“I love Scott’s passion for life. With Scott, failure is never an option,” John says.“He does everything 110 percent. He gives himself – all of himself – to everything he does, and that’s one thing I absolutely love about him.”
John Partain, who is the Florida marketing manager for Verizon Wireless, met Scott Guira, who is a Publix Super Markets manager, in 2004. They were young and ambitious, and very attracted to each other from the start.
“I was out with some friends for an evening in Tampa, and John was out with some friends also,” Scott says. “We just started talking and didn’t make the connection that night, but somehow, by coincidence, everything kind of worked out where we ended up meeting up again later on.”
Scott’s first impression of John was he was really cute and had pretty eyes, and he just kept smiling. John thought Scott was distinguished, genuine and handsome. Both can agree: They are happy that, even though they didn’t make a romantic connection that night, they ended up staying in touch, spending more time together and developing their bond into a loving relationship.
“It really just started from dating and through spending more time together through various dates, we got to know each other more and found out we have a lot in common,” John says. “We both have a very strong work ethic, and we both felt very strongly about family. We both had a lot of things that we wanted to accomplish. We were in our earlier 20s and still young.”
As the years went by, their feelings and bond only grew deeper, growing with each other which is one of the thing John values about their relationship since they started dating.
“I think that what we’ve learned from each other, from being in a relationship, is that the people that you are when you start off on a journey like that together is not who you are the entire time,” John says. “I think there is a chance to grow, and it’s important that you learn how to grow together — that comes from learning from each other and never being afraid to dream together.”
And as the years passed, John says he knew that Scott was the one but didn’t think too much about marriage due to the fact in Florida, and still many parts of the U.S., LGBTs weren’t afforded the same rights as heterosexual couples.
“I don’t know if it’s something that I really entertained because we just didn’t have that freedom — it wasn’t in the cards for us,” John says. “I think that when marriage equality started to become more of a reality, I think that we both started entertaining the idea more.”
With their anniversary on January 16 and same-sex marriage becoming legal on January 6, John thought he and Scott could finally get married. With their anniversary fast approaching, he figured it would be perfect because they previously discussed how it was important that they keep their same anniversary date because they’re been together for so long. John also noticed January 16, 2016 was a Saturday, which he thought would be a perfect day to have the wedding on.
Scott and John spent the day at Epcot, had dinner at Monsieur Paul, and then, with the help of his friends who were cast members,John asked Scott in the garden of the French Pavilion of Epcot’s World Showcase for his hand in marriage.
“He was kind of sneaky,” Scott jokes. “He thought that he had the whole thing under cover and under wraps, but I had an inkling all day long because he was kind of acting funny.
Overwhelmed, Scott immediately said “yes.”
Because the couple was engaged in Epcot in France, they decided to stick with the French-inspired theme for their wedding – everything from their save the dates to the invitations to the food. They’re even planning on honeymooning in France in the spring for a couple of weeks.
“He’s somebody who is always going to be that person that’s always there – for his family, for his friends, for anybody that’s close to him or needs him,” Scott says.“He’s always willing to reach out and be that person, jump to their aid and help take care of them. I think there’s nothing more endearing than a loving spirit.”
YEARS TOGETHER: 12 years
ENGAGEMENT DATE: January 16, 2015
WEDDING DATE: January 16, 2016
WEDDING VENUE: The ceremony will be at the Lake Mirror Theater in Downtown Lakeland, and the reception will be at the Magnolia Building in Downtown Lakeland.
WEDDING PLANNER: The couple have been planning their wedding with the help of Scotty Lazenby, Erin Lazenby and the talents of Patrick Patterson Graphic Design.
WEDDING CATERERS: Fresco’s
WEDDING THEME/COLORS: “A One-Night Only Performance of John and Scott Tie the Knot” – with their colors being mint and warm gray, and a French-inspired theme.
FIRST SONG: “After All” by Peter Cetera and Cher
INTERESTING FACT: They both enjoying giving back to the community — Scott by volunteering on the boards for Lakeland Youth Alliance and Polk Pride, and John by volunteering on the Lakeland Community Theatre board.
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