Melanie Esola and Tyler Cooper are into numerology, or the idea that there’s a mystical relationship between numbers and life events.
“On our first date, I asked Melanie if she knew what ‘angel numbers’ were,” Cooper said.
At the time, Cooper said 2-2-2 were his “angel numbers.” He felt like he was constantly seeing that sequence of digits and that it must hold some significance in his life.
“Before this, my favorite number was 3. But then it turned to 2 because of him,” Esola said.
It’s no surprise that on Feb. 22, 2022 — 2/22/22 or “Twosday” — Cooper and Esola took a trip to the courthouse to get married. Charlotte-area magistrates were especially busy with couples seeking the special date for their special occasion.
Cooper and Esola were lucky to snag a spot in Mecklenburg County, which limited marriage ceremonies to four per day at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. All of the ceremonies are by appointment.
In Cabarrus County, magistrate William Baggs II conducted nine marriage ceremonies on Tuesday, even though he said COVID-19 restrictions would dictate he only do five. Baggs said his office has received roughly 100 calls over the past month with people wanting to make appointments for court weddings.
“We have days like this almost every year, like when it was 12/12/12,” Baggs said. “Every time there’s a special day like that, they come out (of) the woodwork to get married.”
Iredell County also saw an uptick in people wanting marriage ceremonies on Tuesday. One magistrate said he had conducted eight weddings by lunchtime.
At the Mecklenburg County Courthouse, Nikki Shuback and Chase Conklin wore black and yellow Pittsburgh Steelers jerseys, the outfits they were wearing at the Clemson University party where they met. Shuback carried a small bouquet of yellow flowers to match.
When asked why they chose Feb. 22, 2022 as their wedding day, Shuback answered right away: “Because it’s ‘Twosday!’”