Newlyweds hoped the date would bring their unions a little bit of luck or, at the very least, an easy anniversary to remember.
Wearing a crisp beige suit, Omari Frazier kept glancing over his right shoulder with a wistful smile as he stood facing his family in a Dallas courtroom Tuesday — his shifting weight and fidgety hands betraying the nervous excitement any man would feel before sharing vows with the woman he loves.
But as Toni Frazier walked through Dallas County Justice of the Peace Thomas G. Jones’ courtroom in a stunning red dress, her soon-to-be-husband stood firm and still. He was ready.
Love permeated the air at the South Dallas Government Center as couple after couple, along with their families, filed in and out with marriage certificates in their hands and tears rolling down their cheeks. They hoped the date — 2/22/22 — would bring their unions a little bit of luck or, at the very least, an easy anniversary to remember.
Leaning against the wall while waiting for a courtroom to open, many of the grooms radiated the same apprehensive energy as a high-school junior at the edge of the gymnasium floor, hoping for a dance at prom.
The number of couples that got married in Dallas County on Tuesday — sigh, “Twosday” — was not immediately available, but clerks and judges said they saw a higher number than normal.
The Fraziers met as students at John B. Hood Middle School, now known as Piedmont Global Academy. They drifted apart before getting back together a few years ago.
The first thing that about his future wife that caught Omari Frazier’s eye? “She was my height.”
The numbers lining up felt special to Toni Frazier. The couple originally wanted to get married on Feb. 2 — 2/2/22 — but the courthouse was already booked up.
The date “didn’t really matter to me,” Omari Frazier sheepishly admitted.
Inside the courtroom, they shared a chaste peck on the lips — clearly not good enough for one of their guests: “Man, y’all gotta kiss!” one man shouted. They obliged.
April Turner and Nahndy Malbrough met on a dating site. Malbrough said Turner’s picture piqued her interest, while Turner said she was attracted by Malbrough’s smile and bio.
They discovered a shared love for football: Malbrough is a safety for the Dallas Elite Mustangs women’s full-contact semi-pro team, and Turner used to play flag football for a women’s team.
Their first date was at a Mexican restaurant in DeSoto, and Tuesday was — believe it or not — their second anniversary.
“We didn’t put it together until we started telling everybody, but that’s not why we picked it,” Malbrough said.
The couple walked out to R. Kelly’s power wedding ballad “Forever,” which Justice of the Peace Valencia Nash allowed them to play over the courtroom’s sound system after the party had technical issues with their speaker.
The newly minted Mrs. and Mrs. Turner wiped tears from each other’s eyes while sharing their vows.
Nahndy Turner plans on joining the Army. They hope to go on a honeymoon after she serves her commitment.
Qwainuia Hampton met her now-husband, Gregory, almost a decade ago online while he was incarcerated.
“I thought she was cute,” Gregory Hampton said. “She had a good personality, and we just clicked.”
Qwainuia Hampton said the palindromic date of their wedding — just like the union itself — will always be something special.
“It’s not going to come around again for a while,” she said.
