Dr. Stephen Hawk and Jonathan Soots first met in 2014 how many people tend to connect these days: online. The pair finally met in person in February 2015 at a house party.
“We first met at a mutual friend’s housewarming,” Soots says. “Our first real date was after our friend Eddie Sotomayor’s funeral.” The couple explained their mutual friend passed away during the Pulse tragedy in Orlando. Seeing each other again opened the door to them spending more time together after they attended the funeral. Then they made things official in July 2016.
Hawk is from Kansas City, Mo. and Soots is from Lenoir, N.C. The couple lives together in St. Petersburg with their dog, Dusty.
Soots recalls when he initially thought they were destined to marry. “We realized a couple months into our relationship in fall 2016 when we were apart for a couple weeks, one on a pre-planned vacation and the other staying home for work. Stephen was on a gay cruise in Europe and messaged me saying, ‘OMG, I miss you, will you marry me?’”
Hawk surprised Jonathan when he popped the question at the International Mall in Tampa.
“He took me to International Mall and said we were going to the Tesla store,” Soots says. “Then he took me next door for ring shopping. He said to me, ‘What rings do you like?’ And then said, ‘Marry me!’ I said yes, and we picked out our rings.”
The two married at the beginning of 2019 in downtown St. Pete. Performers included soprano Ashley Thunder, baritone Luis Gonzalez, tenor Kevin Mitchell and cellist Betsy Goode Isaak from Disney. Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” was performed by pianist Sean Bennett.
The ceremony was followed by a reception at Hyatt Place with their families and friends.
For Soots, the most memorable moment of the day came from the ceremony. “Kissing him in a 120-year-old cathedral where it once wasn’t always acceptable,” he says. “After coming out in 2010, I never thought I would love again. I worried about the rawness and emptiness of life, but he became my everything.”
Hawk also says the most unforgettable moment of the day for him came during their ceremony. “Speaking from my heart at the reception. Giving vows in front of hundreds of important people in our lives.”
Engagement date: May 5, 2017
Wedding date: Jan. 12, 2019
Venue: Cathedral of St. Peter
Colors: Dark blue, purple, white
Live Musician: Choirmaster Dwight Thomas, Ashley Thunder, Kevin Mitchell, Amanda Mayven Missbehavin’, Nicole Desiree Hays and Curiositorium crew
DJ Service: DJ L Mo, LaMonte Monnell
Caterer: Hyatt Place
Officiant: Father Sam Tallman and Canon Katie Churchwell
Cake Bakery: Artistic Whisk Desserts, Jovana Boksen
Cake/Cupcake Flavors: Chocolate ganache layer cake, edible glamour chocolate glitter balls
Theme: Xanadu, You Have to Believe We Are Magic.
Photographer: Jeanine Halum
