Gabrielle Kimberly Little & Mitchell Cardell Baldwin, Jr

September 6, 2026 – Birmingham

Gabrielle and Mitchell met for dinner at Umami in Birmingham’s Lakeview neighborhood. The two first met in the spring of 2022 through family friends. Gabrielle had recently moved to Birmingham, and her friends were determined to help her build a social circle in her new city. Later that year, the same group gathered for Friendsgiving, where Gabrielle and Mitchell found themselves seeing each other a little differently. What began as a familiar face in a growing circle soon became something neither could quite ignore. By January 2023, they had officially begun their romance. Their first date was quintessential Birmingham: a comedy show at the Stardome followed by dinner at Shu Shop. It was the kind of evening that felt effortless – good food, easy conversation, and crab claws, of course.

Mitchell knew that if he was going to propose, he wanted to do more than surprise Gabrielle. He wanted to tell their story. Over the course of their relationship, the couple had become friends with the waiter who served them on their very first date at Shu Shop. They would occasionally meet him for dinner, never imagining that their friendship would one day become part of the proposal. In November 2025, Mitchell enlisted their former waiter to help him recreate the setting where their first date began. He arranged for the couple to return to Shu Shop, making what Gabrielle believed was simply another ordinary dinner. There were crab claws, great conversation, and plenty of laughter – the same easy rhythm that had marked their first date nearly three years earlier. Gabrielle had no idea that Mitchell had carefully orchestrated every detail. As they finished dinner and walked out of Shu Shop, Gabrielle was prompted to look up. Across the marquee of the Alabama Theatre, illuminated against the Birmingham night, were the words: “Gabrielle, Will You Marry Me?”

In an instant, an ordinary dinner became the beginning of an entirely new chapter.

Advice From the Couple

“Our biggest piece of advice to other couples is to remember that the wedding is one day, but the marriage is the life you are building together. There will be countless opinions, decisions, and details competing for your attention, so keep returning to what feels true to the two of you.

For us, the most meaningful moments were the ones that felt personal – little reminders of our story, our families, and the city that brought us together. When the day finally arrives, give yourself permission to stop worrying about the details and simply be present. The flowers will fade, the music will end, but you will remember how it felt to become husband and wife.” – Gabrielle & Mitchell