Our wedding hashtag is #kickitwiththescotts. Be sure to use it on all of your posts during our celebration!

On Saturday, April 18, 2015 Raheem and Kristen met by chance online when Kristen lived in Chicago. Raheem was visiting from Philadelphia. After hours of conversation, where they found out how much they had in common, they decided to meet the next day at one of Kristen’s favorite neighborhood hot spots, The Scout sports bar for lunch. Lunch turned into sightseeing on a city bus and shopping for souvenirs on Michigan Avenue. Then that turned into dessert at Grand Lux Cafe on the Magnificent Mile. In total, they had a 7-hour long first date full of great conversation and laughter. After Raheem went back home, they talked on the phone every day for hours on end in the days and weeks that followed, but soon realized that a long-distance relationship wasn’t what either of them wanted. They stayed in touch over the following year and a half, checking in and texting on birthdays and holidays. They would also find time to meet up when Kristen visited her family in Philly (he grew up and lived down the street from her grandparents). When Kristen accepted a new job and relocated back to the east coast in May 2016, she asked Raheem to be her date for her aunt’s birthday party. After the party, the occasional check-ins continued until more consistent connections started as a result of their favorite football team’s journey to the Super Bowl. In 2018, when the Philadelphia Eagles went to and won the Super Bowl for the first time, Raheem and Kristen reconnected and have been together ever since. They commited to a long-distance relationship, with Raheem in Philly and Kristen in Woodbridge until he relocated and they moved in together in August 2019. All of their lives they were so close to each other without ever knowing it. They are truly grateful for the chance encounter on a dating app in the amazing city of Chicago that finally brought them together and the divine timing of a reconnection that helped them find the life partner they both had been awaiting.

On a "normal" quarantine Saturday night in January, which was date night for them, Kristen expected to be home having a quiet dinner and watching a movie. After they finished eating, Kristen thought Raheem went out to walk their dog. She heard him yell for her to come downstairs to the front door, which scared her because she thought something might have happened to their dog. She ran to the front door and was beyond surprised to to see her parents, siblings and nephews holding signs saying “Will You Marry Me?” and Raheem standing before her saying the most beautiful things. Sharing moments of their history and present that led him to want to spend their future together. Kristen was in complete shock, obviously because of everything that was happening, but also because she was so fast to run out that she was standing outside in January with no coat or shoes. What surprised her the most was that her very private, low-key, no-frills man, who she always expected would propose in a setting with just the two of them, had stepped outside of his comfort zone and involved her family in his beautifully intimate proposal to make it the absolute best moment of their lives that they will remember forever. Raheem designed the engagement he gave to Kristen as a symbol of his love for her. He also spoke to Kristen's dad and proposed with his consent. Naturally a very emotional person, Kristen was a complete wreck, but couldn't have been happier to celebrate that moment with the people closest to her. Raheem and Kristen spent the rest of their date night calling family and friends to share their amazing news.