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In his poem, ‘Harlem,’ Langston Hughes asked, “What happens to a dream deferred?” This Charlotte couple discovered the answer to that question.

They had been planning their dream vacation for a while. They wanted to go to Paris, France. They looked forward to gourmet meals at sidewalk cafés, sipping fine wines and champagne, and seeing the sights of Paris. Then the world shut down because of the pandemic, putting their plans on hold. As countries started to reopen, they realized that a dream deferred is not forgotten. Instead, it expands. Paris shares their story. 

Bride: Paris Johnson, 38, construction architect, native of Hampton Roads, Virginia
Groom: Michael Johnson Jr., 39, bank executive, native of Brooklyn, New York
Current Residence: Charlotte, North Carolina
Wedding Date: November 11, 2022
Venue/Location: Canopy by Hilton, Charlotte, North Carolina

How They Met 

Michael and I went to undergraduate school together at Hampton University, an HBCU in Virginia. However, while we were there, we did not hang out or interact, but our friend circles did. Later, when we had conversations about our undergraduate years, we realized that we were in the same places, at the same time, with the same people. Our first interaction, however was on social media. 

Neither of us used Facebook and Instagram very often, but when you see someone send you a friend request and they have one hundred mutual friends, you feel like you know that person, although you don’t. That is how we got to know each other. We had been Facebook friends for years but only knew each other’s names in passing and had a lot of mutual friends. That changed in February 2019.   

He was living in Charleston then, and I was here in Charlotte. I had just taken on some construction work on a couple of projects in Charleston when he reached out to me on Valentine’s Day to say, “Hello and Happy Valentine’s Day.” I told him, “Thank you.” We just started communicating via social media.