Our Story
It’s the oldest love story in the book. Boy joins gay bowling league. Boy meets boy at pre-bowling brunch. Boy asks boy to come over for a onesie night. As Mrs. Potts aptly said, “Tale as old as time.”
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Stephen and Phil were introduced by Dr. Clement Gomes (his status as a doctor has nothing to do with this story, but he paid a lot for it, so we had to mention it), an old friend of Stephen’s who happened to be placed on Phil’s bowling team. After organizing a brunch at one of Manhattan’s finest dining establishments (it’s now closed), Clement was late, forcing strangers Stephen and Phil to make much-dreaded small talk alone. Yada yada yada, they hit it off!
From the get-go, Stephen’s friends were impressed with Phil’s ability to “throw it right back” at the sassy Stephen and seemingly soften Stephen’s formerly stone-hearted sensibilities. On the other hand, Phil’s friends were impressed with Stephen’s flowy cardigans and his, as acclaimed dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engleman once put it, “flawless” skin.
Perhaps no one was more surprised at how well they got along and how much they enjoyed being together than the once valedictorian and the former balloon impresario. After all, they were quite different people. Phil lived on 46th Street and Stephen lived all the way over on 47th Street. Phil used to write for Stagelight Magazine and Stephen used to write Facebook takedown pieces. Phil was “glass half full” and Stephen was “glass needs another splish-splash of Sav Blanc”. But somehow…through the magic of being gay…and living one block from each other…they just worked. They just clicked. They just quoted “Seinfeld.”
The two began to travel together to such exotic destinations as Philadelphia and the Upper West Side. They increasingly spent time at one another’s apartments, with the insomnia-prone Stephen often texting the people-pleasing-prone Phil to come over at 4am to “cuddle me back to sleep” (Phil has the text receipts on this). And eventually, as with all love stories, the word “love” was finally introduced.
Perhaps it was the tequila or the Ambien talking, but one fateful night in May 2017, Stephen (I know, we can’t believe it was him either) first said “I love you.” And just like with Romeo and Juliet, the following morning he took it back and said he didn’t want to ever talk about it again. But then, that same night, after a day trip to Laura and Rob’s famous Connecticut Derby Party (yes, Stephen and Phil have straight friends too), while walking through Grand Central, Stephen stopped, pushed Phil up against a wall and un-took it back, declaring his love definitively and for realsies this time.
Over the subsequent years, Stephen and Phil would share the best of times together. They would never forget meeting each other’s incredible families and immediately being welcomed with open arms. They would certainly never forget the time Stephen’s brother Jason French kissed Phil at Christmas Eve dinner in front of the whole Swartz Family, much to Steve Sr’s dismay (“I know people here!” Steve Sr. yelled at the time).
And as the beautiful memory-filled years passed, they realized that pandemics come and go, but true love is forever. And so, one night in April 2022, in the most Stephen Swartz like of moves, Stephen threw a roast for himself to honor his 40th birthday. But in the most un-Stephen Swartz like of moves, he used that roast to propose to the love of his life (Phil, not Matt Bomer), sharing the spotlight and turning the evening into a special and beautiful shared occasion for the now-betrothed couple.
And in March 2025, the Smutz Fam is finally making it official and tying the knot with their nearest and dearest in beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. But unlike traditional Disney love stories that get wrapped up nicely with a bow after the final romantic wedding kiss, this gay love story is just getting started.
