WEDDINGS: Moments to Remember

At first glance, you might not think that a forensic analyst and a theater teacher would be a match made in heaven. But the love story of Mary Georges, 27, and Jami Windham, 31, just goes to show what a wild and wonderful thing that love really is. Mary is a forensic analyst in the biology section at Houston Forensic Science Center, and Jamie is a theater teacher at Kingwood Park High School.

Mary, a Texas native, graduated from the University of Houston Downtown, and Jamie has degrees from Louisiana Tech University and the University of South Carolina. For the past four and a half years they have lived together here in Houston.

The couple met on OkCupid, and Mary says that after a couple of days talking to Jamie, she told a friend that she was going to “make this girl ask me out.” So she mentioned she wanted to see the movie Lucy starring Scarlet Johansson. “Jami took the bait. We met for coffee and a movie. We didn’t want the night to end, so we had dinner and then talked forever in my car.”

Mary says it’s not that she remembers a specific moment when she knew Jamie was the one. She just knew that she wanted “to wake up to her every day for the rest of my life.” Jamie echoes that sentiment, adding, “Communication is very important to us as a couple, so we often spoke about what we wanted our futures to be like. I wanted to carry a child, but due to some medical and personal issues, that ended up not being an option for us. We decided that adoption would be the best option in the future. We went through some difficult times together in those doctors’ offices and hospital rooms, and coming out on the other side of those moments, I knew I didn’t want anyone else by my side more than her.”

Jamie proposed to Mary at her own 30th-birthday party, with all of their friends and family there. “I admitted that there are many things in life I have feared, but with her by my side I wasn’t afraid anymore.” A few weeks later, when Jamie’s engagement ring arrived, Mary proposed to Jamie in their living room, “barefoot in a circle of Christmas lights—I made my proposal just as special.”

Mary explains that she designed her engagement ring, so she knew it was coming but she didn’t know when. “She took time from her own birthday party to propose to me! I wasn’t expecting that, and literally everyone there knew but me. She made it so special when she proposed to me. She deserved to have that butterfly moment too, and I wanted to give that to her.”

The two we married on March 16, 2019, almost exactly a year after their dual proposals. Mary’ cousin Amanda officiated. “We’re not religious people, and we wanted to be married by someone who loves us. We got married at Prohibition Supperclub. We had our first anniversary there, and I knew I wanted to get married there as soon as I sat down. The theatre is gorgeous, and we both have a love for the stage,” Mary says. Jamie describes their wedding as “a great mix of theatricality and glamour, with a little science thrown in—our unity ceremony [involved creating] a chemical reaction that Mary came up with. It really represented us as a couple.”

Jamie says having Mary’ cousin Mandy as their officiant was one of her favorite parts of the ceremony. “Mandy said it best: ‘It’s not just one moment, it’s not even this moment.  It’s a million little ones that are kind of woven in those bigger ones. It’s these everyday moments that fuse together into your experience. Love is like that—it comes from humble beginnings, and through the combination of serendipity and effort, imperfect beings are shaped into something extraordinary.’” Interestingly, the two had what they call “flag girls” instead of flower girls. “Our little cousins passed out Pride flags that my aunt made for our introduction as wives,” Mary explains.

Jamie says they really wanted the ceremony to be a true reflection of themselves, so they left out a lot of what she calls “pomp and circumstance.” For example, instead of walking in to Pachelbel’s “Canon” or something similar, they chose to walk down the grand staircase to an acoustic version of their song, “Rather Be,” before walking down the aisle with their fathers. Mary says they also left out printed items like menus and name cards because they wanted to be “more environmentally friendly and more relaxed.”

The two didn’t specifically go looking for LGBTQ vendors, but were thrilled to find “very excited and supportive allies.” They were especially pleased with the venue they chose. “Prohibition was amazing. The coordinator, Eliana, made sure our vision was executed perfectly. They handled everything. We just brought the cake and flowers,” Mary explains. The cake was created by Kelly Q Cakes, and Oh So Elegant Events provided the flowers. Jamie’s dress was a creation of Weddings by Debbie, and Mary used Anomalie, an online service that creates custom gowns.

Jamie and Mary were both surprised by how easy the planning was for them. “We are generally laid back and didn’t have a lot of must-haves,” Mary explains. Jamie admits that she was amused by how many of their acquaintances wanted to see their “gay wedding.”

The pair honeymooned in London and Paris. “These are places I had always wanted to go to, and I couldn’t wait to share them with my favorite person,” Mary says. If their photos are any indication, the trip was just as magical as the two had hoped.

Mary describes her bride as “one of the most patient and loving people I have ever met. Anywhere she is feels like home to me.” And Jamie loves that Mary is so unapologetically herself. “She taught me what it means to be proud of who you are. Thanks to her, we [walked] together in the Houston Pride parade! I am so proud to be her wife, and I can’t thank her enough for our amazing life together.”

This article appears in the August 2019 edition of OutSmart magazine.

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