Two Houston natives get married after years of long-distance relationship

Carlos Paz Jr. and Abigail Diaz had a rule: they saw each other at least once a month, although their relationship was mostly long-distance.

One of those visits, a trip to Chicago in 2018, would test their future.

In an Uber from the airport to the hotel, they talked about how things were. Diaz, 37, was under the impression that Mr. Paz, also 37, would return to Houston, where they were both from and where she lived at the time.

“I couldn’t hold it in any longer,” said Ms. Diaz, who started the conversation. “I had a strong feeling that he had misled me.” Mr. Paz wanted to stay in Washington for work, but was afraid to share that with Ms. Diaz.

“I was worried,” he said. “If I share this information, we will have to make a different decision about staying together.”

At Gino’s East Pizzeria, Ms. Diaz became so upset that she left before her food arrived.

At the time, Mr. Paz, chief of staff to Rep. Jimmy Gomez, a California Democrat, said he envisioned his life in “two realities”: one in which he would pursue her, and one in which he would accept the end of their relationship.

“Abby just wanted to know I was home,” Mr. Paz said. He knew Ms. Diaz needed him to “fight for her,” he said. He quickly paid for the food and ran after it.

Mr. Paz and Ms. Diaz grew up in Houston and had mutual friends, but it wasn’t until September 2015 that they met at a party there. Then it would be almost another year—August 2016—before they could actually meet at a mutual friend’s birthday party in Brooklyn.

They sat together at dinner and talked all evening. Mr. Paz had just moved from Houston to Washington in March 2016 and was communications director for Rep. Gene Greene, the Texas Democrat who left his position on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Ms. Diaz worked in the liquor business and curated a dinner series in Houston.

They took a photo together to remember that night. “She said we were like Mexican Ken and Barbie,” said Mr. Paz, who agreed but wanted to take his time.

“I certainly found Abby to be a very interesting and attractive person,” he said. “If this is going to work, it should start with friends.”

The friendly atmosphere of their meeting made Ms. Diaz feel insecure. He was different from most of the men she had dated. He wore suits and seemed more “preppy,” she said.

(Click here to read this week’s featured couples.)

In past dating experiences, she said, her “outspoken” nature has caused controversy. Ms. Diaz said that while Mexican culture is “male-oriented” and that having grown up in a southern state, “women like me don’t always get the best deal.” In Mr. Paz she found her “equal.”

The next day, he planned to visit a friend and colleague at Hillary Clinton’s headquarters in Brooklyn. Despite her hesitation, and because she was curious to see the campaign office, Ms. Diaz offered to meet Mr. Paz there. The minutes of waiting turned into an hour as Mr. Paz’s friend promised to send someone to the lobby to get her, but that person never showed up. When Mr. Paz finally came downstairs, he said he was “nervous” about the timing and apologized.

Although Ms. Diaz was “bored,” the wait was worth it, she said. The date continued with a walk through Brooklyn Heights and an intimate conversation over a hamburger and fries in Dumbo. Both were born in modest Houston, and their parents immigrated from the same state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, in the late 1970s.

Mr. Paz holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from George Washington University. He took his first campaign job with Chris Brown, who will become Houston’s city comptroller in 2016. He continued to work with various members of Congress in communications and staff positions, including Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader.

Mr. Paz, who comes from a close-knit Catholic family, learned the art of politics by watching his parents host large family gatherings at their home. He said: “In Abbey I found someone who loves hosting and someone who likes to create a sense of family with friends.”

Ms. Diaz was raised in a Christian home with her three siblings by a mother who taught her the value of independence. Ms. Diaz received her bachelor’s degree from the Art Institute of Houston and will continue to pursue sales, entrepreneurship and creative pursuits. She currently works as a Customer Success Consultant at Amazon Business.

The couple moved to Washington DC together in 2020 and got engaged in January 2022.

They got married in September. 1 at the Live Oak Friends Meeting House in Houston, with approximately 40 close friends and family members in attendance. The ceremony was officiated by Christina A. Bryan, a federal magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

The couple is planning a huge celebration in Mexico City on October 6, paying homage to their roots and taste for city life. “Our parents went to America for a better life,” Mr. Paz said. “Now we will return to our homeland and show them that it was worth it.”