A Match Made in Med School

Will Jones, 31, and Tyler Young, 34, tied the knot on October 21, 2023 at Houston’s Julia Ideson Library, an elegant 1926 Spanish Revival building that houses Houston Central Library’s archives, manuscripts, and Texas and local history departments. The love shared by these Montrose-based doctors—Will is an anesthesiologist and Tyler is an OB/GYN—tangibly radiates from their hearts and infuses the room with a warm glow. The couple met on June 29, 2017 while in med school.

“One of my very good friends in med school met her now-husband on Bumble, and he was Tyler’s best friend in med school,” explains Will. “She texted me and said, ‘Hey, Max and I are going to get drinks if you want to come.’ Max texted Tyler, ‘Hey, Ashley and I are going to get drinks if you want to come.’ They didn’t tell either one of us that the other person was going to be there, and that’s how we met.”

The attraction was mutual and immediate. “I noticed that Will was very handsome,” says Tyler. “I noticed how driven he was with his career, which is something that I was very attracted to. And I also noticed how outgoing and easy it was for him to make friends with new people.”

“The first thing I noticed about Tyler was he was very witty,” adds Will. “I’m the more extroverted one, and he’s more introverted, but when he did say something, it was very funny, very to-the-point, and very notable.”

Will sent Tyler his cell phone number over Facebook and Tyler sent Will a followup text. Shortly after, the couple was on their first date at Cuchara in Montrose, which was followed by drinks at Boheme. “It was a classic get-to-know-you talk,” says Tyler. “We both lived in Montrose, and Boheme was serendipitously each of our’s favorite bar.”

At the time, Tyler was living in a shoebox of an apartment with his dog, Malley. Will remembers that Tyler often asked him to feed Malley. “One day,” Tyler says, “I just made a joke, saying, ‘Oh, I think she likes me better than you.’ And he said, ‘Why do you think I have you feed her?’ It was such a sweet gesture because I knew how much she meant to him, and I remember thinking that I must be important to this guy if he is willing to try to get his dog to like me. And that’s when I realized maybe there’s something here.”

“I knew that he was the one when we decided to do a residency couple’s match,” Tyler recalls. A couple’s match is when a medical student potentially gives up their favorite residency program in order to prioritize staying in the same vicinity as their partner. “That’s the first time I feel like we both made the active decision to put our relationship above our careers, which had been very important to us.”

Tyler proposed on October 28, 2021. “Will had his hands full with a cup of clam chowder and didn’t realize what was happening at all until I was down on one knee,” says Tyler. “He was very confused about why I was having a serious toast, but his reaction was an immediate ‘Yes!’ He started crying, and it was very sweet and perfect for us.”

“We started planning the wedding in January of 2023. We were working with a planner, and after a few unfortunate events—17 days before the wedding—we decided to go in a different direction,” explains Will. The couple pivoted to using Morgan of Morgan Marie Events, and they couldn’t be happier with their decision. “The biggest thing that we needed in a planner was communication, and she was somebody who communicated the perfect amount, always had an answer to every problem, and was not fazed by hiccups,” adds Tyler. “She was able to really make our vision come to life, which was really incredible.”

Their officiant, Layton McCown, is a close friend of theirs, and that made the day extra-special. “He gave us the most perfect ceremony that we could have ever dreamed of. Throughout the entire night, people were complimenting us on how incredibly beautiful the ceremony was,” says Tyler.

Floral arrangements for their wedding were prepared by Allison Donohue. “She was able to very effortlessly take what we didn’t know how to say and make it a reality,” explains Will. “We had so many incredible compliments on the flowers. It’s exactly what we wanted.”

The couple opted to only have a photographer and were thrilled by what they received. “Jess Golden is the reason that this wedding was so successful from a social-media standpoint,” Will notes. “It’s exactly what Tyler and I wanted. Jess did such an incredible job with the photographs.”

The couple also brags about the service they received from Erin Gready with Churrasco’s, who catered the event. They also happily recommend Aivy IV Duong with Suit Supply for her impeccable work in designing and tailoring their suits. Shawn Keuhn, with the Julia Ideson Library, also got high praise from the couple.

Due to their busy schedules as medical school students, residents, and now doctors, the couple didn’t have a lot of experience with events to pull from. “We don’t go to a lot of weddings and were flying blind,” shares Will. “Every vendor we worked with said, ‘Don’t worry about it. We’ve got it taken care of.’”

For their special day, the stars aligned and the couple were very happy to have worked with so many LGBTQ-affirming vendors who created a wedding experience that exceeded their expectations.

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