• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
HE Travel

HE Travel

Gay travel and tours on all seven continents!

  • Calendar
  • Destinations
    • Bucket List Destination
    • Africa & Middle East
    • Antarctica & Arctic
    • Asia & India
    • Caribbean & Central America
    • Europe
    • North America
    • Oceania
    • South America
    • Show All
  • Tours
    • Custom Tours
    • A to Z Tours by Location
    • Adventure Tours
    • Adrenaline Club
    • Biking Tours
    • Culinary Tours
    • Cultural Tours
    • Gay Cruises
    • Physical Activity Level
      • 1
      • 2
      • 3
      • 4
      • All Gay Tours by Activity Level
    • Self Guided Tours
    • All Tours
  • Blog
  • Media
    • 360 Degree Tour Galleries
    • Tour Gallery
    • Videos
      • Tour Videos
      • 360 Degree Videos
    • Gay Travel Books by Hanns Ebensten
    • Plant-A-Tree Program
  • Questions?
    • Comparing Gay Vacations
    • FAQ
    • History
    • Deposits for Life
    • Gay Travel Specials
    • Terms and Conditions
    • HE Travel Inc. Privacy Policy
    • Testimonials
    • Travel Insurance
    • Lost Luggage
    • Questions About HE Travel
  • Contact
    • 800-825-9766
    • Newsletter Sign-Up
    • Reservations
    • Request Brochures
    • Send a Message
    • Site Map
    • Flight Request Form
    • Contact Us

Sam and Lou’s Gay Wedding

September 29, 2014 by Zachary Moses

Zachary Moses poses with Newly Weds Sam Sirko and Lou Smith at their chicago wedding in September 2014

By Zachary Moses

Sam Sirko and Lou Smith just got married. Gay married. Something that only a couple of years ago seemed unattainable and likely decades away.

I met Sam and Lou in Key West shortly after I started working at HE Travel. We hit it off as friends, and they joined me on the first tour I ever led for the company. They have joined me on several tours since, including Arizona Biking, Israel Adventure, and Patagonia Adventure, and they will be spending their honeymoon with me in South Africa this November. Needless to say, they become more like best friends than customers, and pictures of these handsome men are found all over our website.

When I got the invitation to attend their wedding reception, I didn’t hesitate to book the plane ticket to Chicago. Sam and Lou have been with me on nearly every wild crazy adventure that I’ve come up with. Willing to fly halfway around the world to spend time with me, so I’d be damned if I was going to miss out on one of their biggest adventures yet!

Since I didn’t have a companion for the wedding reception, I called my nephew Kwesi, who’s currently going to school in Chicago. When Kwesi and I met up, we had to adjust his wardrobe to make him look a little classier. The knucklehead wanted to wear his Air Jordans, for heavens sake. This quickly became a competition to see which of us could dress more flamboyantly for the party. We raided his father’s closet for his clothes and, in the end, I think he beat me on classiness. However, nobody could say my gay cowboy outfit isn’t outlandish.

Zachary Moses and his Nephew Kwesi attend a gay wedding in Chicago

Once we got to the wedding, Kwesi quickly hit it off with Sam’s niece, and I was suddenly at the reception by myself after all. I wandered around saying hello to people. Most of them unfamiliar to me. I passed out a few business cards, and spent a good amount of time chatting with Sam and Lou and the friends that they introduced me too.

It was touching watching the couple dance together for their first married dance. I loved listening to their toasts. I’ve never seen a reception event for two men before. It triggered the same emotional response in me that I had when watching my sister marry her longtime boyfriend last winter. I was filled with hope, happiness, and longing. I realized that I was witnessing history, an historic event that our children will simply dismiss as an obvious human right.

Sam Sirko and Lou Smith tie the knot in Chicago September 2014

I turned my attention to the projection that was going on the wall. It depicted a slideshow of all of Sam and Lou’s greatest memories together. The reel was dominated by images of their world travels together, clearly a priority for them both. I was witnessing decades of their adventures around the globe together. I was touched to realize that I had personally taken several of these images. I had been present, and taken part in many of their most memorable moments. I started to cry. I have had the unique privilege of being a part of something special for many people in my short time at HE Travel.

Congratulations Sam and Lou, I am looking forward to being your companion on your most special holiday together. Thank you so much for including me in your most precious memories.

With love and admiration,

Zachary Moses

Check out our gay tour calendar to find your next vacation.

Filed Under: The Gay Travel Blog, Uncategorized, USA, Writings, Zachary Moses Tagged With: gay chicago, Gay Travel, gay wedding, HE Travel, Kwesi, lou smith, sam sirko, Zachary Moses

About Zachary Moses

Zachary has done every job at HeTravel.com. He started in the marketing mailroom in 2010, and eventually worked his way up to serving 2 years on the board of directors for the National Tour Association and an additional two years serving as the CEO of HeTravel.com.

He ran for Governor of Utah as a Democrat in 2020, garnering international attention while running in this historically RED state.

During a 14-month long Pandemic-related forced "sabbatical," he returned to his passion of carpentry, having now restored several historic buildings. He also gave a TEDx talk in 2020 pitching an idea to save/restore the Great Salt Lake and other western saline lakes.

Zachary has returned to HE Travel, however, he is no longer the CEO and has now taken on the role of CXO or Chief Experience Officer.

Zach has been working with the company for more than a decade, and still leads tours, writes blogs, and speaks at international conferences.

© 2025 Hanns Ebensten Travel

↑