How Two Moms Set Up Their Single Kids Through Facebook, All Thanks to One Post — Now They're Engaged! (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Nicole Cleveland, left, shows off engagement ring with Danny Perrone.Photo:Courtesy of Nicole Cleveland

Courtesy of Nicole Cleveland

Idaho mom Gwendolyn Perrone always told her only son Danny she was going to find him a wife. What she didn’t anticipate was finding a partner — a fellow “wingmom” — in her quest to find her child a suitable match.

Now, Perrone and Monica Layton are basking in the glory of their matchmaking success after Perrone’s son Danny, 32, asked Layton’s daughter Nicole Cleveland, 26, to marry him in a sweet pumpkin patch proposal last month.

Nicole Cleveland, left, with Danny Perrone after he proposed to her at the pumpkin patch last month.Courtesy of Nicole Cleveland

It all started when Perrone put a note out on her local Idaho Falls community page on April 28, 2023, “Looking for the page to find my future daughter-in-law🤣😂”

“It was just a light-hearted joke to put a note out there,” Perrone, 58,  tells PEOPLE. “I didn’t know anyone would respond. I didn’t know Monica was as crazy as I am.”

Almost immediately, Monica Layton, 50, jumped in to offer up her single daughter. Layton says she had only recently joined that page when she spotted Perrone’s post.

“I commented that my daughter was single and then I posted her picture,” Layton tells PEOPLE. “Somebody posted ‘your daughter is going to kill you’ but she knows I do this kind of stuff all the time.”

Layton admits a recent attempt to set her daughter up with her coworker hadn’t been successful, but she was not discouraged when this opportunity came up.

On the other hand, Perrone’s post was borrowed from her winning playbook, which included finding wives for both her brother-in-laws. Perrone says she was working at Wells Fargo when she walked into a room of coworkers announcing she was looking for a wife for her brother-in-law.

“All the girls started laughing and I said no, I need to get him out of my house,” Perrone says. “They are still married and have four kids.”

Danny Perrone, left, with matchmaker mom Gwendolyn Perrone.Courtesy of Nicole Cleveland

While Danny’s mom had previously tinkered with his love life, he says “this time tops it all.”

Cleveland tells PEOPLE she was not surprised either.

“She’s done some pretty unique things,” Cleveland, 26, says. “In high school, she’d try to set me up on dates and I’d say, no, I’m good. But she’s always tried to be the matchmaker for me.”

Danny tells PEOPLE that his mom has always tried to push him to get out and meet people. But this was something a little extra.

“I knew she was just joking, but then it worked out for us,” Danny says.

However, the process took a bit of time. The two didn’t message each other for two or three days because Cleveland had just had hip surgery for a condition she’s had since birth and wasn’t able to leave the house for a few weeks.

“We FaceTimed a lot that first month,” Cleveland says. “We agreed when we first started talking that when I got better, we’d go on a date.”

However, Perrone beat her son at meeting Cleveland in person. After Cleveland’s hip surgery, she was living in Pocatello and needed a ride to her doctor’s appointment. The Perrones and Layton lived about 70 miles away.

“I was working and so was her sister, so Gwen says I’ll take her to her doctor’s appointment,” Layton says. “So she drove all the way down there, picked her up and took her to lunch.”

Danny adds, “She did that little vetting process that I hate.”

Perrone admits she’s always nervous about Danny meeting prospective girlfriends for the first time because she’s not sure how they will react to her son, who uses a wheelchair. Danny had endured more than 70 surgeries after being born withspina bifida.

From left to right, Danny Perrone, Nicole Cleveland and mom Monica Layton.Courtesy of Nicole Cleveland

Before passing their children’s information to each other, Perrone reached out to Layton to discuss how her son had been hurt in previous relationships because of his disabilities. She says she wanted to be open about how his other relationships had started out great, but it was a lot for them to deal with his medical needs.

“I just told her my daughter is a giver and him being in a wheelchair is not going to be an issue,” Layton says.

Cleveland admits she’s had many unsuccessful relationships in the past. “I was about eight months out of a long relationship and wasn’t really looking for another one.”

Danny says he wasn’t immediately interested when his mom texted him with the post while he was at work. He says they had moved to the area in 2018 and he had a rough start, including multiple surgeries to correct several issues related to his spina bifida.

“I was at work when she sent me the screenshot and I told her I’m at work and I’m not dealing with this right now, but she just kept talking,” Danny says. “It took me a few days because I really wasn’t looking for anything, but I gave in.”

They started talking before her hip surgery and Danny says they haven’t stopped talking to each other since that day.

When the two finally had their first in-person date, it was magic. They went to seeFast X. Cleveland, a huge fan of theFast and Furiousmovie franchise, mentioned she really liked the movie-linked soda cup as well as the commemorative car. Danny bought both for her. She says the sweet gesture touched her heart.

Later, when they ordered the same dish at Olive Garden (the seafood alfredo), they knew they were onto something.

Danny says he was in love after that first date. Cleveland told her mom, “I really think he might be the one.”

So October seemed to be the perfect time for the two of them to make it official. Danny says they went to the patch to find a pumpkin for a friend’s carving party. When Cleveland turned to grab another pumpkin for their pet turtle, Danny pulled out the ring.

Nicole Cleveland, left, smooches Danny Perrone.Courtesy of Nicole Cleveland

“She was staring at me and looked down at the ring and she realized what was happening,” Danny says.

Cleveland says it was quite a surprise. “He said a cute little speech and I loved it and I cried. We were all crying. It was a happy moment.”

“It has family meaning to me. I want it kind of rustic, with a barbecue and nothing fancy,” Cleveland says.

They are also hoping for some help through aGoFundMe fundraiserfor a honeymoon destination that offers wheelchair-accessible activities.

“Future-wise, we don’t want much, really,” Danny says. “We aren’t looking for a huge extravagant life together. It’s just us, and we want a family and good times and [to] make those memories with everyone that we have in our lives and just try to live the best life we can.”

source: people.com