When the Atlanta Hawks held their “Swipe Right Night” in 2015, they certainly didn’t expect it to lead to a marriage. That is, however, exactly what has happened.
Ben McCleskey and Avery Armstrong, who had their first date at the Tinder-themed promotional night in 2015, are getting married, and the Hawks have agreed to foot the bill.
“Not in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen,” Hawks chief executive officer Steve Koonin said, via ESPN’s Darren Rovell.
Upon learning that the pair had started their romance at the promotional night, Koonin agreed to pay for the wedding — if it happened — on the second annual Swipe Right Night in 2016. McCleskey proposed in November and the Hawks kept up their end of the bargain, hosting the wedding on the court and the celebration at the Philips Arena’s courtside club. The bride will even get a wedding dress provided free of charge from a bridal shop that doubles as a team sponsor.
“I always joked with my buddies that I would get married at the 50-yard line of the Georgia Dome,” McCleskey said. “Now that that’s not in use any more, this is pretty much the equivalent.”
Tinder dates do not always go smoothly, so the fact that they’ve gotten this far is nothing short of remarkable. Congratulations to the happy couple.
