Love: Tasha Merriweather and Marvin Jackson Jr.

Marvin and Tasha met in 1996, her freshman year at Edward Bok Technical High School and his sophomore at Dobbins Technical High. He lived in Wynnefield and she in West Philadelphia, but they often hung out with the same group of friends at the movies or the mall.

After high school, they found time to get together while she earned her certification in massage therapy from CPT Business School and he studied architecture at Temple. They celebrated joys like the births of his daughter Iyana and her daughter Angel, and supported each other through tough times, including the endings of romantic relationships each had with other people. "We knew every secret about each other," Marvin said.

When Tasha, now a massage therapist at Mellow Massage Therapy Center and Toppers Spa, and Marvin, an operating engineer for the City of Philadelphia and Panco Management Real Estate Co., realized they worked near each other in Center City, they began meeting for lunch.

At one meal in 2013, Tasha told Marvin her grandmother Lydia, known to all as Booper, had made a prediction:

"She said we are spending so much time together that we're going to get married."

The friends laughed. But Booper had opened their minds to possibility.

"I saw that he was hardworking, caring, a good father, a good provider," Tasha said. "He loves me and my daughter to death, and I fell in love with that."

"Tasha has a kind heart. She's also not hard to look at, and she's fun. We already knew everything about each other, and knew each others' family," said Marvin. "It was easy."

A month after Booper's prediction, they were a couple.

In late summer 2015, Tasha, now 32, and Marvin, 34, found out Iyana and Angel would share a sibling. On Feb. 7, they closed on a house in Wynnefield, not far from where Marvin's father, Marvin Sr., lives.

Things were hectic, with the house closing, a baby coming, and Marvin's recent promotion to assistant area supervisor at Panco. On Valentine's Day, Marvin suggested a respite: dinner at the couple's favorite restaurant, Sabrina's.

"I had a ring in my pocket, but I was so nervous, and so I waited," he said. "Then we were done with our early dinner. Then we were outside. Then we got home to my apartment, where my daughter was having a sleepover."

Iyana, who is now 15, had invited two friends her age, plus Angel, who is now 5.

"The girls were playing on their phones - you know how teenagers do - and I wanted them to have fun," Tasha said. "I suggested that we all go bowling or something. When I was talking to them, he took the ring out of his pocket. When I turned around, it was right in my face."

The couple stepped into another room, where he asked her to marry him and she said yes, then burst into joyful tears.

Tasha and Marvin spoke of an April wedding, but Marvin couldn't wait. "Mostly everything we've done with this relationship is nontraditional and backward," he said. "But there was just this one thing, this one rule: She didn't want to live in the same house until we were husband and wife."

Marvin cooked up a double-secret plan.

Many were in on Secret No. 1. Tasha's Aunt Staci, who owns the Grace & Style Dance Studio, told Tasha to bring her daughter over at 8 p.m. Feb. 27 so Angel, who dances, could audition for Steve Harvey's show.

The day Tasha thought was audition day, she really wasn't feeling that great. She told Aunt Staci that her mom, Angela, would bring Angel. No way, Staci said. "Do what you got to do to get there." So Tasha helped Angel get dolled up, chose the most comfortable clothes she had for herself, and she, her mom, and her daughter were off.

"Steve is ready for you guys upstairs," her cousin Donielle told them. Tasha couldn't imagine why it was so dark up there until she reached the top, the lights came up, and about 25 of her favorite people yelled, "Surprise!"

The decorations made it clear this was a baby shower. (Note to Steve Harvey: There's a sweet little girl named Angel who is dying to meet you.)

While Tasha got hugs and congratulations, Marvin had a situation to manage. Secret No. 2 was known by just four people: Marvin Jr., Marvin Sr., Iyana, and Marry Me Philadelphia wedding officiant Barry McAfee. Barry had arrived dressed to the nines and was way too big a hint. Marvin asked him to hide.

Ten minutes later, Tasha's cousin said it was time for her and Marvin to dance. "At a baby shower? This is different," Tasha thought to herself. She wasn't really feeling it, but her favorite song was playing: Etta James' "At Last."

As they danced, Marvin whispered, "You said you would marry me. Would you marry me anytime?"

"Yes," Tasha said.

"How about you marry me right now?"

"Don't play with me," she said. "I'm serious," he said.

Tasha started crying, and Marvin signaled to the reverend, who was watching through a partly open closet door.

"I'm Rev. Barry, and I'm here for a wedding," he said after emerging.

"Oh my God!" Tasha said.

Marvin Sr., who held one wedding ring, and Iyana, who held the other, joined the couple in front, as did Angel.

"I'm standing there with my sweatshirt on, my tights and my boots," Tasha said.

By now, many were crying along with the bride. "I was so happy," Tasha said. "It was like, 'OK, we're going to do this? Let's do it right now!' "

Both were so nervous Tasha put Marvin's ring on the wrong finger at first, and both stumbled over their vows. "It was typical of our relationship: beautiful, unscripted, off-the-cuff," Marvin said.

After the ceremony, everyone ate, and the baby shower resumed: gifts were opened, games were played.

"Like Booper said, it was a come-as-you-are wedding, literally. Even for the bride," Tasha said. "Trust me, I could not believe it was happening. My hands were shaking while we were saying our vows. It was so totally unexpected. I wouldn't change it."

"Right before we repeated our vows, she was just so surprised and happy," Marvin said. "She was not the strong woman that I know. She was this little girl who was so excited, and it made my day. It made my next 20 years."

The very next day, Tasha, her mom, and Angel attended a baby shower in the afternoon, then a bowling birthday party, while Marvin continued getting the house ready. The party was winding down when Tasha's water broke - about two weeks ahead of schedule.

Because her mom doesn't drive, Tasha drove herself to the hospital, with Big Sister Angel eating candy from the party in the backseat and Lala Angela riding shotgun, calling Dad to tell him to head to the hospital, his son was on the way.

Dylan Carter Jackson was born at 7:40 p.m., a bit early, but "fine and perfect," Tasha said.

Not long after, Marvin, Tasha, Iyana, Angel, and Dylan moved into their new home.

Later this year, a trip to someplace warm and pretty.

Officiant: Barry McAfee, Marry Me Philadelphia, Philadelphia.

Venue: Grace & Style Dance Studio, Philadelphia.

Food: From family of the couple.

Photography: Family, including Joseph Jackson, brother of the groom.

Music: Everybody's phone play list.

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