their favorite music with each other and telling stories about their lives. They decided that this was something they wanted to do forever. That fall, Paul moved to the US. Alex left South Dakota to go back to Los Angeles, and there, the two made a life for themselves in a little yellow bungalow in the San Fernando Valley.

Paul proposed to Alex on January 6th, 2016, in a stately home in Brighouse, Yorkshire. Their lives had grown together into a union that they wanted to celebrate and honor. Their timeline was not just their own, however. Paul's residence status in the US was becoming stressful to the two of them, and instead of picking a wedding date based on the availability of venues, it was picked by their immigration lawyer. There was no time or money for a big to-do, but the wedding was beautiful nonetheless. On June 6th, 2016, their vows were officiated by a justice of the peace at the Long Beach courthouse, witnessed by a handful of friends dedicated enough to drive to Long Beach in the middle of a workday. Their marriage license was signed by Alex's partners, Rafael and Jamie. Dinner followed, then the newlyweds drove off to San Diego, where they stayed at a Victorian Bed and Breakfast and visited the San Diego Zoo. They always intended to host a vow renewal when there was time, but life got in the way. What mattered most wasn't the wedding, it was the marriage. And the marriage gave both Alex and Paul strength, safety, courage, love, vulnerability, and friendship. They lived in their little yellow house until 2021, filling it with friends, clutter, and over a thousand rescue cats and kittens (a few at a time, of course).

Paul and Alex spent 2020 in strict isolation, seeing only Rafi and Jamie, who saw only them. This time alone together emphasized both their love for each other and their gratitude for the fellowship that they share with loved ones. Alex began to daydream about finally getting to have a celebration that would honor not just their marriage, but all the wonderful people in their lives who gave them support and helped them to grow and thrive. In 2021, the couple made the decision to relocate to San Diego, moving into a gorgeous midcentury home that is so perfectly "them". It's so much quieter, they spend less time in traffic, the air quality is better, and the pace of life is just slower than the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles. The house also has more room-- there's enough space for Paul's eleven-year-old son, Dominic, to spend longer stretches of time with them, and plenty of spots for their six rescue cats: Senor, Cooper, Skagit, Gloria, Saul, and Jellybean. Life is relatively calm, and Paul and Alex do not want for anything. There could be no better time to celebrate.