Darnell and Jamar Williamson-Fennell Turn a Decade of Love Into a Celebration

When Darnell Fennell texted Jamar Williamson-Fennell in the early hours of Valentine’s Day weekend in 2015, he didn’t know he was reaching out to the man who would become his husband. The couple first connected on Tinder while Jamar was preparing to move from New York to Houston. Darnell admits he was intrigued by Jamar’s profile, but not entirely convinced.
“His profile seemed cool,” Darnell recalls. “His pictures were not really consistent in some way, so I was a little skeptical.”

Jamar laughs at the memory. For him, it was one particular photo that stood out. “My favorite photo of him was a picture of him laughing,” he says. “It came off to me as very nerdy. Something about it just made me feel like he was approachable and down to earth. And, I do like a nerdy, intelligent man.”

After weeks of sporadic communication, Darnell reached out while Jamar was in Houston for a job interview. The two met for lunch at a restaurant that once stood near Montrose and Westheimer. The date was simple, but memorable.

One moment in particular convinced Darnell that Jamar was exactly who he claimed to be. “We were at a burger joint,” Jamar remembers. “I had chicken tenders or boneless chicken wings, and I was just eating them things up! He said, ‘Wow, you weren’t even trying to be cute with it.’ I said, ‘No, I’m hungry. I’m gonna eat.’” That authenticity would become one of the foundations of their relationship.

Now celebrating 10 years together, both men describe their connection as something that grew naturally, rather than according to any predetermined checklist. “As a very logical and very analytical person, typically when I choose to be with somebody, that’s more intuitive in some way,” Darnell explains. “So I just knew that we were probably gonna go somewhere with this, but that wasn’t based upon a checklist of things per se. It was just more of a connection.”

Jamar felt something similar. “What I did know was that I was encountering a man of value, a man who means what he says,” he reveals. “Within that short time that I was there visiting, I could really tell that he means what he says.” The qualities they admire most in one another remain largely unchanged a decade later. Jamar describes Darnell as “very intelligent,” adding that he loves how grounded and down to earth his husband is despite that intellect.

Darnell, meanwhile, credits Jamar with bringing warmth and connection into their shared life. “He is the outgoing, caring expression of our relationship,” Darnell states. “People just gravitate toward him, so that is great to have in my life and to be able to witness that.”

When it came time to get engaged, the proposal reflected both their personalities. Darnell, who proposed, spent years reflecting on what marriage meant to him as a gay man. “For me, marriage was tied to straightness and being straight,” he admits. “Once I overcame that I don’t have to be there and I don’t have to live in that paradigm, I wasn’t wedded to that story as much as I once was.”

Eventually, and with the help of a therapist, he realized marriage could be defined on his own terms. “You can define what this means for you in a new way that’s different from how it may have meant for you in previous chapters of your life,” he explains. With that realization came a carefully planned surprise proposal.

Under the guise of a brownie-making demonstration, Darnell secretly flew in members of Jamar’s family from Florida. After baking together, the couple was asked to pose with the finished treats. On the serving plate were the words: “Will you marry me?” When family members emerged from hiding moments later, the answer was already clear.

“He did good,” Jamar says with a smile. “He did very good.”

The couple officially married on July 25, 2025, in Berkeley, California, a place deeply connected to Darnell’s personal journey. The intimate ceremony took place in a rose garden he frequently visited while living there. The wedding itself was intentionally small, attended only by the couple, their officiant, photographer, and videographer.

Their larger celebration came three months later. On October 26, family and friends gathered atop POST Houston in the venue’s Skylawn. There, Jamar and Darnell decided to put their “love on top,” with a reception that transformed into a joyful expression of community, culture, and love. The event featured a neutral palette inspired by the browns and earth tones the couple wore during their California ceremony. Guests were invited—but not required—to wear similar shades.

To the couple’s surprise, nearly everyone embraced the request. “Pretty much 99% of everybody has these colors on,” Darnell says. “Aesthetically, that just represented the continuity and that we are all together, we’re all invested.”

Music became another defining feature of the evening. A choir, DJ, saxophonist, and live vocalist helped create what Jamar describes as “a whole thing.” The celebration also honored the couple’s individual backgrounds. Catering incorporated Jamaican flavors as a tribute to Jamar’s heritage, creating a menu that resonated with family members from both sides.

Yet perhaps the most meaningful moment involved remembering Darnell’s grandmother. Diagnosed with cancer shortly before the Berkeley ceremony, she passed away roughly a week before the Houston reception. Rather than allowing grief to overshadow the celebration, the couple chose to honor her life. During a musical performance, videos of her dancing played on screen.

“It was an emotional moment,” Darnell says, “but it was a way to bring her in.”
The evening’s emotional centerpiece came during the couple’s grand entrance. Guests first watched a video of the California ceremony and listened to the couple’s vows. Then, surrounded by loved ones, Darnell and Jamar made their entrance into the reception.

“It was the entry, period,” Darnell says of his favorite moment of the reception.

Jamar agrees. “Literally the best day of our lives,” he adds.

For both men, the celebration carried additional significance as two Black gay men navigating the complexities of family, faith, identity, and acceptance. “There was a little bit of heartache during the process,” Jamar explains. “But being there in that moment and feeling the rush of love and support and celebration—it was nothing but love in there.”

One particularly meaningful moment came during a toast from Darnell’s brother, Robert, who reflected on his own journey toward fully embracing and celebrating his brother. “It was honestly about how he wasn’t always where he should have been with me,” Darnell says, “but he is celebrating me now.”

For a couple whose relationship began with curiosity, authenticity, and a leap of faith, that spirit of growth and affirmation felt like the perfect way to celebrate the next chapter. “We deserve this for our journey,” Darnell says of their wedding and reception, “both as individuals and as the collective. To be able to say, ‘We’re here, we made it, we love each other.’”