#RiceToTheAltar

In 2004-2005 we co-led the steppers' ministry at our former church under the direction of Reggie's late mother, Ms. Serlina Rice ❤️🕊. We never dated, but we built a solid friendship during our extensive time together. We each went our separate ways, got married, and had beautiful children; Bridgette had William, Reggie had Kiera. On February 28, 2021, in her "pressure" season, Bridgette posted a picture of a pork tenderloin she cooked--one of Reggie's favs. What happened next varies depending on which of us you talk to (like who slid into whose DMs...or who "ran" for months 😜), but this reconnection sparked friendship and more. It was like our hearts and spirits had a conversation that our minds and lives were trying to catch up to. We prayed. We fasted. We sought wise counsel. We waited for God to confirm who we were supposed to be in each other's lives. We officially became a couple on May 22, 2021 on the way to celebrate our birthday--we share the same birthday--on the Spirit of Philadelphia with close friends. Reggie is Bridgette's "anchor", and Bridgette is Reggie's "everything". The mutual love, care and respect we have for each other is an answered prayer and exceeds our wildest dreams! God has been at the center of our connection from day one, and we are excited to see how He will bless us, and more importantly others, through this union. We look forward to celebrating with you as we merge our lives together 💞

Being the amazingly thoughtful man he is, Reggie wanted to make sure this day was special for me. He planned a surprise proposal party bringing our family and friends together from near and far. My mom tricked me into thinking we were going to an event for one of her friends so that I would be dressed appropriately. My hair and nails were also already done, because I was prepared for Resurrection Sunday 😊 When we arrived at the event and I opened the door, the room was filled with bright cellphone flashlights shining in my face, and a crowd of people screaming "YOU IS BEAUTIFUL" (a running joke between Reggie and I because he says this to me all the time LOL). At first I wasn't processing what was happening--I looked back toward my mom because I thought we ruined the surprise for her friend's family. But when I looked to my left I saw my best friend, then looked to my right and saw a banner on the wall with one of my fav pics of the two of us and the words "Will You Marry Me?" That's when the waterworks started, and it took everything to stay on my feet. Reggie's gift with words is one of the things I love about him, and his proposal speech did not disappoint! My beautiful ring is the icing on the cake 💍