FROM THE BEGINNING

from St Louis Bride - Fall/Winter 2022

MAKING IT LEGAL

This Couple’s Love Story is a Real Page-Turner

By Jennifer C. Frakes

Their Story Starts at the Very, Very Beginning S ometimes when you meet the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you know right away. Other times, it may take a little longer-even if you met that person several years ago. Morgan Casey and Donnah Thomas quite possibly heard each other’s cries in the nursery, as they were both born on April 17, 1990 at St. Mary’s Hospital is St. Louis. They were each involved in sports at St. Thomas the Apostle grade school in Florissant. Morgan and Donnah both attended McCluer North High School, where they actually met. They knew each other and had many mutual friends, but didn’t hang out. Donnah puts it this way: “The fact that Morgan was voted class clown and I was prom queen shows we were pretty much at opposite ends of the high school spectrum,” she laughed. When it came time to plan the high school reunion for the Class of 2009, Donnah thought to give the “class clown” a call. She had heard that Morgan now had a successful event planning business, IDream Entertainment, and was hoping Morgan would be on the committee. They eventually became a committee of two, as other members dropped off. Morgan’s skills and know-how proved valuable to planning the reunion and Donnah was impressed. “We worked really well together and made a great team,” recalled Donnah. After the reunion, Morgan invited Donnah to a friend’s wedding. It was a high school friend, so they would both know many of the guests. Morgan asked Donnah to go with her. She clearly remembers when she picked up Donnah for the wedding. “I had never seen Donnah dressed up like that before. My reaction felt like a cartoon, where your eyes pop out of your head,” Morgan said. “I was like: ‘Oh my goodness!’”

“I just thought it was going to be a fun night to hang out with Morgan and high school friends,” Donnah said. The two had a great time at the wedding and Morgan asked her on a date. “She declined,” Morgan said, “But we kept talking. Sometimes we were on the phone for hours.”

Donnah eventually said yes and one of their rst of cial dates was to a haunted house. Morgan remembers thinking: “I hope she gets scared and will grab my hand. And she did!” More dates continued, and eventually Morgan asked Donnah to be her girlfriend. Donnah was a little hesitant, as it was her rst same sex relationship. “I asked Donnah for a trial period. She went for it, and we fell in love,” Morgan said.

The couple kept discovering more things they had in common. Not only were they born in the same hospital on the same day, but they later found pictures of their mothers wearing the same maternity out ts. They also learned that they had both been at Harris-Stowe State College at the same time for awhile. “It seemed like every month, we discovered some other coincidence or something we had in common,” Donnah said. “It also showed how similar we are – we are often thinking the same thing or nishing each other’s sentences.”

In addition to IDream Entertainment, Morgan’s event planning company, she is the founder of Date Ideas and Things to Do. She started it almost two years ago as a source to inform people about the places, activities and events in St. Louis, including lots of lesser-known but fun and creative options. Its Facebook Group now has more than 450,000 followers and Date Ideas and Things to Do has expanded to 16 cities. It gets ve million views a month, three million of them coming from the St. Louis area.

One of the biggest events they host is an annual Adult Easter Egg Hunt, which was covered by The Wall Street Journal. This year’s event sold out at the 500-person maximum (20,000 people tried to buy tickets) and people came from all over the country, and even Mexico, to hunt eggs in Forest Park. The eggs contained gift cards, coupons, scratch-offs, cash and one even contained ve hundred dollars.

Donnah is an elementary school teacher, but also very involved with Date Ideas and Things to Do. What’s it like being a couple and also co-workers? “It’s good, because we love to go out and do things,” Donnah said. “Which is the nature of the business. We get to date while working. But we’re also working on a date – taking photos, doing reviews, creating content. The business is going so well that some people even recognize us when we are out, which is crazy.”

Morgan’s marriage proposal to Donnah was planned under the ruse of a work commitment. “I told Donnah we were doing a photo shoot for other couples, which was true,” Morgan said. “I chose Tower Grove Park, because that was a special place to Donnah growing up. I suggested we take some photos, too, and told her to look cute.”

“So we had the photo session for the other couples,” Donnah recalled. “Then I turned around and saw that close friends of ours were there, holding balloons that spelled out ‘Marry Me.’ Morgan dropped down to one knee and proposed. I was so surprised and shocked.” Morgan presented Donnah with the gorgeous ring Donnah adored when they were looking at rings several months before, just for fun.

The engagement was in October of 2021 and they will be married in October 2023. “I’ve dreamed of my wedding since I was a little girl, and have been collecting ideas forever,” Donnah said. “I’ve always wanted a fall wedding. I love the colors of fall, the trees and pumpkins – I love pumpkins!”

With event-planning guru Morgan one half of this duo, one might assume she’d be off and running with orchestrating the wedding. “I want nothing to do with planning it!” Morgan laughed. “I’d be ne with something very small and simple, but I want Donnah to have what she wants. We did compromise on the guest list, and are limiting it to about 100 people.”

The venue has been booked—Wild Carrot in the Shaw Neighborhood of St. Louis. “I like that the space has an industrial vibe but is also elegant,” Donnah said. “It’ll be a great party. We’ll hire a wedding planner to put my ideas and colors together, and guide me in the right direction.”

Many people would love to attend this great party, and hope to be on the 100-person guest list. Some of their former high school teachers and principals have asked if they could come. “Some people have actually asked if they could buy tickets,” Morgan laughed. While appreciating their enthusiasm, she has to remind them that their wedding is not a “date idea and thing to do in St. Louis.”

One person who will de nitely be there will be Morgan’s nine-year old son, Mason. He will proudly be escorting his mom down the aisle. When Mason was younger and Morgan and Donnah were dressed up to go out, he would ask: “Are you getting married today?” Morgan said, “He’s very excited for the day we actually do.”

“We want our wedding day to represent love and positivity and want people to be there who stand with us and who we are,” Donnah said. “We’ve received some pushback about our relationship from some people, but we have support from a lot of friends and family.”

Morgan said she and Donnah are also strong advocates for mental health, and for people to seek the help they may need. “We have both dealt with anxiety and depression,” Morgan said. “I hope maybe we can inspire some people to accept and be proud of who you are, and to be intentional and nd your purpose.” The couple may try to incorporate their mental health advocacy into their wedding day in some way.

Donnah echoed that sentiment: “We want to lift up each other and our community on our wedding day.” On their wedding day, and every day. “I think Morgan is so amazing. I know we can do life together.”