How a Coast Monthly bachelor and bachelorette found each other

When Galveston police officer Destin Sims started frequenting Maceo Spice & Import Co. in April 2015, he discovered there was something about the famous Galveston eatery that was even more extraordinary than the food.

The more he went to the restaurant to have lunch or coffee, the more he began to enjoy conversing with Concetta Maceo.

“I’m friendly with all of my customers,” Maceo said. “So, it never dawned on me that he had any interest in me, other than serving him a sandwich.”

About that same time, Sims’ photo and bio appeared in the April 2015 issue of Coast Monthly as part of the Bachelor Issue.

“One of the shop employees kept telling me, ‘That cop is in here again.’ And I said, ‘What cop?’ And she said, ‘The good looking one who was in the Bachelor Issue,’ to which I replied, ‘There wasn’t a cop in that issue,’ so I looked it up online and there he was. The employee said, ‘He’s coming in here to see you.’ And I said, ‘No way.’”

Actually, the employee was right.

“I didn’t get up the nerve to ask her out for a coffee date until months later,” said Sims, who had already become friends with Maceo on Facebook.

IT WAS JUST COFFEE

“The coffee dates continued, and we were getting to know each other,” Maceo said. “But it was just coffee, and I was wondering how long it was going to take him to ask me out on a real date.”

Little did Sims know that Maceo would soon be in the November 2015 Coast Monthly Bachelorette Issue.

The day before her Coast Monthly photo shoot, Maceo told a friend she didn’t know how much more coffee she could drink with this guy.

“I was taking my time and being very cautious,” said Sims, who, along with Maceo, attended the Coast Monthly Singles Mingle celebrating the Bachelor and Bachelorette issues at island restaurant Smooth Tony’s in November 2015.

The first real date — dinner and a movie — occurred soon after that.

“I knew she was someone that I wanted to pursue, because she was different and genuine,” Sims said. “I put a lot of prayer into everything I do; pay less attention to my feelings and more to what I’m getting from God.”

After the first kiss, on date number three, both Maceo and Sims knew this was the real deal.

Maceo said she was the first to say, “I love you.”

THE PROPOSAL

“We had talked casually about marriage and rings, and Destin knew I wanted an aquamarine — my birthstone,” Maceo said.

Little did she know that Sims already had purchased her custom-designed ring from Samuel Diaz De Leon Jewelry in Galveston and had plans to pop the question at just the right time.

“It was May 10, 2016, and we went out to a pier on Sportsman Road just before sunset,” Maceo said. “Destin had a picnic basket of food and an ice chest. When we got to the end of the pier, I was fixing cheese and crackers, while Destin started digging around in the ice chest for something.”

Unfortunately, Destin had forgotten to take the ring out of the box, which was also in a bag.

“I was trying frantically to open the bag and get the ring out of the box,” Sims said. “I finally did, got down on one knee and asked her to marry me.”

THE WEDDING

After a year of planning, with the help of wedding planner Mary Bass, Sims and Maceo tied the knot on May 6, 2017, on the grounds of the San Luis Resort in Galveston, at exactly 7 p.m., just as the sun was setting.

Maceo’s jeweled and beaded ballgown and bridal party dresses were from Ventura’s Bridal Fashions in Houston; Sims’ and groomsmen’s tuxedos were from Cruz Cortez Clothiers in Galveston.

Pastor Clint Shuttlesworth of Valiant Church officiated the wedding ceremony, while a string quartet played “When I Fall in Love,” as Ronnie Maceo escorted his daughter down the aisle.

After the ceremony, Clyde Wood of The Witchery, a popular downtown Galveston shop, played the bagpipes as Maceo and Sims walked out as a married couple.

The reception, held in the Grand Ballroom of the San Luis, was aglow with colors of pink and peach with a pop of navy blue. Tables were adorned with lanterns, flowers and lights.

Maceo’s four-tier wedding cake layered with raspberry and mocha filling, and Sims’ Italian cream groom’s cake were made by Nadine Moon of Who Made the Cake in Houston.

After the couple waltzed to “The Lovers’ Waltz,” guests enjoyed a grand buffet by San Luis’ Chef Phil Bouza, while a DJ provided rousing entertainment and a photo booth was the hit of the night.

AND THEN, HARVEY

Four months after the wedding, Hurricane Harvey flooded the couple’s one-story Dickinson home with 4 feet of water.

“We lost 90 percent of our wedding gifts, all of our furniture, clothes and much more,” said Maceo, who was able to salvage her wedding gown and is having it restored.

Currently living in a garage apartment in Galveston until their home is remodeled, the couple has no problem keeping the love light burning.

“Finding out each other’s love language is crucial,” Maceo said. “Respect and love are important, as well as making time for yourselves. We make it a point to have ‘us’ time.”