KALAMAZOO, Mich., Sept. 7 (UPI) -- A former Michigan couple who received a wedding gift that instructed them not to open it until their "first disagreement" said they finally opened it 9 years later. 
 
 Kathy Gunn said in a post on the Love What Matters Facebook group that she and her husband, Brandon, received a gift at their Kalamazoo, Mich., wedding from Kathy's Great Aunt Alison. 
 
 "On the plain white box was a card that read, 'Do not open until your 1st disagreement.' Now, there had obviously been plenty of disagreements, arguments and slammed doors throughout our 9 years. There were even a couple of instances where we both considered giving up... but we never opened the box," Gunn wrote. 
 
 Gunn said she and her husband put off opening the box despite their fights because they feared they might one day have a worse "disagreement" and be more in need of the mystery package's contents. 
 
 "All along, we assumed that the contents of that box held the key to saving a marriage -- an age old trick -- unbeknownst to us rookies. After all, my Great Aunt and Uncle had been married for nearly half a century. So, we thought the box would save 'us' -- and in a way it did. That box went beyond what I believe my Great Aunt had intended. It was by far the greatest wedding gift of all. For 9 years (and three moves) that box sat high on a shelf in various closets gathering dust, yet it somehow taught us about tolerance, understanding, compromise and patience. Our marriage strengthened as we became best friends, partners, and teammates. Today, we decided to open that box, because I finally had a realization. I realized that the tools for creating and maintaining a strong, healthy marriage were never within that box -- they were within us." 
 
 The box turned out to contain wine glasses and personal notes for Brandon and Kathy. Brandon's note included cash and instructed him to purchase flowers and bottle of wine, while Kathy's also contained cash and told her to buy "a pizza, shrimp or something you both like." She was also instructed to "get a 'bath' ready." ||||| “Tonight, we tucked our kids in bed and my husband and I enjoyed a glass of wine on the deck. We were talking about how excited we were to attend an upcoming wedding in Kalamazoo (where we met and went to college) and discussing what would be the perfect gift for the newlyweds. So, I thought back to our wedding day (nearly 9 years ago) and tried to recall the gifts that had meant the most to me. The funny thing? The gift that meant the very most was still sitting in a closet… unopened. 
 
 
 
 On our wedding day, my husband Brandon and I received a gift from my Great Aunt Alison. On the plain white box was a card that read, “Do not open until your 1st disagreement.” Now, there had obviously been plenty of disagreements, arguments and slammed doors throughout our 9 years. There were even a couple of instances where we both considered giving up… but we never opened the box. 
 
 
 
 I honestly think that we both avoided turning to the box, because it would have symbolized our failure. To us, it would have meant that we didn’t have what it takes to make our marriage work – and we’re both too stubborn and determined for that. So, it forced us to reassess situations. Was it really time to open the box? What if this isn’t our worst fight? What if there’s a worse one ahead of us and we don’t have our box?!? As my Great Uncle Bill would say, ‘Nothing is ever so bad that it couldn’t get worse.’ 
 
 
 
 All along, we assumed that the contents of that box held the key to saving a marriage – an age old trick – unbeknownst to us rookies. After all, my Great Aunt and Uncle had been married for nearly half a century. So, we thought the box would save “us” – and in a way it did. That box went beyond what I believe my Great Aunt had intended. It was by far the greatest wedding gift of all. 
 
 
 
 For 9 years (and three moves) that box sat high on a shelf in various closets gathering dust, yet it somehow taught us about tolerance, understanding, compromise and patience. Our marriage strengthened as we became best friends, partners, and teammates. Today, we decided to open that box, because I finally had a realization. I realized that the tools for creating and maintaining a strong, healthy marriage were never within that box – they were within us.” ||||| Antar Jackson and his wife, Christina Jacobson, were looking for a place to have dinner and watch the second game of the NBA finals. Instead, they ended the night feeling shocked by what appeared to them to be a case of racial discrimination. All because of a pair of pants. 
 
 The Logan Square residents claim Parlor Pizza in the West Loop denied Jackson entry when an employee said the husband's pants were "too street." The couple say the pants were black herringbone wool trousers made by Vince, a luxury contemporary fashion brand. Jacobson wrote on Facebook publicly the next day, "Only thing I can think of for the reason we were turned away is one." The couple, who are black, later confirmed in an interview with the Tribune that they believed they were the victims of racial discrimination. 
 
