Brad Lyons and Marielena Vasquez met by chance three and a half years ago on an online dating website.

  At first, they were not sure they would pursue a relationship due to living hours away from one another. However, they took a chance.

  Their first date took place at Frank’s at The Old Mill in Fayetteville.

  “I always joke about whether I was afraid to go in. I was getting cold feet,” said Lyons.

  But, Lyons said that from the first time he laid eyes on Vasquez, he knew she was the one.

  “I knew I was going to marry her, only I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it on our first date,” laughed Lyons.

  According to Lyons, from that point on, “the rest was history.” 

  Their long distance relationship developed over time, through text messages and, eventually, daily FaceTime calls that grew even more frequent during the period of time that Vasquez spent living and working in Germany as a pediatrician for the Department of Defense.

  “We decided to stick it out,” said Lyons. “It really strengthened our relationship. If you can make a relationship work 5,000 miles apart and a six hour time difference, there’s nothing you can’t do.”

  Lyons visited Vasquez for about eight days every four months that she was away, traveling around Europe together and spending time with one another. 

  Last July, on an island in the Mediterranean, Lyons asked Vasquez to marry him. She said yes. 

  “It was a very special moment,” said Lyons. “The hardest part was, about a week later, I had to fly back home again.”

  Vasquez returned home in February of this year and began getting ready for their large wedding that was scheduled for mid-May.

  However, they were unable to hold their wedding as planned due to COVID-19.

  “We had to reschedule,” said Lyons. “It was very painful.” 

  Nevertheless, the couple was still determined to get married. 

    “Technically we’ve been waiting since last summer, but I’ve honestly been waiting since the day I met her three and a half years ago,” said Lyons.   

  The couple went to multiple counties in pursuit of a marriage license, however, their inquiries and phone calls remained unanswered. 

  “I was leaving messages and emails,” said Lyons. “I was starting to get frustrated. I was getting sad, because I couldn’t as much as get a return call.”

  Lyons finally received assistance from a member of Tabernacle of Praise Church International in McDonough, where he works as their lighting director. 

  The couple had been attending premarital counseling through the church with Minister Chris Scott and her husband, with whom they shared their struggle in finding a county to issue them a marriage license.

  Scott reached out to her contacts within Henry County, and Lyons and Vasquez were finally able to obtain their marriage license. 

  “Everybody worked so great together to get this done,” said Scott.

  However, the couple still needed to find a location to get married. 

  Calls were made to a local councilwoman, then to Cinderella Bennett and Cathy Lacey at the McDonough Welcome Center. It was decided that the couple could marry in the Historic McDonough Square. However, Lacey had an extra surprise in store for the couple. 

  “Cathy put their names in lights on the billboard on the Square and played wedding songs as the ceremony was performed,” said Scott. “It was truly amazing.” 

  Lyons and Vasquez got married by Minister Scott on May 4 (also known as Star Wars Day), in an homage to Vasquez’s love for Star Wars.

  “Every time we turned around, there was something that was getting in the way,” said Lyons. “That’s when I knew that this was meant to be because there’s a stronger, evil force that’s trying to break it up. So all the better to get married on May the 4th so that the ‘fourth’ will be with us.”

  In attendance at the ceremony as a witness was Vasquez’s long time friend from high school.

  “It was very sweet that she could come,” said Vasquez.

  After the ceremony, Lyons and Vasquez shared their first dance in the Historic McDonough Square to the song “Unforgettable”  by Nat King Cole and the celebratory honks from passing cars. 

  “As the ceremony ended, they actually played wedding music for us,” said Vasquez. “It was so special. I couldn’t have planned it better myself. It was so romantic, so sweet. It will always hold a special place in my heart. I have such a beautiful memory of that day.”

  And, although this is not the large wedding that the couple had originally planned, Vasquez stated that it was special nonetheless.

  “In the midst of this chaotic time, I can see God’s hand at work to give us one special moment and that was our wedding day,” said Vasquez. “It brought so much joy to our hearts.” 

  Lyons and Vasquez hope to have a larger wedding ceremony in the fall.