It was within hours of just speaking on the phone after a evening of chatting online. There could only be one place for us to have that first date. On a very hot June afternoon, and a surprise upgrade of James' annual pass, Matt walks up to James, who's standing under a pillar of the Monorail. As corny as it sounds, Disneyland, the happiest place on earth, welcomed us into the beginning of our fairy tale.

It was 2019, when James reached out to some friends to help with an idea he had for a proposal to Matt. GAME NIGHT! That was the theme, and with some help, so the idea grew. A new year, 2020, and James thought, as wonderful as it is to be surrounded by loved ones, a proposal for some is private, so on to a new idea. Matt and James had a Disney cruise planned for May and a light bulb went off. So James reached out their dear friend, who was also a part of the trip, to run some ideas and ask for help. Disney was very accommodating for us and there were some pretty amazing plans. It was going to be incredible. Then the world changed and we were in a pandemic. When some guidelines loosened, James thought maybe he could do something simple. It was his fiftieth birthday and it just made sense to have that be the day to pop the question. So, with some coaxing on August 26th, they were off. As they walked through temperature checkpoints, guards, and crowds, there was a break in the sea of people. This space, on a normal day would be filled by hundreds if not thousands of people, now there was only the two of us. In what seamed like just seconds, memories of past Christmases, quiet dinners, hanging out with friends who are like family and photos filled James's mind. James turned and looked at Matt's face, standing right where they met eight years prior, in front of the gates of Disneyland under that same pillar of the Monorail. James took Matt's hands and after confessing his love once more asked Matt to marry him and be his forever. With tears in his eyes Matt said yes. Now here we are, a wedding, a day neither of us ever thought was even possible for us as kids. For two gay men, it's not to be taken lightly and we are so lucky and blessed to have the love and support by our immediate family as well our chosen family. We thank you for being a part of such a momentous celebration.