After three months, Austin and Philip made their relationship official. Almost four years later, they heard the words “I now pronounce you married.”
Mississippi native Austin Helms had just moved back to St. Petersburg after living in New York City and wasn’t sure he was ready for a relationship. Then he met Philip Gustin. “The conversation was fun and easy,” he says about their lunch date at The Avenue. “The attraction was obviously there.” Philip remembers being captivated by Austin’s piercing blue eyes. “If I hadn’t been crushing on him already from our texts, I sure was then!”
The couple decided to take it slow—mostly on Austin’s preference. “Honestly, if I’d had it my way, we would have been dating within a few weeks of meeting and engaged much sooner,” says Philip. “But Austin always told me that love is a ‘slow burn,’ steady and long. Damn, he was right.”
After three months of seeing each other, Austin and Philip made their relationship exclusive. They moved in together, adopted a sweet puppy to expand their family and started making long-term plans for the future.
Philip loves Austin’s sense of humor and cherishes that there’s not a day that goes by “that he doesn’t bring a smile to my face and belly laughs with his wit and humor.” Philip is a freelance graphic and interior designer and has a natural penchant for aesthetics, which Austin loves about him. He also loved that Philip was always open to new experiences during their first few months of dating. That made it exciting. “New recipes, new cocktails, new places to discover. That’s still one of my favorite things about [Philip],” he says.
Austin planned the proposal, which started with notes outlining moments in their relationship hung throughout their apartment. The notes led Philip to Austin, who was down on one knee. Austin proposed with a Claddagh ring. “Of course,” says Philip, “there was nothing I wanted to say more in my life than ‘YES!’”
The last note said, “Remember when all of our friends were there to celebrate our engagement?” At that moment, a loud cheer came from behind the fence, and all of their friends poured through the back gate with champagne and hugs.
On February 24, 2018, Austin and Philip said “I do” at the Morean Center for Clay on the St. Petersburg Bayfront. Philip recalls, “What made our ceremony extra special was that my uncle, a gay man who recently married his longtime partner, was our officiant. Included in his thoughtful words were reminders that same-sex marriage is relatively new in our society. Having family and friends at our wedding, many of whom have fought so hard over the years for marriage equality, made it even more special.”
Even though it’s only been a few weeks since Austin and Philip tied the knott, they have found themselves in a rhythm. “While our day-to-day lives may not have changed a whole lot, when we speak of the future, it makes me excited for the life we’ve created.”
