Bianca and Curley met each other during a time when they were in very low points in their personal lives. Bianca, who was living in Atlanta, Georgia, had come to Orlando, Florida to visit the matron of honor (Jade) in an effort to take a break from a traumatizing relationship. Curley, a Tuscaloosa native, had been living in Central Florida for 4 years and was the co-owner of a small tattoo parlor in Clermont, Florida. Eager to do something drastic, Bianca convinced Jade to get her (Bianca’s) first tattoo along with a matching nose piercing. Jade had her eyes set on Black Ink Orlando, but Bianca was much more frugal in her pursuit of living life dangerously. Always being taught to give herself “options,” she turned to Instagram to find a shop that could accommodate her budget and execute her vision. The words #orlandotattooartist were typed into the search engine. She knew she wanted to support a black-owned business, so she proceeded to scan the internet streets for a black tattoo artist in the area. As she was skimming diligently through different profiles, she came across Curley, a Virgo, who was doing tattoos in Clermont, Florida. She reached out to one other tattoo artist, along with this self-proclaimed, “lame Virgo and father,” and Curley was the only one who responded. His southern mannerisms were refreshing for Bianca, and she felt as though she had found her perfect tattoo artist that knew what he was doing and wouldn’t burn through her pockets in the process. The next day, as Bianca was working late one night, she decided to post a random Instagram story which insinuated that she wanted to go on a real date yet Covid-19 was messing up that vision. Curley saw the story post and typed a simple 🤣. That one emoji sparked a text conversation that continued over five hours. Since July 7, 2020, not a single day has passed that the couple has not exchanged words. 🥰

After seeing each other in person and getting the tattoo, Bianca and Curley continued their daily conversations well into mid-August. They found out they had a lot of things in common, particularly a love for Harry Potter and being born and raised in Sweet Home Alabama. Still, the vast majority of their conversations were virtual at this time via text and IG message. In the spirit of being random and spontaneous during a time when it was advised NOT to leave the house or be in public places, Bianca asked Curley how he would feel about meeting up in Las Vegas, Nevada for his 29th birthday on September 17. Although he was reluctant at first, Curley eventually agreed to the spontaneous date with … for all intents and purposes… a stranger who he had met on the internet and only saw one time. After some careful planning, the two met up in Las Vegas, Nevada, and spent two days together exploring the ghost town that was Covid-19 Vegas, enjoying what the city had to offer. It was during those two days that Curley and Bianca secretly started to develop feelings for each other. However, the distance between them made them remain friends and continue to develop their friendship.

After spending six months courting each other and getting to know one another on a deeper level, Curley finally decided to stop being a turtle and officially ask Bianca to be his girlfriend.

For Bianca‘s 34th birthday, all she wanted to do was wake up on the beach. Therefore, at the very last minute, she decided that she wanted to go to Port Canaveral, Florida, the day before her birthday, so that she could wake up and watch the sunrise on a beautiful day. There was no better person to share such a blissful moment with than her man, Curley. So, at about 3 in the afternoon, the two hit the road and ended up at a beach house only a short walk from the murky sands of Port Canaveral. Curley and Bianca put on their swimming gear and walked from their rental to a very calm and quiet beach. There were only about 8 or 9 people there—a small family of 4 with three dogs, a couple who was lounging near the waves with a cooler, another couple playing in the water, and a couple of people here and there walking back and forth to get their exercise. Only about a week had passed since the massive storm had terrorized the Florida coast. Still, Bianca and Curley were content, wading shin-deep in the water and enjoying each others company as they listened to the waves and talked to each other about life. It was right around sunset, and Bianca had to get on a very important call which ended up lasting an hour. After walking the beach for that hour, she returned back to the same place that she and Curley had been sitting before the call began. It was pitch dark, with only the stars above and the lighthouse further out to provide any light. The couple sat in the calm silence, listening to the gentle rhythm of the ocean. Bianca turned to Curley and told him how much she appreciated him for coming with her and that she appreciated him for dealing with her foolishness and being patient with her indecisive nature. She also added that she was a work in progress. Immediately after she made the statement, Curley began to deeply express the love and admiration that he had for Bianca, getting closer to her and sitting up on both knees as he looked into her eyes and told her how much he loved her and could not see himself being with anyone else in the world. And then suddenly, at 8:08 p.m. Curley let one of his knees touch the ground, reached into his left pocket, and pulled out an ocean blue ring box and said, “Taryn Bianca Scott, will you marry me?” Bianca was so shocked that she completely lost her voice. Although she had dreamed of this moment millions of times before, her body still was unable to fully register that it was actually happening. For the next minute, which felt like an eternity, she struggled to catch her breath as the entire world stopped spinning. She stared into the eyes of the man who she had loved for so long. He was looking back at her with the blue box open, revealing the precious jewel that signified his commitment to her and willingness to spend the rest of his life as her partner. Finally, she found her voice and had the biggest smile on her face as she nodded her head and said, “Yes.”