Our adventure began online, yes, online! I guess I can say it was beginner’s luck for me. Unlike Tracey, I had never dated online but the thought of being held hostage during COVID with minimal to no male interaction was not appealing. No more than a week or so of being online, I get this handsome guy named Tracey reaching out “welcoming” me to Philadelphia . I thought to myself, look at this charmer with the bright smile, welcoming me to Philadelphia and he doesn’t even live in Philadelphia! We talked often and because of all of the restrictions on the East Coast and uncertainty about the severity of the virus, we had FaceTime and Zoom dates for almost two months. As soon as the governors of NJ and Pennsylvania gave us a glimmer of relaxing restrictions, we planned our first in person date for May 22nd. Tracey wanted to dress up and go to a restaurant BUT the pandemic was not having it. I thought to myself, what can I do to plan an epic pandemic dinner experience? I called a friend of mine who is a chef to put together a menu, reached out to musicians I knew and we worked together to convert my home into a restaurant with live music. Tracey came in and was blown away. We have been inseparable ever sense!

I was strolling online and I see this fun, big smile, big personality, wonderfully dressed woman on the date site; so I dropped her a line like I do. She didn’t respond back, which I didn’t like, but I was patient and she finally responded. I could not believe that she was the total package, she was tall and she could dress! When she told me “we’d look good walking in any room, I knew she was going to be my wife”. Two months of Zoom calls, coffee dates, movie night where we would both have popcorn and watch movies and comedy shows, I began to really know her. We did something that had never been done before, we COVID dated. We got to know each other for two months before we ever met. It gave us the chance to deeply engage with each other, over long conversations and many topics. I felt like I was back in high school where I would fall asleep on the phone and we would go back and forth, “You hang up, no, you hang up”. Fast forward to our first date, we set the date approximately 3 weeks prior. I thought she was going to cook dinner but I didn’t ask. I just got dressed up and went over to her house. Being that I never met her in person, I knocked on the door and a lady answered with an apron and a mask on I wasn’t sure if that was her. The woman told me Ms. Spigner is expecting you upstairs. I thought a threesome???…LOL (J/K) I got upstairs, we had a maitre d, a chef, a server and candlelight, in the corner there was a violinist playing smooth r&b. I was completely taken aback at how much effort she put into our first date. I loved it and it gave me a glimpse into who she was, someone I wanted to be with.

It was New Year's Eve and as I usually do for holidays; I plan an experience I want to have. We were still limited to the restaurants we could go to and the experiences we could create, but with it being our first NYE, I wanted it to be memorable. I was able to get reservations at Rats Restaurant and planned for us to spend the weekend at the Four Seasons (my favorite hotel in Philadelphia) where we could view the city and any fireworks that would take place. We packed up for the weekend and headed to Rats. We ordered drinks and appetizers and Tracey went to the bathroom. When he got back, he was a bit nervous and used the phrase we use when we need to have a serious conversation with each other which is "Baby, you know I love you right”.... I looked at him with a slow “Yeeessss”. He said it again and I got nervous. I was thinking, is this man about to say, I am not ready for this relationship? WELL...quite the opposite! He came around to my side of the table and got on his knee and told me how much he loved me and wanted to share his life with me and asked me to be his wife. Of course, I said yes! He had called ahead to the Four Seasons and had balloons delivered with rose petals, champagne and a cake! All to celebrate the new year and our engagement. He did good!

It became crystal clear to me in September that Cheri was going to be my wife. I knew I wanted to marry her before my birthday, but her coordinating my surprise birthday party and bringing my family and loved ones together without my knowledge was just the icing on the cake. I had a lot of options to propose: Christmas, New Year's Eve and her birthday are all within 30 days of each other. I figured she would think I would ask on her birthday; so I decided to do it on New Year's Eve. Planning is not my forte, but I wanted this to be special. I called the restaurant and hotel to make sure everything was perfect for a perfect surprise that evening.

Visit the following link to see our feature! https://www.phillymag.com/philadelphia-wedding/2021/05/03/philadelphia-city-hall/