The Problem with Jon Stewart writer Jay Jurden and Garrison Gibbons, senior vice president of people & admin at 21.co, first met as theatre arts majors at the University of Mississippi. After three-and-a-half years together, Garrison proposed to Jay on the eve of Jay’s birthday in 2015 in the place where they first met.
Garrison, who was three grades below Jay, was graduating, and Jay was in town to celebrate. Garrison led Jay to the Meek Auditorium, where they were introduced and worked on their first show together. “Garrison had to break into the auditorium, as it ended up being locked over the weekend, and he panicked, with the ring box hidden in his pocket, that his plan may be foiled,” Jay explains. In the end, he proposed in the auditorium to Jay’s shock and surprise.
Once engaged, the pair waited for six years to plan their wedding. “This delay, in part, was due to the fact that we had no family pressure to get married or have a wedding,” Jay says. “But, we also really were enjoying the life we had built together in NYC and were unsure if a wedding was necessary to our relationship. COVID-19 and the isolation/separation from our loved ones, played a major role in inspiring us to plan a wedding.”
When ready to start the process, the couple didn’t initially consider their home of seven years, New York City, as a location for their wedding. They had played with the idea of hosting the special event in one of their hometowns in the South, but after the pandemic, the city was the most attractive because of how close they were to all of their vendors.
The Foundry in Long Island City was reminiscent of industrial and rustic venues found in the South, and the couple loved that it also had a greenhouse, filled with life and light. While Garrison loves flowers, colors, and light, Jay prefers minimalism, earth tones, and metals, so the two had a great juxtaposition to work with aesthetically at The Foundry. To help bring their vision to life, the couple hired José Rolón and Natasha Resnick of José Rolón Events, and photography duo Calen Rose lensed every special moment.
The grooms knew they wanted to wear suits that they could repurpose down the aisle. Jay chose a brown bespoke suit, in part because he had never been satisfied with the fit and look of traditional off-the-rack or tailored suits. Garrison looked equally handsome in a dark green custom suit, featuring an oversized blouson shaped jacket and high-waisted trousers. To help survive the heat of the summer in the city, the men wore sleeveless tops underneath their outerwear.
On July 10, 2022, guests gathered in the greenhouse, decorated with hanging florals by Ivie Joy, for the ceremony. “As a queer couple, we really enjoyed the opportunity to make the ceremony 100% our own,” Jay shares. “We decided to center it around our vows.” Their officiant, Dani of Once Upon a Vow, helped the two make their service special and memorable, as they admit the ceremony was the part of their wedding they “were clueless about.” “We had no idea what we wanted to do, and we were unsure how to fill 30 minutes.”
Jay and Garrison walked down the aisle together to “Wishin’ and Hopin’,” a nod to Garrison’s favorite film, My Best Friend’s Wedding. “The moment we turned the corner together, and we saw all of our guests sitting there and then stand for us, Jay burst into tears, and I laughed before joining him,” Garrison says. “The emotions were high throughout the remainder of the ceremony, and the vows were a bit of a blur as a result. Everyone was crying, and it was both visible and audible.”
The couple also touched on current events during the ceremony. “It was not lost on us that while we were walking down the aisle, trans and queer rights were being taken away around the world, including in the U.S. with the increase in laws that strip the rights of trans people—i.e. trans athletes—as well as laws that center around education—i.e. ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bills—to name a few,” Garrison states.
After sharing their own vows and walking down the aisle to “Got To Be Real,” the cocktail hour began in the large courtyard. As the sun set, dinner was served. Pinch Food Design catered the meal, inspired by a night out in NewYork City with inventive takes on sushi, street tacos, pretzels, burgers, pizza, churros, jello shots, and more. Then, the two cut their flower-adorned wedding cake by WildFlour.
The newlyweds had their first dance to “You’re the Inspiration” by Chicago. Garrison’s father was a huge fan of Chicago while he was growing up, and Garrison loved harmonies and cacophonies at a very young age, which made him fall in love with this song in particular—as normally young Garrison did not love his father’s taste in music. He played it throughout the early days of his relationship with Jay, and it seemed like the perfect song to not only dance to but to also tie in many of the themes of the day.
Afterward, DJ Ryan Vandal kept the party going in the main hall. There was an emphasis on disco, and tracks from the ’60s to today were played. “Disco and dance music plays such a major role in LGBTQ+ history and has had a major impact on the community,” Garrison shares. “We wanted to honor and celebrate that.”
