While much of the city was returning to work after a restful holiday break, Aisha Buford-Morrison and Terrell Johnson were doing something much more exciting.
The couple was given the first marriage certificate of 2025 and wed in a ceremony Thursday at the George W. Dunne Cook County Office Building downtown.
“We’re perfect for each other,” said Buford-Morrison, 26. “It’s meant to be.”
Johnson and Buford-Morrison, who live in South Chicago, initially matched on Tinder in 2019, but didn’t meet for at least a month afterward. Through playing video games like Grand Theft Auto and Mario Kart and watching anime, the couple got to know each other. Upon meeting in person, the connection solidified.
“When I seen her, time stopped,” said Johnson, 28. “That was the best moment of my life. Every time since that moment, even now, standing in front of you all, is still the same.”
Buford-Morrison’s date with Johnson was her first ever, she said, so she battled nerves going into their plans, but they settled as the date went on. Throughout their relationship, they have enjoyed going for walks and bike rides on the beach, and each said they became better people as a result of their connection.
By their third anniversary in August 2022, Johnson was ready to propose. But Buford-Morrison’s grandmother’s health was declining, and he didn’t feel it was the right time. She died in October 2022. Johnson proposed the following August on the anniversary of their first date in the same park where it took place.
They had planned to get married in May, thinking there was no chance of winning the lottery. Now that they are married, they plan to have a reception with friends and family and plan a honeymoon sometime this year.
Standing in front of a “Just Married” backdrop Thursday, they exchanged kisses, posed for pictures and showed off their rings to family and friends.
“Really heartfelt to see my little girl all grown up,” Buford-Morrison’s dad, David Morrison, said, watching his daughter take photos holding a bouquet of flowers in a sparkling white dress .
The couple was one of more than 200 who entered a lottery by Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon to be the first couple in the county to marry in 2025. On Dec. 27, they got a call that they had won.
Along with getting the first marriage certificate of the year, they were presented with prizes and goodies from sponsors of the contest, including cooking lessons from the Chopping Block, wedding dance lessons from Duet Dance Studio and tickets to a comedy show at the Laugh Factory.
“I’m shaking my head ‘no,’ we’re not ready for that yet,” Buford-Morrison’s mother, Pat Morrison, said of the day they got the call. “But she was going ‘Yes, yes we’ll do it!'”
Toyothy Whitfield, Johnson’s mom, shared a story of a similar shock. She was asleep after her overnight shift when the couple got the call.
“Everyone else in America knew,” Whitfield said. “We found out at the last minute. I’m glad he found his one.”
Watching her son get married to Buford-Morrison, she was still mystified.
“[I thought] ‘Wow, they’re really doing this,'” she said. “I’ve watched how they are with each other. It’s a beautiful thing.”
