“Zadin is genuine,” Brad says.“He sees the best in everybody; he sees the best in every situation.”
Brad Lawson, who is a nurse at South Lake Hospital in Clermont, and Zadin Lawson, who is a clinical IT at Leesburg Regional Medical Center, met online. They texted and emailed back and forth for a while, but Brad had to go out of town to take care of some family business in a place that had no cellphone reception and no access to a computer for three weeks. He was nervous at first that Zadin thought he was just flacking out on him because he really liked him.
“When I came back after those three weeks, I sent him a text message again, and then we started talking from there,” Brad says. “For our first meeting, we wanted to meet in a public location, so we met at Disney.”
The two met for the first time in the lobby at the Polynesian Resort, which would later become an even more special location for the couple.
“I was very excited,” Zadin says.“We met at the Polynesian Resort at Disney and that way we figured if either one of us were weird or an axe murderer, we’d have a way out. But then I saw him, and I was endeared to him.
“For me, I had been in a long-term relationship prior to meeting Brad, so I was kind of cautious to a point. But Brad just made me feel so comfortable in my own skin and being in a relationship that it just became natural—it was a natural progression in our lives to be with each other.”
Zadin says part of the secret to their relationship is that Brad makes him laugh, and it’s like medicine and a wonderful feeling.
Brad says he never had that big “aha moment” when it came to knowing that he wanted to marry and spend the rest of his life with Zadin, but he says he’s always felt that Zadin was the yin to his yang.
Before Brad proposed to Zadin, he called Zadin’s mom to ask for her blessing, and the day of the proposal, he was very nervous.
Brad asked Zadin to marry him in the lobby of the Polynesian Resort—coincidentally, the same spot where they first met.
They were married on July 1—the same date as Brad’s grandparents wedding anniversary, who were very integral in his upbringing and he was very close with them—intheir backyard with only 15 people present, but they knew they wanted to celebrate with their families from out of town. As soon as they got married, they started planning a reception celebration for their entire families that happened October 24.
Their service was performed by Orlando drag star Gidget Galore, and their wedding was the first ceremony where Gidget Galore performed the ceremony as his secular boy self—Rich Kuntz—andnot in drag.
“There are two things that I love about Brad,” Zadin says.“One is that he makes me laugh no matter what kind of day, if it’s a bad day, he makes me laugh. He has that character where he can put me at ease. And the other is the security. He makes me feel comfortable and secure in any and every situation.”
Brad Lawson, 43, and Zadin Lawson, 47 from Clermont, FL
YEARS TOGETHER: 5 years
ENGAGEMENT DATE: May 5, 2015
WEDDING DATE: July 1, 2015
WEDDING VENUE: The couple was married on July 1, 2015 at their home, and the wedding ceremony was October 24, 2015 at The Magnolia House at Trilogy Orlando.
WEDDING PLANNER: Erica Jaze from the Magnolia House at Trilogy Orlando
WEDDING CATERER: The Magnolia House at Trilogy Orlando, and the cake was by Sprinkles Custom Cakes.
WEDDING COLORS: Fall colors – brown, green and orange
FIRST SONG: “Hold My Hand” by Jess Glynne
INTERESTING FACT: They were married on July 1, 2015, which would have been Brad’s grandparents’65th wedding anniversary.
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