A little bit about ourselves…
How We Met
Specifically, they were a 96% match on OKCupid.com. Thanks, OKCupid!
Erica had just completed her PhD at Purdue, and landed a job at Lehigh University in Bethlehem.
Tyson, who is originally from the Lehigh Valley, had recently bought a house and moved back to the area.
Tyson messaged Erica on OKCupid. 6 weeks later, Erica finally decided to respond (to this day, she still argues that the email was in her Drafts folder!).
They proceeded to plan their first date at Bookstore Speakeasy in Bethlehem…
…And the rest is history.
The Engagement
Everyone loves a good engagement story. Ours certainly had its moments.
While visiting Boston for the 4th of July in 2016, Tyson had already determined this trip would be his best bet at a memorable proposal.
So, with dinner planned at Chef Tiffani Faison’s new Tiger Mama restaurant near Fenway Park, the stage was set for a memorable night.
During dinner, we noticed Chef Faison – a Top Chef alum – was actually expediting that night!
On a whim, Erica asked the floor manager if it might be possible to have Tiffani sign the Tiger Mama postcard that came with the check.
To our surprise, not only did the manager say yes, she asked if we’d like to meet the Chef. Of course we wanted to meet the chef!
Even though the restaurant was packed, and the was kitchen slammed, Chef Faison came out from the kitchen for a few minutes to chat with us and take a few pics. In case you’re wondering, she turned out to be super nice – and humble – in real life.
With Erica now on Cloud Nine after meeting one of her favorite Top Chef contestants, Tyson knew he had to seal the deal that night.
However, the weather had other plans.
Bostonians have an old saying they like to use to describe the volatility of their climate: “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute”. Unfortunately, this rainy minute turned into a few hours.
A few cocktails and a rainy ghost tour later, the hour was getting late, approaching 10:30pm.
That’s when the old adage came true, and the rain came to an abrupt stop. Luckily, the perfect proposal spot was just short walk from the bar we were holed up to escape the downpour, alongside the waterfront with a spectacular view of the Boston harbor skyline.
Finally, after nearly 2 years together, they found themselves completely alone, without another soul in sight, standing next to the water that steeped the tea of a Revolution, illuminated by the warm glow of the Cradle of Liberty.
Tyson dropped to one knee on the wet cobblestone as Erica turned, gasped, and said “YES!”.
