Until recently, Alec Tomlin, 30, never allowed himself to dream of living the life he now leads with his husband, Brian Mazelin, 34. The Orlando-based couple wed in an intimate ceremony at Paradise Cove on July 8, 2022, in front of family and friends, and days later, to an audience of over 34,000 people who watched their wedding video on their increasingly popular YouTube channel “Meet The Mazelins.”
Tomlin, a native of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Mazelin, a Miami, FL native, walked down the aisle, hand-in-hand in what can only be described as an out-of-body experience. “I literally burst into tears the minute we turned the corner,” Tomlin said. “Knowing this wasn't just me as a viewer, but me as a participant in a wedding, to this day, it’s something that I don't think has hit me, like, how big it is.”
The newlywed's journey to the altar was not without its share of obstacles; from navigating a long-distance relationship in 2020 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, to Tomlin’s exhaustive immigration process, to the rescheduling of their wedding day—their persistence and unwavering commitment proved that a delay is not a denial.
“I can remember several times in life praying that God would change the way that I am because I wasn’t worthy of happiness for loving who I love,” Tomlin said in his vows to Mazelin. “But they say God doesn’t give you what you want but gives you what you need.”
The husbands met in person for the first time in August 2020, nearly two years after Tomlin initially slid into Mazelin’s Instagram direct messages to compliment him on a “characteristically Jamaican” shirt he was wearing in a photo, only for Mazelin to acknowledge receipt of his message with a “double tap” and no opening for an exchange.
“I was in a relationship at the time. So, I wanted to respect what I was in because I did think he was attractive,” Mazelin said. “If we had started conversations, it probably would've gone the inappropriate route. So, I just left it where it was until I wasn't in a relationship.”
With a fresh haircut and a newly posted photo, Tomlin tells The Reckoning that Mazelin circled back to his Instagram page post-break-up to react in a way that he couldn’t before.
“[He said] nice smile or something like that. And I was like, oh, hey, Mr. Double Tap,” Tomlin said through laughter.
Mazelin, a flight attendant, soon made plans to travel to Montego Bay to meet Tomlin in person. The two were not strangers to long-distance relationships, but this marked the first time each established a strong connection with someone online before ever sharing physical space. And the COVID travel restrictions at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay ensured that their first meeting would be delayed by another three hours.
“I was not in the best mood, but when I saw him, all of that went away,” Mazelin said. “His smile was so bright. I just thought he was the most handsome thing that I had ever seen.”
“When he finally got in the car, I was kind of speechless,” Tomlin said. “I was just hoping that everything went well, and he enjoyed his time in Jamaica. And he enjoyed me.”
“We didn’t skip a beat,” Mazelin recalls.
They were engaged four months later.
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