A Match Made on TikTok
/From Algorithms to “I Do”s, Piper and Hunter Hale Share Their Unique Love Story
By Lauren Simmons
(Photo by shane darby)
Piper Spaulding never thought her “For You” page on TikTok should be taken so literally. Three years after seeing a viral TikTok video that an Atlanta High School student made to find their band director a girlfriend, Piper Spaulding and Hunter Hale, the band director in question, were happily married.
It all started in 2019 when Tristan Bishop, a senior percussionist at Atlanta High School under Hunter Hale, asked to make a video of his instructor in order to find him a girlfriend. One week after posting the video, it had over 400,000 views; a few weeks later, it had over a million.
“Now don’t get me wrong, I thought it was going to gain some traction, but not 1.3 million views,” Tristan said. “I remember having people direct message me on every platform they could find my name on, asking, ‘Is he still available?’ and ‘Where can I find him?’”
Hunter Hale, the assistant band director and percussion instructor of the Atlanta High School band, said he humored Tristan’s request but didn’t think it would amount to anything. But a few weeks later he got a Facebook friend request from his future wife, Piper Spaulding.
“Usually when I tell this story, everybody is always freaking out because I am not the one to initiate a conversation with a boy,” Piper said. “That has never been me; I have always been so shy and nervous.”
Piper found the video while scrolling through TikTok one day, and she said what caught her attention were the familiar backgrounds in the video. Being an alumna of Texas High School, Piper recognized her alma mater’s practice field and the Atlanta school logo on Hunter’s shirts.
“I was thinking, ‘Oh my god, I know this field,’” Piper said. “I couldn’t believe this guy lived right down the road from me . . . and I was seeing this [video] that had thousands of likes and views.”
Piper sent her friends the video and told them she would send a Hunter friend request and then message him if he accepted it. She said her friends didn’t believe she would message him, so they made bets against her. Her friends lost the bet.
“Hunter accepted it, and I messaged him,” Piper said. “It was the first time I had ever initiated conversation with a boy, much less someone I literally had no idea about.”
Hunter said the video received thousands of comments, and he personally received around 15 different messages on his social media accounts. However, Piper’s was the one that caught his attention the most.
The couple said they messaged each other online for a week before deciding to meet up in person for a date at Redbone Magic Brewing. Hunter said he was glad finally to find someone from the area who showed interest.
“It was a bit of a culture shock to move here from the central south Texas area, so I thought I just didn’t fit in, and girls that I had met didn’t like me.”
“I was relieved,” Hunter said. “I had some hits and misses [getting dates in Texarkana]. It was a bit of a culture shock to move here from the central south Texas area, so I thought I just didn’t fit in, and girls that I had met didn’t like me. So seeing that she was from Texarkana, I was looking forward to it the whole time”
Piper said she wasn’t as relaxed as Hunter was about their first date.
“I was nervous,” Piper said. “I listened to way too many crime podcasts, so I was prepared to drive my mom’s car there so he didn’t know what kind of car I drove, in case he was crazy. I was telling all my friends where I was going, but obviously it was fine.”
After a week of messaging online, Piper and Hunter had their first date. (submitted photo)
Hunter said the moment Piper walked in the door, he knew she was special. He said she was someone he knew he could find a serious relationship with. The couple said their friends and families were elated about the relationship. Piper’s mother, Kim Spaulding, said she quickly saw that Hunter was “a keeper.”
“When Piper first told us about meeting Hunter on a TikTok, we couldn’t believe it,” Kim said, “but Hunter fits. His puzzle piece may not look like ours, but it fits perfectly and makes our puzzle better. He’s the piece we didn’t even know we needed.”
Tristan said he jumped out of his seat in excitement when Mr. Hale told him in class about the date with Piper. Hunter said Tristan rightfully takes full responsibility for their relationship and that the Hales owe a lot to Tristan and his friends for making the video.
“I’ve kept up with them throughout the relationship while I have been away at college,” Tristan said. “[I] have been so excited to see them thrive in their relationship.”
The Hales said they gladly invited Tristan and his friends to their wedding and even incorporated some elements from the original TikTok into the ceremony. Piper walked down the aisle to the instrumental version of the song Tristan used for the video, “ROXANNE” by Arizona Zervas. The couple also used the same song for their entrance into their wedding reception. Hunter said he always thinks about his wife whenever he hears that song.
Piper and Hunter were married in December 2022. (submitted photo)
Hunter and Piper Hale were married on December 10th, 2022. Since that day, they have been together alongside their two dogs, Olive and Cleo, and three cats, Chester, Molly, and Dave. The Hales’ future plans are to move from their apartment into a house and for Piper to graduate from UT-Tyler as a family nurse practitioner.
Hunter and Piper said they may do a follow-up video in the future, but for now, they are just enjoying their IRL (in real life) love story—no editing, filters, or backing tracks required.