Valentino Torres and Felipe Alvarez
Valentino Torres and Felipe Alvarez celebrated their 10th anniversary in November skiing in Telluride.
They met on Cedar Springs 10 years ago. For their sixth anniversary, Torres purchased promise rings at Tiffany’s and proposed on a horse and carriage ride in New York’s Central Park.
When the Supreme Court declared the Defense of Marriage Act decision unconstitutional, the couple began thinking of turning the promise into reality. On the ski trip, they set the date. Valentine’s Day, they decided, was the perfect day to get married.
Last week, friends threw the couple a bachelor party. Since the party was for both of them, it was more a pre-wedding celebration, Torres said.
“There were no strippers,” he said, laughing.
Friends hired a limo, and the party was filmed for a reality show Torres is working on about gay Dallas Latino hairstylists.
On Wednesday, they left for New York City. That afternoon, they had a cake tasting in the city. On Thursday night, they had a rehearsal dinner in the West Village.
They were joined in New York by 14 friends from Dallas and a few others from the East Coast.
The wedding is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Valentine’s Day in Central Park — exact site to be determined.
“We have a few spots in mind,” Torres said.
An officiant they spoke to on the phone will preside and they’ve arranged for a violinist.
They’ll arrive at the ceremony in a horse and carriage to remind them of their fifth anniversary exchange of rings and during the ceremony replace the promise rings with wedding bands.
The violinist and officiant may be accustomed to New York’s cold and damp Februarys, but the Texans flying up to participate in the wedding are not. So in case of extremely cold weather, Torres said, their back-up plan is to marry at the Empire Hotel where they’re staying.
After the ceremony, they’re having a reception at Tao Uptown, a restaurant just south of Central Park on 58th Street.
“I never thought this would happen,” Torres said.
He said friends are always asking him how they’ve maintained a relationship for so long. He said he and Alvarez work at making their relationship succeed.
“Just take it day by day,” he advised.
