In the evening, the Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl, defeating the New England Patriots in February 2018, and Shams Joseph Clancy posted on Twitter what was meant to be a disposable joke. He had no reason to think it would introduce him to his future wife.
He posted a famous photo of a navy sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square, suggesting he felt a similar joy to the Americans when he claimed victory in World War II. Although she didn't follow Mr. Clancy, Ashley Nicole Suder saw his tweet being shared on her feed, felt the opportunity and made a bold suggestion.
“If you're looking for a girl to recreate this during the parade, I'm here for it,” she wrote in response.
He agreed that it would be a good photo and tweet. So four days later, after the Eagles marched through Philadelphia's Broad Street in a frenzied celebration and realised their longtime dreams in the city, the football-loving duo found each other on the parade route. Within about 30 seconds of the meeting, Clancy soaked Suder, lifted her left foot slightly for talent, and gave her a deep kiss as her friend Vincenzo Siciliano took the photo.
“He just grabbed me, took me, and soaked me.
The kiss worked, but they quickly parted ways – the whole exchange lasted about a minute, and in other respects almost a word – and they waited to see if the tweet in Mr. Clancy's photo would go viral as well. I did it.
After thousands of retweets, Clancy and Suder suddenly became Mediadarling, the symbol of the city of joy. Local journalists wanted them to interview and they agreed to meet CBS reporters on the corner of Broad and Federal Streets, their kiss.
After the interview they thought maybe they should actually get to know each other. They have hardly been apart since then.
“I thought it would be a one-off Eagles celebration,” Clancy said. “There was no intention to make us fall in love.”
On April 12, two months after the Eagles won their second Super Bowl, they married in a self-integrated form at Rachinesca, a Chinese-Mexican fusion restaurant in Philadelphia. One of Mr. Clancy's closest friends, Patrick O'Leary, hosted the event before 115 guests.
In her vows, Sadar nodded to their unusual meeting. “You literally wiped me out of my left foot and soaked me deep and kissed me, so I couldn't believe we were a complete stranger before that moment,” she said.
Pledge more vows columns here and read all of our wedding, relationships and divorce coverage here.
The dance floor features DJs' Killers, Clancy's favorite song, “It started with a kiss, how did it come to this?”
Good question.
When they met, Suder, who grew up in Benthalem, Pennsylvania, graduated from St. Joseph's University with a bachelor's degree in food marketing, worked as a licensing coordinator for a party and favor company. Currently 32 years old, she is the product development manager for Frankford Candy in Philadelphia.
Clancy, a sports writer for news website Phillyvoice, currently 30 years old, lives in his South Philadelphia home and entered the job market after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor's degree in English.
Both grew up as obsessive Philadelphia sports fans. Suder's parents filled the house with Eagles-themed accessories and decorations. By 2017, Clancy had developed quite a bit of Twitter among Eagles fans because of jokes and passion.
Up until that point, the Eagles had rewarded their loyalty with consistent disappointment. However, the 2017-2018 team ultimately ended the city's championship drought, following Hollywood's script, leading a Super Bowl victory, beating non-standard backup quarterback Nick Forres. A wave of positivity and community washed away the city. This is an almost universal expression of joy that cities have never seen before.
In that context, it's not surprising that Suder felt bold when he saw Clancy's tweet. She suggested a photo. Because it's not because he was fascinated by his Twitter presence, but because it's interesting. And Clancy wasn't fishing for women to kiss on tweets, who refused a good offer?
They didn't stick after the kiss, but they met again the next day when Suder got on a TV interview with Clancy. The car conversation was awkward, they recall. One thing they agreed to was that if the reporters tried to refuse by having them recreating their kiss, they would refuse. (The reporter tried, but they refused.)
After the interview they agreed to something else: they needed a drink. So, considering their first date now, they went near the Passhank East pub and their chemistry grew when chatting at night for the rest of the day. They began to spend most of their time with each other and moved together six months later.
They shared their love for Marvel movies, both of whom were off work on the first day of “Avengers: Endgame” and especially loved going to the same concerts in pop punk, emo and classic rock.
They watched the Eagles games with the same desperate energy, screamed on TV and did everything they could to like the tide of good fortune. If the team is playing badly, they'll look at it from different parts of the living room, or change to different Eagles gear several times per game.
“Monday is a big laundry day for us,” Suder said.
In January 2022, after attending a Philadelphia 76ers basketball game, they had plans to meet up with friends at a pub in Pashunqui East. When they got off the subway, Suder pointed out that it was where they met and where they proposed kissing as they often did when they returned to the location.
After kissing her on the street corner, she began to leave. “Ash,” he said. She turned and she looked at him on one knee.
“I don't think I saw the ring,” Suder said. “I was looking at him.”
Without the disappointment of another Eagles, they could have had a picture book wedding story as well. When Philadelphia was defeated by Kansas City chief in the Super Bowl in 2023, it ruined their plans in several ways: if Philadelphia won, they planned to marry at a surprise ceremony on Broad Street in the subsequent parade.
Instead, they were given the poetic outcome of pushing the wedding back and getting married the same year the Eagles won the second Super Bowl. (They are bristling saying their story has become a perfect circle, as the closed circle suggests that the Eagles have won the championship.
They love crowd-pleasing stories about how they met, but they didn't want it to be the focus of their wedding day. Instead, they chose to showcase their time together and showcase how much they shared beyond the sports team they loved.
“It doesn't feel like we are anymore to make it the whole or main focus of our relationship rather than incorporating it to some extent,” Clancy said. “Our relationships are growing beyond that.”
This day
April 12, 2025
Latineca, Philadelphia
Dress was wearing a white anthropological dress with a veil custom made by Philadelphia area designer Madison Chamberlain. When the dance floor beckoned, she changed to custom Converse sneakers with her shoes written on her back.
Short-speaking Couple wants to shorten their vows and move on to the celebration with their guests. “I'm not just loving you, I really, really like you,” Suder said in her remarks.
Hidden Philadelphia was to make their first dance “the first day of my life” with bright eyes. After about two-thirds of the way, the DJ nodded to the dance scene of the white striped “Silver Linings Playbook” and the dance scene of the “Silver Linings Playbook” featuring Rabid Eagles fans.
