Let's get married!

The stars aligned for Paige and Tommy in the District of Columbia’s smelliest, grungiest, most Olive Garden-looking basement karaoke bar: Recessions. Paige was in DC visiting friends, Tommy there for a wedding, and both arrived at this venerable establishment having worked at bizarre newspapers with a mutual friend, Alison Krug. We’d leave that night, after several beverages and an unforgettable performance of I Wanna Dance with Somebody (and a more forgettable showing of 1985) having connected with the person we’d spend forever with. We texted late into that night, and continued for days. Our mutual friend Alison conspired to bring us together again for breakfast, before taking Tommy to the airport. Two weeks later, Tommy, living in Houston at the time, concocted a scheme to visit Paige for two quick nights in Durham. That turned into nearly a week after he came down with COVID, trapping us in a small apartment for days with nowhere to go. Our friends said it sounded like a Hallmark movie. Deep down, though, we were thrilled to have more time together. We grew closer that week over long conversations, Disney movies and chicken noodle soup. Tommy soon returned to Texas and the feelings continued to grow stronger as he made plans to move to North Carolina. Rarely do more than a few days go by without one of us remarking at how much we love our life. We drink and eat our way through downtown Durham, travel to visit friends and family and cherish the quiet nights at home with dog Theo and cats Barley and Whiskey. It’s the life we both dreamt of when we walked down the steps to Recessions that night as total strangers, and one we’re building together. Now, again surrounded by loved ones at a much nicer venue – though we still love a good karaoke dive – we’re excited to take the next step in our journey.

Downtown Durham is more than just our home – it’s where our relationship began to blossom, where we spend most of our free time and the place we constantly brag about to friends and family. We are even official Downtown Durham social media ambassadors. It’s where we went on first dates – to a Bulls game, to dinner at Taberna, to drinks at Durty Bull and Alley 26 – and where we’ve continued to grow closer together. Tommy knew he had to propose somewhere here. On Nov. 9, 2023, Tommy schemed with friends Jordan and Maddy to set up a dinner date at Niko’s, one of our favorite Durham restaurants. They proved to be successful decoys, as Paige had no idea what was to come when they left the apartment. They entered beautiful Brightleaf Square and Tommy stopped and proposed. The moment is a complete blur for both of us, but we thankfully have stunning photos from Paige’s former student, Ira Wilder. While Downtown is more than our home, home is more than just downtown. It’s unwavering commitment, joy in the small, silly moments and unrelenting love in even the challenging times. That night, and every night, we knew we’d found home in each other.