Love story
The grooms met on Election Night, had their first date at Starbucks and tied the knot in North Texas
Stephen Morgan’s first love has always been weather. So when the former KRIV (Fox 26) meteorologist was assigned to cover a candidate’s watch party on Election Night in 2018, he was not too enthused. And honestly, a bit stressed.
Then KTRK (ABC 13) news anchor and reporter Steven Romo took notice of the handsome, slightly out-of-place competition.
“He seemed very focused, if not overwhelmed,” Romo says. “I learned later it’s because he was a meteorologist.”
The two journalists said “hello” and that was that. For the time being.
They became friends on Instagram and occasionally exchanged messages. Both men were in relationships with other people at the time, so their online conversations mainly consisted of double-tapping a story or post.
But in 2020, Morgan was getting over a breakup and decided to take a shot. He likes to take credit for making the first move, though ultimately, Romo suggested they meet up again in real life for coffee.
Their initial plan was to sit at Rustika Cafe
& Bakery near Greenway Plaza, but it was closed. Starbucks was their backup.
“It was the most memorable first date I’d ever had,” Morgan says. “It was just so easy to talk with him. And you have to be careful because reporters know how to talk.”
Romo intended to keep his guard up. “I hadn’t been on a first date in a while and wanted to lower my expectations,” he recalls. “I’m a private person but found myself telling Stephen about my childhood and divulging all this stuff I don’t typically share, especially when I first meet someone.”
He felt butterflies almost immediately, he says. Their casual coffee date lasted longer than expected. Romo, who was on break between weekend anchor shifts, hurried back to the station to write a story and playfully admits, it was kind of a rush job.
Morgan called his sister on the way home to tell her the news — there was something different about this guy. The couple would return to that Starbucks many times throughout their courtship. It became their spot, an inside joke.
“Our unremarkable first date setting was followed up by an unremarkable setting for the second date,” Morgan says. “Chili’s, near Buffalo Speedway. Again, close to our stations because he had another break from work. I knew there was some connection we had. It wasn’t about the show and pomp of the best restaurants, but just a desire to get to know him and his story.”
They had something in common. Both grew up going to church and participating in youth groups. Part of that culture is going out to eat, often to a chain, such as Taco Bell or Applebee’s, after Sunday service or Wednesday night Bible study. In that sense, those early dates felt like a return to their roots.
After the Chili’s date, Morgan dropped Romo off at the ABC 13 back gate. “He leaned in and asked me if I were going to kiss him. And I was totally fine if anyone saw me kiss the competition right there,” Romo says with a laugh.
Their romance heated up a few weeks later when Morgan invited his crush to St. Louis, Mo., for the all-important meetthe-family milestone. Neither man had ever reached that stage in previous relationships. This was something special.
“He comes from such a loving, nurturing family — very different from my background,” Romo says.
Morgan describes his partner’s upbringing as compelling but tragic. Romo grew up with little help from his birth parents and endured many hardships. But both men are very close to their sisters, who served as “best ladies” in their wedding.
The proposal happened after eight months of dating. They’d joked about running off to Las Vegas, then Morgan received a job offer in New York that changed everything.
“I had an offer for morning anchor when Tom Koch was leaving. I was going to take that job, as far as I knew,” Romo says. “But I took so long to find (Stephen), and I didn’t want to start a long-distance relationship. So I found myself in my boss’ office telling him I didn’t want the job and wanted to move to New York City.”
He rolled the dice and bought rings on a whim.
In June 2021, Romo popped the question across from 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where he now works as an NBC News correspondent. Morgan is just a few blocks away at Fox Weather.
Morgan was surprised, though certain, Romo was the one. He said yes.
“It has been a journey not just for me but for my entire family. I initially came out in 2011, but because I was raised in a Christian home that wasn’t approving of same-sex marriages or being gay, I was hoping to be fixed. I thought, ‘If I confess these sins, maybe I’ll be healed,’ ” Morgan says. “Fast forward through conversations, a lot of tears and heart-to-heart talks, my parents have come around and support us fully.”
On Oct. 2, the groom and groom exchanged vows in front of 125 guests at the Filter Building on White Rock Lake in Dallas. The North Texas venue felt like middle ground for Romo’s Duncanville relatives, Morgan’s family in St. Louis and the couple’s Houston friends.
“The vows were my favorite part,” Romo says. His husband agrees.
“The ceremony was memorable — every part of it,” Morgan says. “The reception was when everything moved at the speed of light.”
Morgan’s sister gave a beautiful toast. His mother took turns dancing with her son and new son-in-law; Romo’s mom died in 2017. And Morgan’s father offered the blessing and welcomed the crowd at the reception.
“My 22-year-old self would have never thought that would happen,” the groom says.
Romo likes to quip that he was raised more by TV than his parents, so his sister and new husband surprised him with a “Star Trek”-themed cake.
The newlyweds are no longer Texans, though they’ll always credit Houston, and its fastcasual dining options, for cementing their union.
“How we relate to each other hasn’t changed, but how the world sees us as married — it means something to us,” Romo says. “In 2015, it became legal for gay people to be married. My 12-year-old self would have never believed it, so how society sees us is still a big deal to me. But we’ve been committed since the day we decided to pack up and move to New York together.”