Age—and a brief separation—brought Steve Christy and Ron Powell together.
By Henry V. Thiel
They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. In the case of Ron Powell and Steve Christy, this was certainly the case.
“I knew he was the one when I was away on vacation in Europe for a few weeks, and all I could think about was how much I wanted to be home with him,” Powell says. “It was my first time out of the country, and all I wanted to do was be at home cuddling with Steve. I knew in my heart of hearts that I wanted to be with him forever.”
As soon as Powell got home, he presented Christy with a card saying how much he had missed him, and expressing his desire to talk about “forever.” Then he pulled out a ring he had purchased in Europe, and asked Christy to marry him.
“I immediately said yes,” Christy says. “I had actually expected him to ask me to move in with him. I was not expecting a proposal, but I was ready to commit to him.”
They moved in together shortly thereafter, and got married two years later—on August 4, 2017.
Powell, a 49-year-old retail manager, met Christy, a 53-year-old hairstylist, in 2012 at the food court in the Galleria, where they both work.
One friendly chat led to them exchanging phone numbers, and after a few months of text-ing, they finally went on a first date.
“I decided to go on a second date with Ron because I felt we really connected,” Christy says. “We both seemed to feel at ease with each other as we talked about what everyone talks about on a first date—their hopes, wishes, and dreams. And we laughed. Ron got (and appreciated) my sense of humor. I knew that Ron was a very warm and genuine person, and that a long-term relationship with him was a distinct possibility.”
Christy says one of the advantages of being “older” is that it gives you a better perspective on what is important in a partner.
“When you are young, you check off boxes like ‘Does he have great biceps or beautiful blond hair?’” Christy says. “When you are older, you tend to be more interested in compatibility. Do you like spending time with this person? Do you support the same kind of causes? I also knew that I wanted to get to know him better—and there was a lot of physical attraction, as well.”
Christy says he knew he was ready to make a long-term commitment after about six months of dating Powell.
“Ron is very different from the other guys I had been in relationships with,” Cristy says. “He is always respectful, even when angry. He is also generous and kind, and inspires me to be a better human being.”
Powell notes that when he was growing up, marriage equality wasn’t even on the horizon.
“In fact, I never thought it would occur in my lifetime,” Powell says. “So to have the love and support from our family and friends has just been amazing. We both feel very fortunate to have found each other and to be surrounded by so much love.”
The couple married at the Harris County Courthouse because they wanted to focus on celebrating their love and union with friends and family, as opposed to getting them involved with the actual ceremony.
One of their good friends hosted a cocktail party and reception after the wedding, and Powell and Cristy hosted a brunch the next day at Maxx’s Wine Dive.
They agreed that the best part of getting married was that Christy’s family came from Kansas to be part of their special day. It was also the first time their families had met each other. Powell’s cousin, Dawn Slone of Blue Catering, made their wedding cake.
“It was a chocolate ganache cake with pomegranate liqueur topped with a white chocolate buttercream icing—and oh my God, was it delicious,” Christy says. “We were both overwhelmed by the love and support we received from everyone there.”
“What we will remember most from our wedding was that we were able to enjoy being with all our guests—friends, coworkers, and family—and not feeling stressed or stretched,” Powell says.
The newlyweds live in Montrose with their two rescued fur-babies, Levi and Jasper. They plan to honeymoon later in 2018.
This article appears in the February 2018 edition of OutSmart Magazine. If you were recently married and are interested in having your wedding featured in OutSmart, email [email protected].
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