After meeting on OKCupid, Robert and Sean Mundyschein had their first date at a Chicago breakfast restaurant. They enjoyed the date so much that they made it last 13 hours with a long walk along Lake Michigan and ending with a dinner.
They have been together ever since, getting engaged in 2015. When they moved in together, Sean decided to turn their housewarming party into a proposal event. Unfortunately, their afterparty venue cancelled on them, so they had to quickly find a new one.
“Robert, not knowing the big surprise, said ‘let’s just cancel the whole thing,’ and I had to convince him that this was necessary and that a restaurant with a food and a drink package was totally normal for a housewarming party with about a hundred of our closest friends and family,” Sean says.
Sean asked his best friend Luke to introduce Sean’s chorus group before a performance of “Seasons of Love” from “Rent.”
“Luke essentially gave a best man’s speech, to which Robert was oblivious,” Sean says.
After the song, the chorus parted to reveal Sean on one knee.
“Robert meanwhile was still somewhat oblivious until I asked, ‘Will you marry me?’” Sean says. “Since I had a microphone and Robert didn’t, my uncle Joe shouted from the back, ‘Did he say yes?’ Of course he did and the long engagement commenced.”
The couple finally tied the knot four years later at Celebration Gardens in Winter Park.
In addition to traditional vows, Sean also asked the Orlando Gay Chorus’ “Spectrum” ensemble to sing “Take Me Home” by Pentatonix during the ceremony.
“Sean quietly sang along with the beautiful chorus of ‘Take me there, won’t you take me there, won’t you take me home,’” Robert says.
“It was an intimate moment despite having an audience of family and friends there to witness,” Sean says.
During the reception, guests enjoyed a photo booth and choreographed dance numbers performed by the Orlando Gay Chorus members and Footnote dancers.
“It’s kind of silly, but Sean hates freestyle dancing, so he asked the DJ to play only songs that had choreographed movements – Electric Slide, YMCA, Cotton Eyed Joe, etc.,” Robert says.
Another special moment from the ceremony the couple enjoyed had to do with their wedding rings, which are inlaid with wood from the Koa tree, found on the Hawaiian Islands. Koa means “brave, bold and fearless.”
“We enjoyed the line from our ceremony, ‘Let these rings be worn as a symbol of love and unity, as well as an everlasting symbol of bravery, boldness and fearlessness in a world that has so much to offer them,’” Robert says. “We are also extremely lucky to have family and friends that support us.”
Engagement Date: August 8, 2015
Wedding Date: November 11, 2019
Officiant: Joseph Mundy (Sean’s uncle)
Venue: Celebration Gardens in Winter Park
Colors: Royal Blue and Regal Purple
Wedding Songs/Artists: (All but the first dance, performed by the Orlando Gay Chorus “Spectrum” ensemble) Entrance – “Good Day for Marrying You” | Vows – “Take Me Home” by Pentatonix | Exit – “Some Nights” by FUN. | Mother/Father/Sons dance – “The Way You Look Tonight” | First Dance – “On My Way to You” sung by Jonathan Brown
Florist: Michael Gillis
Caterer: John Michael Catering
Cake Flavors: Champagne cake and Raspberry filling
Bakery: It’s Tasty Too
Photographer: A. Harris Photography, Michael Fried (senior photographer)
DJ: Jonathan Brown
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