Scott David Heath was born and raised in San Diego, California, and attended the University of California, San Diego, where he obtained a bachelor degree in visual arts. Scott worked there as a graphic designer before moving to New Orleans to study architecture and historic preservation at Tulane University at the encouragement of his godmother, Juliana Johnson. He has helped to design and restore buildings throughout the gulf coast, and has cultivated a passion for the historic architecture and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana.



Joseph Frank Roundtree was born to Judy Ann Roundtree and the late Hale Frank Roundtree, Sr. Joe grew up in Terrebone Parish, Louisiana, with his sister and godmother, Dale Roundtree, and his twin brother, Hale Roundtree, Jr., though his father's family had ties to New Orleans where they had lived and worked during and after World War II. After graduating from H.L. Bourgeois High School in Gray, Joe obtained licenses as a commercial driver and a paramedic, which began his life-long commitment to serving others as a first-responder and healthcare worker. He returned to school to study nursing, earning associate degrees from L.E. Fletcher Technical Community College in Terrebone Parish and the Charity School of Nursing–Delgado Community College in New Orleans. Joe now works as a registered nurse at Touro Infirmary, where he cares for critical care patients in the cardiology department.



One afternoon in March 2019, Joe dropped off friends at Union Station in New Orleans, where happened to meet Scott, who worked nearby in the Central Business District. They struck up a conversation and later met again that week for a proper first date. Joe was smitten at first sight, while Scott was slowly charmed by Joe as he got to know this charming, down-to-earth man from the bayou. After several months of courtship, they fell in love and became simply inseparable.



Since then, Scott and Joe have been through a lot—both starting new jobs, moving households, isolating during the quarantine, weathering multiple tropical storms, and enduring various health emergencies—yet all of it seems to have made them ever closer as they support and care for each other through everything. They currently live in the Central City neighborhood, where they share an quintessentially New Orleans apartment with their pet dachshund, Riley, in a beautiful Italianate style home built in the 1880s.



On a quiet October evening in 2019, Scott choose to take the time to show Joe some of his most prized mementos, including the wedding band of his late mother, Sharon Delone Heath. Joe was so moved, that he proposed to Scott on the spot. Still holding the vintage wedding band in his hand, Scott accepted with surprise and joy! As any good New Orleanians would do, they walked down the street to the nearest neighborhood bar, the delightfully ramshackle Snake and Jake's Christmas Club Lounge, for celebratory cocktails.



In April 2021, Scott and Joe were received into the Episcopal Church, as part of their journey together and their commitment to their faith and community. They regularly attend services at Christ Church Cathedral and the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, the two venues for their wedding ceremony and reception.



What they intended to be a relatively short engagement has stretched to two years, with numerous delays and setbacks, due to the global pandemic and other challenges. Yet filled with hope and joy, Scott and Joe are very excited to begin their married life together in the presence of their family and friends.