Tony grew up in Pensacola (Gulf Breeze), while Rachelle moved to Pensacola from Atlanta in early 2021. It was a Saturday in July when they first met. Rachelle had been out all day Downtown Pensacola with her Aunt Dede. Tony worked all day and was convinced to go out after work with his friend, Gary. They all happened to want pizza at the end of the night, and thats where the magic happened! Tony was standing at the outdoor bar at Graffiti Pizza, and there was an open spot right next to him. They struck up a conversation and had an instant connection. As a true gentleman, Tony offered Rachelle and Dede a slice of pizza before he had to go. Before Tony walked away to bring the pizza he ordered back to Global Grill (where he works), he asked the bartender for a pen and told Rachelle to "write your name and number on this box!". Tony texted her later that night to make sure she made it home safely. They decided to meet up the next day at Red Fish Blue Fish on the beach and introduced Atlas (Tony’s dog) and Moses (Dede’s dog). The conversations and sparks flew from that day on, and they have been inseparable ever since. Rachelle and Tony live together downtown Pensacola with their dog, Atlas and two cats, Louie & Reese. They love being able to walk to everything downtown and frequent concerts at Vinyl! They have Sunday Fundays every week at Pensacola Beach where they go fishing, watch the sunset, and see the Blue Angels buzz by. Red Fish Blue Fish continues to be their go-to beach hang!

Tony is a mix between a Pirate and Aquaman! He is always walking around with his pirate sword and loves everything about the beach and saltwater. So, not surprisingly, he proposed at the beach! But this was no ordinary proposal. Rachelle & Tony were supposed to drive to their house in the mountains (Blue Ridge, GA), but he had a change in plans. He told Rachelle they were going to celebrate their anniversary on a sunset cruise, but first they were going to the beach with their dog, Atlas. Since they would be going on a sunset cruise (or so she thought), he was kind enough to tell her to bring a dress to change into. When they got to the beach, she quickly set up and brought Atlas to the water while he went back to the car to get the rest of the gear. He immediately ran to the water to go snorkeling. Within seconds he started calling out to Rachelle that he found something in the water he wanted to show her. She ran into the water to go check it out. Apparently she was too far in, so he told her to turn around and head towards the beach. As she went back and turned around, he was on one knee in the water, with his snorkel mask on and a diamond ring placed into a piece of coral. He grabbed her hand and asked her to marry him! Of course, she said yes!!! Tony was sneaky. He also had his two nieces (Madi & Emma) there the entire time! They were hiding behind a beach umbrella and they caught the entire proposal on camera and video. There was not a dry eye around! They quickly called their friends and told them to get there quickly! Tony kicked off the celebration by sabering a bottle of champagne with his pirate sword!