It was love at first bid for Daniel Palmieri and Josh Schonewolf, who got engaged earlier this month.
The couple met at the 2014 Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus bachelor auction fundraiser, when Schonewolf bid $280 for a date with Palmieri, a PGMC member.
“I knew all the drag queens hosting and they were joking and kept trying to bully me into making a bid but I wasn’t having it,” said Schonewolf, 34, a native of South Philadelphia and a local event producer. “Danny was the last one to come up and did this burlesque performance and I took notice. They asked if there were any bids and I just decided to bid $280. I was just immediately attracted to him.”
But, he was outbid by a fellow guest.
“That whole thing was surreal,” said Palmieri, 31, a native of Northeastern Pennsylvania and the group-sales manager at Kimmel Center. “I was standing up there in my little underwear and people started shouting out money. I was like, well this is a new experience. But the winning bid was $300 so Josh literally just missed out on me.”
“And I make him pay for it to this day,” Palmieri laughed.
Schonewolf approached Palmieri after the event.
“He was telling me how he runs events and that he liked my burlesque number and wanted to talk about having me in one of his shows,” Palmieri said. “I was thinking, This guy so good-looking, and he liked my work! I liked how totally upfront he was and he wasn’t afraid to come say hi.”
The pair talked in the ensuing days and ultimately went on a date to Square on Square, where Palmieri said they had an “immediate connection. It was so much fun, and it hasn’t stopped.”
Schonewolf said the couple is committed to respecting one another on all levels.
“He completely respects me, and I completely respect him,” Schonewolf said.
“We complement each other well,” Palmieri added. “He brings out the absolute best in me. My brother said it best when he said he hasn’t seen me happier or more myself than in the last year-and-a-half. We just love and support each other and allow each other to be so authentically ourselves; it’s hard not to feel absolutely wonderful in that environment.”
The couple happened to be moving in together the day the U.S. Supreme Court legalized marriage equality nationwide, prompting Schonewolf, who covertly bought a ring from a jeweler in Provincetown, Mass., to plan his proposal.
“It was an exciting, magical day and it was such a big step for us. I just thought, this needs to happen; it made perfect sense,” Schonewolf said.
While in P-Town earlier this month, the couple was having breakfast on the beach when Schonewolf popped the question.
“We got coffee and breakfast sandwiches and he suggested sitting on the beach. It was beautiful, we were chillaxing and I was really enjoying my sausage, egg and cheese sandwich,” Palmieri laughed. “He got quiet, which is not like Josh, and said he’s been thinking about the future, reached for his pocket and got down on one knee in the sand — I don’t even remember what he said, I was just like yes! I was shocked. It was perfect and so sweet.”
Schonewolf said the moment was just as flawless from his vantage point.
“There was no one on the beach; it was like a movie scene and they had cleared it out for us,” he said. “He started crying as I got down on one knee. It was awesome.”
The couple is planning to take their time with the wedding-planning process.
“Right now, we’re just enjoying this new little bubble of love we’re in,” Palmieri said. “We’re having a blast living together, and everything is just wonderful; it’s really nice to just take a moment, sit back and enjoy our happiness.”