We Got Married!

We met during a Chicago area convention on Memorial Day weekend in 2018. We were both volunteering and Ash was inside the volunteer office, while Zach was in the hall outside the office. Ash happened to glance through a window between the office and hall and saw Zach standing there looking so handsome. Ash winked, and Zach looked around trying to see who Ash was winking at around him. "Yes, YOU!" Ash exclaimed, walking out of the door to flirt with the tall young man who had caught his eye. We both had to go to different areas to volunteer, but we exchanged numbers and made plans to meet after the convention. From there, the sparks started to fly. Over the next several months we shared cozy evenings together on the couch, went on excursions and adventures, and learned more about each other and our families. There was laughter and also tears, but we came through the other end, our love for each other growing beyond the simple flirtations and friendship. While feelings became romantic, the friendship we developed grew stronger and we both found a best friend in the other.

Zach and Ash had just spent their first true Christmas together as a couple, enjoying the festivities of Zach's expansive families holiday parties and the joyous morning together. The bustle was winding down, but there was one last family event together for the holidays planned. Everyone was going to visit The Morton Arboretum for the annual Illuminations event, where they put up dazzling lights and decorations amongst the trees for guests to walk through. After having walked through the majority of the exhibit and come to a lovely space with a stone bench, Ash took a seat for a moment and asked Zach to sit by his side. There Ash leaned over and expressed his love for Zach and how wonderful this holiday season had been for him, getting to share it with all them. Ash slid off the bench and onto his knee in front of Zach, finally taking his hand and telling him just how much he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him, and then he presented the ring box and as he opened it, asked those four words, "Will you marry me?". Zach, who had managed to be completely oblivious to the fact that he was surrounded by much of his close family, even his best friend Ngaire, and other family who had surprised him with their presence, suddenly realized what was happening. And he said Yes! The proposal was carefully orchestrated by Ash and Zach's mother Jill Bishop, with virtually his entire family in on the surprise. Ash couldn't have asked for a better way to ask for the hand of this amazing man who had come to be his best friend and closest confidant. Zachary was elated and excited to begin this journey to matrimony with the man who had won his heart.

We still got married on May 1st, 2021 in our backyard, surrounded by our family and friends while keeping it down to keep in line with the local restrictions. The venue change was a challenge at times, but we pressed through, even as the temperatures ticked up, surprisingly, we made it all work. But this was not possible without the support of our family and friends who all stepped up in big ways to help keep things going smoothly.

For all of our friends and family who couldn't be here in person we ran a live stream that we organized ourselves and which was run by friends/family the day of our wedding. It worked out better than we could have hoped and were so grateful to be able to share this day with more people than the pandemic or our venue could have afforded us.