Colton and Dennis are getting married

The story of Colton and Dennis is a classic country mouse, city mouse sort of tale. That is, if one mouse had bounced around the world trying to “find itself” for 8 years, the other went to catholic school in the Philadelphia suburbs, and both were very hopeless, very gay romantics.

It was in the City of Brotherly Love and Dennis’ hometown of Philadelphia the two would meet. Not at the Liberty Bell nor whilst running up the Rocky Steps, but rather in the magical, virtual, and usually yucky land of the Tinder dating app. Indeed… both men “swiped right,” as they had with many before – but this time would be different. Very different.

After exchanging only a handful of messages, Colton invited Dennis to dinner at a local dive that served $1 tacos on Mondays. Colton’s first dates were usually aromantic – he liked to meet at odd, sometimes uncomfy places to test a man’s confidence. Dennis passed the first test with flying colors, and a year later, the couple took the giant leap (all the way across the Delaware river) to cohabitate in a suburb in New Jersey.

Colton and Dennis learned all about love, life, and who was the messier one quickly. Really quickly. And it was a good thing, too, because COVID-19 arrived to shake things up just shy of their one-year mark of living together. It went about as you’d expect – Colton began obsessively gardening and fermenting kombucha, while Dennis bought a sewing machine and started making overalls and jackets with enormous collars.

Their relationship survived the universal test of “the world is crumbling in front of us and we have no idea what to do,” but New Jersey had never quite felt like home. Sure, the pizza was phenomenal… but even the embarrassingly high number of loyalty points from their favorite delivery spot up the street couldn’t hold them there.

After much debate and deliberation, Colton and Dennis took another, much larger leap, and moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico – sight unseen. Within days (hours, even) they knew they’d hit the jackpot. One year in, they bought and renovated a fixer-upper together – another formidable test of their love and patience – and today, they feel completely and utterly at home with both their surroundings and each other.

The couple have carved out a lovely life in New Mexico, and like to spend their days hosting parties or going out with their friends, walking their dogs around the neighborhood, working on home and landscaping projects, eating their way across the city, taking day or weekend trips around the state, and yes, binge-watching their favorite shows and pigging out on the couch. They are particularly fond of the truly gorgeous, massively understated scenery of Albuquerque and the surrounding area, and the temperate year-round weather, and they are always eager to show visitors (like you!) all around their new home.

Check back for registry details!