Two Men Get Married on the Roof of Johannesburg

2Summers | 22 December 2016
johannesburg emotions

This week I went to a wedding at Randlords. The wedding was on Monday, December 19th, which might seem strange. But this is Johannesburg, where a wedding on a Monday evening in late December makes perfect sense.

I felt a little sad the day of the wedding. That same day five years ago, also on a Monday, was the day Jon died.

Just before the wedding, while Ray and I were waiting for an Uber to fetch us, we had a fight about pants. It was a stupid fight and it was my fault. Ray and I talked to the Uber driver on the way to the wedding but we didn’t talk to each other.

Then we arrived at Randlords and took the express elevator to the 22nd floor.

Wedding at Randlords
Randlords is an events venue in Braamfontein. It’s a rad spot for a wedding.

The marriage at Randlords was between two men, Shawn and Rodney. I met Shawn and Rodney in 2012 at the Ansteys Building with their tiny baby, Xavier, who is now a grown-up boy.

Shawn and Rodney met exactly ten years ago – December 19th, 2006 – on a street corner in Washington D.C.

Shawn and Rodney at Randlords
Shawn (left) an Rodney (right), on their wedding day, exactly ten years after they met.

The wedding was awesome, as you might expect, and I cried a lot. The view was awesome too.

View of Braamfontein from Randlords
The view of Braamfontein and the Jozi CBD from Randlords.
View from Randlords
A similar view, slightly later.
Sunset view from Randlords
Stormy sunset.
Lightning strike over Joburg, seen from Randlords
It stormed all around us all night. I probably watched 200 lightning strikes (although I only caught this one on camera). Somehow it never rained at Randlords.

Ray and I forgot about the pants fight. We said we loved each other and agreed we were happy to live in a country where men can marry men and women can marry women and fabulous weddings can happen on Mondays. We agreed it’s fucking ridiculous this isn’t the case in every country on earth, but that is a topic for another post.

Then we went home in another Uber (sorry we ghosted, Shawn and Rodney – you know how I roll), drank lots of water, and went to sleep.

Wherever Jon is, I know he approves.

Congrats, Shawn and Rodney. Your wedding was rad.