Names: Crystal Cornish and Lorraine Tomlinson
Ages: Crystal is 35 and Lorraine is 27.
Professions: Lorraine is a dentist (and you can call her Dr. T). Crystal is a marketing director for a private property management company and a band member of the CooLots.
City, State: Greenbelt, MD
Date of Wedding: Next summer. We’ve decided on June to keep our anniversary the same.
The Big Day:
Lorraine: I just want a party! Can we skip tradition and go straight to food, dance, and alcohol?
Crystal: Yes, we’ve settled on private nuptials. We don’t really want the show. The most important piece for us is celebrating with our favorite people in our favorite way. Rest assured we will be calling on some of our favorite artists and musicians really soon.
The Firsts:
First meeting:
Shout out to Lee Perrine Levingston of Maker’s Lab. Lee previously organized a pride party called Freak Out and we met there.
Lorraine’s Take: I was trying to get some liquid courage since the only person I knew at the party was “chasing tail”. I was trying to get the bartender’s attention but to no availability. Then Crystal swooped in out of thin air and asked to buy me a drink. A drink led to a dance, a dance led to Crystal asking if I was at least 25. (I was turning 25 in a couple months so she said it was good enough). After the age clearance, Crystal insisted we exchange numbers before her phone died (it was on 1%). Party ended and I made good use of the number exchange. After that Crystal couldn’t resist my awesomeness.
Crystal’s Take: Okay so, Lorraine’s story is just…*insert eye roll*. All I can ever do is shake my head at her. It’s kind of the nature of our relationship. LOL! I had just finished a show and went to what was known at that time as Jin Lounge (now Quarter and Glory). I saw her in distress at the bar. I swooped in being the Good Samaritan that I am to help since she was struggling to get the bartender’s attention. (Okay, I may have been flirting. She also may have had difficulty getting the bartender’s attention because she was busy socializing). I think I was drawn to the fact that I had never seen her before. And just to clear things up, an eight year age gap was all that I was open to at that time. Anything outside of that was outside of my comfort zone.
First date:
Lorraine: Um, I really don’t remember.
Crystal: What she really means is that she’s going to let me tell the story. Our first date was actually pretty unconventional. In fact, it wasn’t really a date but more of a hangout. We were supposed to meet up (the same night we met) at DJ India’s annual Pride party at Ozio’s. I didn’t make it to the party but still wanted to hang after the event. Somehow, I ended up at Lorraine’s house. We talked for hours until 5 a.m. From there we were pretty inseparable. Talk about lesbian speed!
First kiss:
After talking for three hours about nothing in particular.
When They Knew:
Lorraine: When she fed me.
Crystal: I knew within one month of the relationship. It’ll be three years in May.
The Proposal: Crystal says: Well, it was date night. Coincidentally, it was also our good friend’s birthday weekend and the plan was to attend her birthday soiree later at Quarter and Glory. We headed first to one of our favorite restaurants – Ristorante Piccolo in Georgetown. (The food there is fantastic! If you love Italian food complete with grappas, please go!). We finally made it to Quarter and Glory but I was told that I had to close my eyes since there was a special surprise. Of course, I’m confused since it’s my friend’s birthday afterall and not mine. After we walked several feet, I was told to open my eyes. As I open my eye, I hear ‘SURPRISE’! A group of about 20 of my favorite friends were there screaming and taking pictures. At this point, I’m crying because I see her gathering the ring and getting on one knee. In utter shock, I see her mouth the words “I love you. Will you marry me?” Then I hear her say, “this ain’t a ring pop!” *our insider* I finally snapped back to reality – and replied “YES!” I was a sobbing mess! The entire place was congratulatory. Someone even sent champagne. It couldn’t have been more perfect.
The Ring(s): Noori black and white diamond lotus flower
Honeymoon: Somewhere tropical where Lorraine can make use of her new life jacket. Possibilities are St. Maarten, Tahiti or Belize.
Looking into the Future: Tomlinson-Cornish empire coming soon!
