Doug Lotz and Randy Speer met through a personal ad Doug posted in this very paper in 1998, in search of a man to share his love of romance, adventure, and martinis. A week later, he went out for Thai food with Randy, and now they've been traveling, having martinis, and throwing parties together for 15 years. Of course, a couple that's been so happy for so long has to go out of their way to make their wedding a surprise. When inviting Wedding Crasher, Doug wrote, "Everyone except our mothers, the officiant—a good friend ordained online—and now you thinks we got married on July 5 under the ruse that we are far too weepy to get through it in front of everyone. Which we are. We are going to surprise them all and really get married at what they think is just the reception."

At their home in Shoreline, friends and family gathered around the backyard pool, wearing leis—the plumeria kind, not the ones grown by the same method as Astroturf—eating coconut shrimp and drinking homemade POG mimosas. The yard was decorated with tiki torches, conch shells, and a Mayan calendar from the couple's favorite vacation destinations. The ceremony was modeled after the one in the movie Spaceballs, with their friend Laurie saying only, "Do you?" and the grooms, "I do." The assembly applauded. The brevity didn't prevent anybody from getting weepy.

There was another surprise. I first mistook the sound of the mariachi band approaching for a passing car's stereo. When the musicians appeared, Randy put his arm around Doug, teary-eyed. Randy loves mariachi music, and he had no idea Doug had hired the band. Laurie told me they love to surprise each other, and it's always fun to see what they do at Christmas. It was wonderful to witness what happens when two people have spent years learning to make each other happy. recommended