Guests at Collin Haas' intimate Saturday wedding to Jason Matheson were asked to be in the moment by tweeting pictures.
The officiant was Colleen Lindstrom, Twitter's @mytalkcolleen, an on-air colleague of MyTalk107.1's @jasonmatheson. She told invitees to whip out their cellphones and tweet selfies using the hashtag #JasonandCollinWed. The grooms posted a selfie before reading their vows to each other, as DJ Jake Encinas played a digitally infused ditty that was perfecto.
Since Match.com brought the grooms together, it was only natural for them to embrace social media, instead of confiscating phones as some do these days. It was one of several delightful surprises that Haas, a business manager, and his media darling planned for their 200 wedding guests at this incredibly moving ceremony held at Minneapolis' Loews Hotel.
The tears started for Matheson's mom, Dar Smeal, as she and Jason waited to process down the aisle after Haas and his mother, Lori Haas, did so. Collin, who took Matheson's name, didn't start to tear up until Jason hugged his mom and proceeded to join him before they stepped up to the altar. Collin's dad, Carl Haas, and Jason's stepdad, Dutch Smeal, were escorted in ahead of the grooms and their moms.
Lindstrom stressed to bossy Jason that she was in charge for the next few minutes. She talked about how Haas brought show tunes to the relationship while Jason supplied a passion for "Dallas." Lindstrom recounted that on the night they met, when "Jason spotted Collin's bouncy walk coming up the sidewalk, he immediately adored him." She also said Jason tried to prepare Collin for dating someone "with Jason's high profile. Collin thought Jason was exaggerating and totally full of himself. But he realized [that] after one trip to the State Fair."
Collin was emotional while reciting his vows; he promised to continue loving Jason and telling him the truth.
Jason said he knew Collin was the one when they went to Southfork, the ranch in Texas that was the setting for "Dallas." Such a fan is he that I half-expected his pal Linda Gray to be there.
"We toured Southfork, and he didn't laugh at me, he didn't judge," Jason said during his vows. "He just knew it was joyful for me. Then on the way back, the moment that I knew I would spend the rest of my life with him was when he said, 'You know, I could build Southfork for you.' "