It was a match made in heaven. Or at least on Instagram.
Ezekiel Cieslak and Isaiah Griffith, noticing a photographic mutual attraction in 2022, took a leap of faith and messaged each other on the app.
Before long, virtual flirting became real dates as the young influencers both resided in Phoenix at the time.
“Isaiah messaged me after watching one of my Tiktok videos,” recounts Ezekiel. “He thought I was cute, so decided to send me a message. The message went like, ‘OMG, you live in Arizona too?’ I chuckled because it clearly stated that I lived in Arizona in my bio, but he was really cute, so I responded. We had both been single for about 4 to 6 months after both breaking up with our exes.”
That fateful message eventually led to creating a TikTok video that went viral with — yes, you are reading this right — 35 million views.
@zekecieslak You make the word “love” mean something. It means I would do anything for you, and I want to do everything with you. I love you with all my heart @ZayG ♬ original sound – Ezekiel Cieslak
Queerty chatted with the happy young couple about the video, life in the spotlight, gay softball, and how they picked out their inspirational Macy’s registry for their late 2024 nuptials.
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How did you meet in person for the first time?
Ezekiel: I had already put a transfer in with the post office to move to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, before meeting Izzy, so I was reluctant to get too close because I was moving at the end of summer. But we messaged each other for about a week and had a ton of fun getting to know each other. So, on one of my days off, I stopped by the Dutch Bros Coffee, where he was an assistant manager, to meet him for the first time. When I pulled up, I was really nervous; the butterflies were insane, and they were the same for him. We walked up to my car and said hi for the first time. I remember he was wearing these checkered pants that made him look so nice, I was ready to take him home!
I asked him if he wanted to go see a movie the following night, and he said yes. And to say after the first date, ‘the rest was history’ would be a complete understatement. The way we clicked was so effortless, and it seemed like we had known each other in a different lifetime. Isaiah was the youngest person I had dated, and it was a breath of fresh air to meet someone who understood me and knew fun little things I was talking about. One date turned to 5, and 5 turned to 20. Any off day, and spare hour, we made an effort to be with each other. And when it came time for me to move in September to Iowa, it only took Izzy 10 days to follow me and move, too.
Having dived in, what are your relationship tips?
Ezekiel: No relationship is perfect. There are days when we feel nothing can come between us, and everything seems to move on without a hitch. [With a laugh] Then there are days when I don’t want to be bothered, touched, or in the same room as Izzy. But that’s the fun thing about love: we are committed to sticking by each other even when we don’t like each other. I like to think of this scenario where I could be dating a guy with a ton of money, great jobs, great social circles, perfect location. Oh, wait I have with Izzy now. And every time I think, “What does life even mean if you’re not creating something beautiful with people you love?” I would rather go through hard days building our own life together. So in 50 years, we can look back and be like, ‘We did that, and we did it together.’ Find someone that has the same vision as you, and run! Run with them as far as you can go!
What are your favorite queer spaces?
Ezekiel: We are a little bit unconventional when it comes to queer locations. We don’t drink alcohol, so we never go to bars or clubs. And neither of us have actually been to many Pride or queer events. We both haven’t been out for a very long time, and we grew up pretty sheltered, so maybe that takes time? But we do a lot of gay softball. Last year, we played in seven tournaments: Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale, Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Huntsville. We have loved playing because it gives us an opportunity to meet tons of other LGBTQIA+ people in a way that doesn’t revolve around drinking. Izzy is a huge Sam Smith fan, so going to their concert in Minneapolis was a blast, and we find ourselves in Minneapolis for more events than in other cities.
Favorite gay movie?
Ezekiel: We love Love, Simon.
Were you surprised by the overwhelmingly popular reaction to your TikTok proposal?
Ezekiel: Our proposal video did go viral, and we still can’t believe it. The moment itself was magical, and I actually had to trick izzy into recording it. I told him we needed to record a YouTube video of the whole event, which we did. And I even played with him, saying things like, “Oh, you probably think you’re getting proposed to today, huh?” Hiding the ring and surprising him was a challenge. But I did not expect to get 33 million views on TikTok, and 20 million views on Instagram from the video. I knew people would be happy for us and celebrate with us, but I never imagined it was going to go worldwide.
We are so happy for you guys! We know you are not tying the knot until late 2024, but what is your dream wedding?
Ezekiel: We are torn between having it in the Midwest and having it back in Arizona, where we both just moved from. Initially we thought about having a smaller wedding and having just a few close friends, but now I think we are leaning towards a larger wedding to have more people celebrate with us. We would love to have 200 to 300 of our friends and family join us in an outdoor wedding, with a big dance floor and “modern” hits. We don’t want any of those old-time wedding songs. We want Nicki and city girls. I think we’d love to have a theme for the wedding where the guests wear one specific color, and we wear something vibrant that contrasts.
Tell us about your favorite Macy’s registry items you chose online. How will they fit into your married life, and what inspired you to include each?
Ezekiel: In picking our Macy’s registry, Izzy is definitely the decorator and cook, so a lot of the picks depended on his taste. It was fun picking out stuff we would genuinely enjoy and could see each other using on a daily basis.
How would you describe your personal styles?
Ezekiel: We prefer comfort over style but still like to stay towards the trend of minimalist. So we avoid clutter for comfy.
Will you share some of your selections and how they’ll fit into married life?
Sure! Here they are.
Kitchen Aid Artisan 5 Qt. Stand Mixer
Other than Izzy begging me to get one for a year, we would use this probably every day. I love baking cookies, and Izzy saves almost every recipe he finds on Facebook.
CUISINART Motorized Toaster
Izzy’s last three years of corporate work were in a cafe, so he knows the value of a good toaster.
Colonia Mills Greenwich Basket
I crochet a lot, and this basket is perfect to hold my current project and the yarn I’m using.
Karl Lagerfeld Paris Ruched Throw Blanket
Anyone who knows Izzy knows how much he likes throw blankets. I think it might be his life mission to collect every known throw blanket ever made, and this is a really cool one!
Boardwalk 15-Piece Picnic Basket Set
We love being outside and exploring different parks and towns here in the Midwest. Having a picnic basket would be so fun to go enjoy nature with!
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