An Episcopalian and a Presbyterian

Walk Into An Ice Cream Shop

If you ask how the couple how they met, you’ll probably get two different answers. Houston will blurt out, “We met at an ice cream shop!” while Raiford, the realist of the two, will gently correct with, “It was a dating app.” At any rate, they're both right.

Their first date was on a warm September day in 2021 at a Ben & Jerry’s in Greensboro, North Carolina. What was meant to be a quick scoop turned into a four-hour conversation.

During said conversation, Raiford casually dropped he went to an Episcopal high school. Houston responded with, "Oh! My dad's family is Episcopalian. Is that similar?" Much to both Raiford and Grandma Tess's delight, Houston now not only knows that Episcopalians are, in fact, a part of the Episcopal church, she identifies as one herself (see: ceremony location).

Early on, Houston and Raiford bonded over having unique family names. They also shared a love of buttered noodles and were Young Life leaders in college. On one of their first dates, Raiford invited Houston over to make their beloved buttered noodles — only to realize, mid-cooking, that he forgot the butter. They had olive oil noodles instead.

If you were to poll Houston’s friends, they would tell you they knew it was serious when she called them to ask what a first down was. She may, or may not have, exaggerated her love for ACC football to impress Raiford, ever the NC State fan.

In August of 2023, they began a long-distance chapter between North Carolina and Connecticut, as Raiford began pursuing his MBA at Yale. It was a season of Facetime calls and scrambling to book budget flights, but also casino nights, excellent pizza, and only one near death experience on the aforementioned budget flight.

At some point into their long distance foray, Raiford Jr. called his dad, Raiford Sr. He was seeking advice on how to ask for Houston's hand in marriage. Raiford Sr. responded "to think about how Houston makes him feel and the words will come."

When Raiford came home for Christmas in 2024, he decided it was time. He asked Houston’s dad, Mark, to grab lunch at Cabo Fish Taco — a Hokie mainstay — and asked for his blessing. As Raiford poured his heart out, the table next to them started crying, moved by Raiford describing how Houston made him feel.

Raiford then visited Houston’s mom, Courtenay, who had been praying for Raiford since she first found out Houston was a little girl. Courtenay was over the moon to hear of Raiford's plan.

Finally, he called Houston’s sister, Emily, to share the news. Emily was quick to say that she couldn’t imagine a better best friend for Houston to replace her.

Flashforward to Spring 2025, Raiford's mother, Trish, took a trip to New Haven to visit Raiford. While enjoying New Haven's famous pizza, Trish and Raiford began picking out the perfect ring. (Spoiler: They got it right.)

On June 21, 2025 — the longest day of the year, and the 55th anniversary of Houston’s grandparents, Judy and Lee — Raiford proposed at Dorothea Dix Park. He was so nervous that he opened the ring box upside down. Houston said yes, even before he turned it right side up.

As if that wasn’t enough, Raiford had one more surprise: a party waiting afterward with all their closest family and friends ready to celebrate their engagement.

At the party, Raiford’s brother, Pete, brought out a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 15yr. Houston’s one and only glass of bourbon, to this day, was that Pappy.

Now, they live together in Raleigh, North Carolina. They are the proud parents of Houston’s childhood cat, Twinkie Toes, who has graciously agreed to share her home and attention. During their engagement season, they also added Pappy and Poppy, two striped kittens, into the mix.

Five years ago, almost to the day, an Episcopalian and a Presbyterian walked into an ice cream shop, chatting. They walked out of that ice cream shop and haven't stopped since.