The wedding industry didn’t grow to be worth $54 billion because Americans just love marriage so much. No way — marriage is cheap! We’re talking marriage license fees and gas money; you can get married for less than $100. The wedding industry grew to be so enormous because it is built on one big lie: a wedding is the best day of a woman’s life. Maybe it’s not a lie as much as it is a fantasy that we are socialized to embrace from day one. They slap that pink cap on your head, and next thing you know you’re living a Disney-themed childhood in which your career goals amount to being a glitter princess and a mommy to a brood of doll babies. But who will pay for your pink ball gowns and tea parties for your woodland friends? Oh, you know who: Prince Charming.

It was actually really hard to write about our relationship without just saying I LOVE THE SHIT OUT OF HIM like a thousand times. (laughs)

I would love to say that we met in a bookstore on a crisp autumn day, but alas we met online—an anticlimactic beginning to the most fulfilling and deepest love of my life. I got to marry my best friend and the best person I know. He is the calm to my storm, the voice of reason to my extra-ness, and the smartest person I have ever met. We complement each other in so many ways — it’s almost hard to put into words. We just get each other and everything works. Our relationship is easy. 

They were married on the coast, celebrated under a tent filled with everyone they loved, and only escaped for a moment to hold hands and walk on the sandy beach. Two men in love, married by the water, dancing through the night. 

It was great to meet Tampa couple Ralph and Avison on their wedding day at The Reunion Resort. They have been together for 10 years, and we could tell. They were playful, in love, and so happy together.