A date with Destiny
“I found love in you, And no other love will do. Every moment that you smile chases all of the pain away. Forever and a while in my heart is where you’ll stay. This is why I love you.”
— “This Is Why I Love You” by Major
Enjoying a close up view of the Pacific Ocean with her family, Destiny Gonzaque couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate her 21st birthday.
They had started the celebration in Las Vegas for a few days before making their way to Venice Beach on a sunny day in July 2016.
Taylor Washington, Gonzaque’s longtime boyfriend, was along for the trip, and he had a surprise to make her milestone birthday extra special.
Washington encouraged Gonzaque and her family to pour the warm sand over him as he lay down on the beach until only his head could be seen. Eventually, he sat up, showering sand everywhere. Holding one hand out, he told his girlfriend that he’d found something underneath all that sand.
Gonzaque wanted to know what he found, and he surprised her by holding out a ring box.
“I started backing up. I was like ‘no way is this for real.’ I thought he was joking with me,” she said, recalling that moment.
Her mom, Kim Gonzaque, was standing by and encouraged her to listen to what Washington had to say. Washington had clued the whole family in that he planned to pop the question during the trip.
Gonzaque described the scene as perfect when he got down on one knee and proposed, with her family watching in the background.
“It was my dream proposal, a proposal on the beach,” she said.
Washington said he had no idea she felt that way. With a quick grin, he said he almost lost the ring box in the sand before he had a chance to propose. He said all of his planning would have been for nothing if he had lost the ring in the shifting sand.
High school sweethearts
The Edmond couple exchanged wedding vows on April 20 before family and friends gathered at The Manor at Coffee Creek in Edmond.
The two had been dating since their best friends introduced them during a double date. She was a freshman, and he was a senior at Edmond Santa Fe High School.
Gonzaque, 22, said she was smitten early on and knew at age 18 that she wanted to marry Washington when they were older. Washington said while attending the same high school, he always knew that he would see Gonzaque. It wasn’t until he graduated and moved on to college — and had to make more of an effort to see her and keep the relationship going — that he realized how much she meant to him.
“She was always there for me,” he said.
Gonzaque said she liked Washington, 25, because he was familyoriented, loves and
values his family, and he had a good sense of humor. Washington said he was drawn to Gonzaque because she was a caring person and a nurturing “mom” type to her own family, where she is the youngest daughter. Plus, he said she had a sense of humor that appealed to his own comedic leanings.
The high school sweethearts said they faced the challenges that came as they each grew older by committing to keeping the lines of communication open. Washington said they don’t end their evenings angry with each other, choosing not to hold onto grudges.
“You can’t hold onto anything. If it’s a thing in the past, let it be in the past and look forward to the future,” he said. “You may be upset with somebody — that happens — but love trumps that.”
Gonzaque and her bridesmaids (escorted by groomsmen) walked down the aisle to the sound of “I Choose You (Acoustic),” by R&B recording artist and actress Kiana Lede, and “Why I Love You,” by R&B recording artist Major.
“These songs are both very special to me because they express exactly how I feel about Taylor,” she said.
She spoke more about her feelings for her groom during her vows, when she said she was glad that her father, David Gonzaque, met Washington before he died. She said her dad told her that Washington would be a good person to marry someday.
For his part, in his vows, Washington called Gonzaque his “North Star,” guiding him home.
The couple’s wedding hashtag for social media was appropriately titled #TaylorsDateWithDestiny.
All in the family
Gonzaque, a self-described “Daddy’s girl,” was extremely close to her father, who died in 2012. She said she would have loved to have had him walk her down the aisle, but she chose her uncle Michael Gonzaque in her dad’s absence “because he has been there for me and he is my father’s brother.”
Michael Gonzaque said he felt honored to play such a key role in his niece’s wedding.
“I thought that it was one of the biggest accomplishments of my life. I remember when she was born. She’s just an amazing human being so I was blessed to be a part of it,” he said.
When asked what his brother would have thought of the nuptials, the proud uncle didn’t hesitate to respond.
“He’s my brother, and I believe that his spirit was here,” Michael Gonzaque said.
“He would have thought that it was amazing because he told Destiny that Taylor was an amazing young man and that he thought that they would make it.”
Meanwhile, family again played a key role during the reception.
Washington and his mom, Karen Taylor, smiled as they treated the crowd to a mother-son dance.
Instead of the traditional father-daughter dance, Gonzaque and her mom walked out on the dance floor and danced together to a midtempo song.
“I knew this was such a special and emotional moment for her, and I wanted her to know I loved her and she is always appreciated,” Gonzaque said of her decision to invite her mother for a mother-daughter dance.
Guests were delighted when the music intentionally shifted to an up-tempo beat and the bride and her mother were joined by the bride’s sisters to perform a spirited choreographed dance that caused everyone to stand to their feet and cheer.
The newly wedded couple are looking forward to their future together. Washington works full time as a coach for a metro-area sports program and plans to head back to college this fall to complete his graphic design degree program. Gonzaque currently works at a metro-area private school while she finishes a program to become a radiology technician.