Wedding Date on Jul 14, 2018

From the couple: We met in the fall of 2012. Matt was a new face at the volunteer orientation being held right before the 2012 Miami Recognition Dinner. During the event, we worked closely together; however, we really didn’t talk or hang out much after that night. We would occasionally run into each other at different events, but that was the extent of it. The following year, Matt moved to a new apartment only a few blocks away from Josh. He didn't know anyone else in the area, so he reached out to Josh to see if he wanted to meet up. Our first time hanging out was spent doing laundry and talking about life. In time, our relationship, rooted in friendship, changed into something wonderful. On July 13, 2013, Josh asked Matt to be his boyfriend at Red Fish Grill in Matheson Hammock. Since then, we've had many special adventures. We've travelled, met each other’s families and enjoyed the company of excellent friends. We also took some important “adult” life steps together, which included buying our first home. Not too long after moving in, we welcomed our fur baby, Mac the Cat, into our lives. All the while, we never stopped doing what brought us together in the first place, trying to make a difference through our volunteer work with the Task Force Gala - Miami. It was there, on October 24, 2015, that Josh proposed to Matt surrounded by 700 of their closest friends. It was fitting that the event that brought us together would be the setting where we ushered in the next chapter of our lives. When it came to planning our wedding, we both agreed we did not want to have a generic ceremony/reception at a banquet hall. We are both old souls and loved the idea of getting married at a historic property. After a lengthy search we came across The Flagler Museum in Palm Beach. It was the winter residence for Henry Flagler, founder of Standard Oil as well as the Florida East Coast Railway. When we first looked at the property, we each said "this is the place." It was like stepping back in time to a Gatsby-esque era of grandeur. During the planning we came to learn that we would be the first LGBTQ couple to get married at the historic property. Flagler was very progressive for his time, so we thought he would be pleased with this knowledge. Our wedding was typical when you look at everything as a whole. We had our ceremony, followed by a cocktail hour, followed by a reception. What made it special were the little personal details. With a gay wedding, the rule book goes out the window! During the ceremony we decided to have three isles. Josh walked down one side with his grandmother while at the same time Matt was walking down the other with his mother, meeting together at the arch. At the end we walked up the middle isle hand in hand, two families now joined. The ceremony was performed by our best friends Liebe and Seth, a couple we admire and whose relationship everyone should strive to have. Since we were two grooms, we decided to do the mother/son dance with a twist. Matt danced with his mother while Josh danced with his grandmother. After a bit we switched partners, once again showing that we were now one family. This dance flowed seamlessly into our first dance as a married couple. The night continued with great food and amazing music. It was important that everyone of our guests feel a sense of joy. We ended the night with "La Hora Loca" (the crazy hour) where hats, necklaces, glow sticks, and other items were passed out and everyone could get wild! There were other personal things like the fact that Matt's sister designed our wedding invitations and Josh's aunt made our cake. Our friend, Carolina, was the videographer, and another friend, Juan, was our photographer. Almost every aspect of our wedding had the mark of someone we care about. One of the standout moments for us wasn't on our actual wedding day, it was actually our rehearsal dinner. Instead of having a sit down dinner at a long and impersonal table, we opted to have our wedding party and immediate family back to our suite for tapas and drinks catered by the same people who did the food for our wedding. We wanted people to mingle and get to know one another before the big day. After our toasts, we decided to invite all of our guests who were currently staying in the hotel up to our room to finish off the food and drinks and have a party. Because we would be so busy the following day, we wanted to spend as much time with our friends and family as possible. The standout aspect was watching all of these people, most of whom had never met before this moment, connecting on a personal level. Our lives were truly blending right before our eyes. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect wedding filled with friends, family, and overflowing love.