“I’ll never forget the first time I met Tonya,” Lexi says about her wife of two months. The two met at Salty’s, a bar and music venue in Gulfport, where Tonya was performing with her band, The Cheaters. Tonya was single. Lexi wasn’t.
But there was instant chemistry. “My then-girlfriend looked at me after I was introduced to Tonya and said, ‘What was that?’ as if she felt it too,” says Lexi. Because of circumstances and relationships, they didn’t end up together until two years later, but neither of them forgot that day.
The real mechanism for their union: Facebook. Lexi had tickets to see Lady Antebellum and needed a date. She posted on Facebook, and Tonya expressed interest. A few seconds later, they had plans for their first date. “We didn’t end up going to the concert together,” says Tonya, “but she did come to my show the next day and kissed me afterward. I was smitten.”
True to the lesbian stereotype (their words), it didn’t take long for them to commit fully and decide marriage was on the table.
Lexi and Tonya travel together regularly, but the trip that would change their lives forever was to San Francisco. Lexi came home to the house filled with candles, balloons and a note on the kitchen counter from Tonya saying that a surprise visit to the City by the Bay was coming up. The couple had visited earlier in their relationship and Tonya remembered that Lexi wanted to return soon.
They made their way to the Golden Gate Bridge, and as Lexi took a panoramic photo, a white box appeared in the phone’s viewer. Inside, she found a ring-shaped Pandora charm. “Do you like it?” Tonya said to Lexi. Lexi said she did, but couldn’t hide her disappointment. Tonya said, “Maybe you’ll like this one better.” She got down on one knee and proposed with a 2.5 carat sparkler, like the one Lexi had on her Pinterest board. “A ring that would make any swishy gay man or Real Housewife of Winter Park swoon,” says Tonya.
The hardest part of wedding planning for Tonya and Lexi, like with most couples, was sticking to the budget and narrowing down the guest list. “I was definitely the more stressed out of the two of us,” says Lexi. “Tonya was cool as a cucumber.” Having an expert wedding planner saved the couple from falling into the trap of spending too much on the wrong vendors. “The most important vendors to us were the photographer and the DJ. You can’t have a party without great music, and capturing the moments you have when it was all over was most important to me,” says Lexi.
At the April 8 ceremony, Tonya performed a song she wrote for Lexi called “I Already Do.” According to the couple, most of the wedding guests were in tears. As music is a big part of the couple’s life, they made mix CDs of all the important songs from their wedding day, and gave them to their guests as party favors.
Being married holds great significance for Lexi and Tonya. “As a lesbian, I always wanted to get married, but never knew it would be possible. The marriage certificate doesn’t ‘prove’ anything, but it is a symbol that love is love and ours is recognized officially,” says Lexi.
YEARS TOGETHER: Known 4 years, together 2 years
WEDDING VENUE and CATERER: Hotel Zamora, St. Pete Beach, FL
WEDDING COLORS: Plum purple, ivory, gold and silver
DJ or BAND NAME: Grant Hemond and Associates
ATTIRE: CiCi’s Bridal Boutique
OFFICIANT: Will Young
CAKE BAKERY: Let Them Eat Cake
CAKE FLAVORS: Chocolate with raspberry filling, carrot cake and vanilla with fruit filling
WEDDING PLANNER: Natalia Day at Days Remembered
PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHER: Michelle Caudle at Silver Moon Custom Art Photography
INTERESTING FACT: They couldn’t agree on just one wedding song, so Lexi and Tonya each picked one and had two “first dance” songs. Tonya picked “The Most Beautiful Girl” by Prince and Lexi’s was “I Choose You” by Sara Bareilles.
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