WEDDING GUIDE
FROM ROOMMATES TO SOUL MATES A.J. Mistretta and Austin Abernathy’s relationship blossomed shortly after moving in together. By JENNY BLOCK Photos by DANIEL ORTIZ A.J. Mistretta (l) and Austin Abernathy New Orleans native Anthony J. “A.J.” Mistretta was looking for a roommate when he met Austin R. Abernathy. Instead of just a roommate, A.J. found love. “A friend introduced us when I moved to Houston from the suburbs and was looking for a roommate. Austin was looking for a place to live. We connected. He moved in, and about a month later, we began dating,” A.J. says. A.J., 40, is a graduate of the University of New Orleans and is the vice president of communications at the Greater Houston Partnership. Austin, 28, is from Texas City and graduated from the University of Houston. He is the assistant production manager at Stages Theatre, and they currently live in Houston’s 72
FEBRUARY 2022 |
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Third Ward. About four months after they started dating, the couple was hanging out at a “Sunday Funday” in Montrose with friends when Austin grabbed A.J.’s arm as they were walking to the car. Austin then told A.J. that he already knew they would get married one day. “I think it took him by surprise, but he quickly warmed up to the idea,” Austin recalls. The couple bought a house together in May 2020. “It was stressful to search for a place and sell ours as the uncertainty of COVID set in. But I knew that I wanted to propose to Austin around the time we moved,” A.J. says. He had considered a number of ways to propose, but he knew for sure that he wanted their dog, Abby, to play a part in it.
“Abby has become such a big part of our lives since we got her four months after we began dating,” A.J. says. So he asked a friend to paint a sign addressed to Austin from Abby’s point of view, asking her Papa if he would marry Dad. “I put the sign around her neck, played a romantic song, and asked Austin to join me on the couch. He was very surprised, began to cry, and quickly said Yes.” They chose New Orleans as their wedding destination because it holds a lot of special memories for both of them. “We went down there one weekend last fall to find a venue, and after a long search, we picked the New Orleans Botanical Gardens at City Park. We chose November 5, thinking that the weather would be ideal at that time for an outdoor wedding,”
