After a Rough Start, a Strong Connection

Before Travis Kenneth London fell in love with Bruce Douglas Patrick, he had blocked his number.

After matching on the dating app Tinder, they had their first date in December 2021 at Via Emilia 9, an Italian restaurant in Miami Beach. “It was an instant spark for me,” said Mr. London, 35, recalling Mr. Patrick’s outfit: a fitted black shirt, gray pants, gold necklace. “I thought he looked so cute and handsome.”

The feeling was mutual.

“I just thought Travis was gorgeous,” Mr. Patrick, 76, said. “We were so comfortable with each other. And despite our different backgrounds and different life experiences, we just felt like we were connected.” They spent about three hours talking at the restaurant, and then the date continued late into the night.

The next day, Mr. Patrick sent Mr. London a real estate listing for a house across the street from Mr. London’s. Mr. Patrick was thinking of buying it because he lived two hours away in Naples, Fla., and he wanted to live closer to Mr. London so they could get to know each other. He figured he would rent it out on Airbnb when he wasn’t there.

For Mr. London, this was a big red flag. “I’m like, This guy’s crazy!” Mr. London said. So he blocked Mr. Patrick’s phone number and cut off communication on Tinder and WhatsApp and over email. (Ultimately, Mr. Patrick did not buy the house.)

About two months later, Mr. Patrick sent Mr. London a message on Instagram, asking what he had done wrong. Mr. London told him that the idea to buy the house was “too much too soon,” and it scared him.

Mr. Patrick apologized and explained that he was not the best at dating. He had been married twice before to women and had only come out recently. “When I grew up in Texas, you couldn’t really be gay,” Mr. Patrick said. “So I repressed it.” In 2011, he and his wife of 30 years — with whom he has a daughter — divorced.

He asked Mr. London if they could start over. Mr. London said yes — but only as friends.

So they began spending time together. For Mr. London’s birthday in July 2022, Mr. Patrick invited him to Fire Island, N.Y. And over time, the friendship became romantic. That year, Mr. Patrick spent Thanksgiving with Mr. London’s family, and the two officially became a couple.

They hit another milestone in April 2023, when Mr. London decided to move in with Mr. Patrick, who was splitting his time between Naples and New York City. Mr. London’s home in Miami was special to him: Its interior design had been featured in magazines such as Architectural Digest and House Beautiful. He runs his own interior design business, Studio London Co., in Miami and Savannah, Ga.

But he was ready to leave Miami and his home behind to be with Mr. Patrick.

Mr. Patrick offered a compromise instead: He would sell his home in Naples and the two would live together in Miami, while also maintaining homes in New York and Savannah.

In July 2023, Mr. Patrick proposed to Mr. London during a trip to the south of France. They were with friends in a restaurant in Cannes, and their friends asked when the two were marrying. “I said, ‘Do you want me to get down on one knee? I can’t,’” Mr. Patrick recalled, laughing. When Mr. Patrick stood up to propose, Mr. London asked him why he wanted to marry him. Mr. Patrick replied, “Because I know you will always take care of me.”

[Click here to binge read this week’s featured couples.]

Mr. Patrick is a retired tax lawyer for Exxon and other companies. He grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a law degree. He also received a Master of Laws in taxation from New York University. He sings in MasterVoices and the Oratorio Society of New York, both choruses.

Mr. London grew up in Los Angeles and was previously a chef. He trained at the International Culinary Center, formerly known as the French Culinary Institute, in New York.

The two were married on Nov. 4 at their home in Miami in a poolside ceremony. Blake Lopez, a friend of the couple who is a Universal Life Church minister, officiated.

Mr. London wore a custom wedding outfit by Jerome LaMaar and a crown by Soull Kehinde Ogun of L’Enchanteur. For the wedding, it was important to the couple that they work primarily with queer artists and vendors to celebrate the community that helped them realize a dream they had never thought would come true.

“I hope we send a message that age doesn’t matter,” Mr. Patrick said, “and you can never be too old to come out and live your true life.”