When Angela Schiller agreed to a first date with Robert Swift Jr., she suggested a low-key outdoor brown bag lunch.

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Angela Schiller and Robert Swift Jr. noticed each other for the first time at a black faculty and staff caucus event held at Kennesaw State University near Atlanta in August 2015.

Ms. Schiller, 45, was late and found a seat at the back of the room. Looking around the space, she spotted Mr. Swift and immediately felt a connection. "This is a feeling I have never experienced before," she said, adding: "Not in this direct way."

As the activity progressed, she kept peeking at him secretly. "When it ended, I felt like I was shaking hands and happy to see you on a merry-go-round," she said. "Then Robert suddenly appeared in front of me. I couldn't help but smile, but I wanted to be cool. I just ended a long-term relationship and don't plan to enter any relationship anytime soon, but some things about Robert make me want to stay open ."

Mr. Swift, 46, also noticed Ms. Schiller and knew he had to find a way to get close to her. "I'm a shy person, but some things about Angela let me know that I can't leave the room before I introduce myself," he said. "My first impression of her is that she is not only beautiful, but also very down-to-earth, cheerful and interesting."

After they met for the first time, Mr. Swift would email Ms. Schiller every week, asking her how she was doing, and letting her know that he was thinking about her.

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"It really interests me," Ms. Schiller said. Studies in drama and performance at Stanford University. She is now the director of art education for the non-profit Art Bridge Foundation in Atlanta.

Mr. Swift holds a bachelor's degree in business and organizational communication and a master's degree in education from the University of Akron. He worked as a teaching designer at Kennesaw State University.

About a month and a half after they met, he invited her to lunch. Not sure of his intentions, she suggested that they enjoy a brown bag lunch outdoors, where they can enjoy the beautiful Atlanta autumn weather-low-key and low-risk.

It turned out that this was a two-hour meal, which changed their lives. They talked about their family, their past, their dreams and so on. "We laughed a lot, which bodes well for me," Ms. Schiller said. "I felt great when I left, and I want to spend every day in his company."

Mr. Swift said that when she gave me a hug before leaving, he "had a feeling that she liked me."

They continued to meet and moved in together in 2018.

When they began to piece together the question of whether or not to marry during the global pandemic, Ms. Schiller, who had retired and lived in California, noticed the disastrous wildfires, heat waves and droughts in the state and told them, " Life is short. Don't wait. Go ahead."

They got engaged in September 2021 and got married on October 22 in front of 25 friends and family members at the Gentleman's Restaurant in Southern Atlanta. Pastor Dawn V. Eskridge of Universal Life Church presided over the ceremony.

They require their guests to be fully vaccinated before the event. For outdoor ceremonies, you can choose to wear a mask and arrange the candles in a circle as a temporary altar.

"The moment Angela arrived at the altar, the severity of what was happening became surreal," Mr. Swift said. "Angela is absolutely amazing. I fell in love with her again."

"When I saw Robert standing on the altar, it reminded me of the first time I saw him," Ms. Schiller said, adding: "One day someone walks into your life and suddenly you don’t I remember, this is amazing how you would live without him."