 Jackson filed a discrimination complaint Monday with the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, and First Deputy Commissioner Kenneth Gunn confirmed his office received the complaint Tuesday. 
 
 A statement released by Parlor Pizza on Thursday evening states that the restaurant's dress code is in line with its mission to serve pizza "in an elevated environment," and that the policy is "displayed at Parlor's entranceway and on our website" and is enforced uniformly. "Athletic wear is prohibited under our policy and, unfortunately, the gentleman in question was wearing sweatpants," the statement reads. "We are very sorry to hear of the recent accusation and take these situations very seriously. We hope this guest will come dine with us again in the future." 
 
 Spokesman Joel Morales said further that restaurant management is conducting an internal investigation by reviewing video footage and talking to staff on "why there may have been a misunderstanding." 
 
 Posted at a side entrance to the pizzeria and sports bar is a small sign reading: "Appropriate Attire Required." The Parlor Pizza website home page states: "Dress code enforced beginning at 5 PM, daily: Business Casual, NO over-sized clothing or athletic attire." The site directs users to the "About Us" page for more information. That page further states that after 5 p.m. these types of clothing are prohibited: athletic wear and sweatpants or sweatshirts; sports jerseys and apparel (except "during Chicago sporting events being shown in the restaurant"); and pajamas or lounge wear. 
 
 Yet Jackson and Jacobson claim that other patrons that night were clad in athletic apparel. 
 
 "I had been there once before," said Jackson, a musician and bartender, who was a finalist in the RedEye Best Bartender contest in 2014. "We walked in the door to the host stand, and we were told there was a 30-minute wait for the patio." It was Sunday, June 5, about 7:30 p.m. and the Cleveland Cavaliers played the Golden State Warriors on the big screens. 
 
 At Parlor Pizza, after guests walk in the front revolving door, they find the host stand toward the right, set back behind a takeout window with a pastry display. To request a seat on the large beer garden patio at the corner of Green and Washington, guests must then check in with a second host stand outside, walking back toward the front door, where an employee who appears to work security stands just inside. 
 
 "Security asked to see ID, but before I could reach for it he looked down at my pants," said Jackson. "He said, 'They're too street.'" 
 
 "I was so shocked that I didn't react," he said. "(My wife) was already a few feet ahead of me heading to the patio." 
 
 The pants are described by the maker Vince as "joggers," which Jackson said were purchased at the original retail price of $245. 
 
 "We saw people sitting on the patio wearing yoga pants, sandals and cargo pants," said Jacobson, an attorney. 
 
 "We asked to talk to the manager and introduced ourselves," said Jackson. The couple said a man identified himself as the manager on duty named Mike. "We said we'd like to have a business card, but he seemed nervous, then goes behind the front desk, and said he was out of cards, and instead gives us an events card." 
 
 They said the manager affirmed the employee's ruling on Jackson's pants, stated the dress code policy was posted on the door, then turned around and walked away. 
 
 "It ruined the mood and our night, but we decided that we would wait until we get home to talk about it and discuss our next course of action," Jackson said. "I've worked five years in food and beverage. My wife worked 10 years as a server before law school. We know the ins and outs, and dos and don'ts." 
 
 "I'm an employment attorney," Jacobson said. "I deal with this sort of thing all the time. But it does not benefit me to bring this issue to light. Professionally it is not popular for me to do that. 
 
 "But as a young woman who's worked in the industry, I don't think it gets addressed," she added, referring to racial discrimination. "Most people look away for the most part." 
 
 Jackson decided to go public after a visit to his barbershop. "I was talking about it, and every single person said that this has happened to them at one point in their lives," Jackson said of fellow patrons of color at Who's Next barbershop on Fullerton Avenue. 
 
 "I've worked door security before," Jackson said. "We see it happen all the time to someone with the wrong skin color, but it was pretty blatant this time." 
 
 "Clearly they do not enforce their business casual policy," said Jacobson, "I was wearing a denim shirt and jeans. The policy is so vague. It's hard enough to be a black man in America, and you have to be in total compliance with a policy that's vague and not consistently enforced? 
 
 "They can do whatever they want as a business," she added. "They can have a dress code that says nothing purple, but you can't discriminate." 
 
 "We want them to issue a public apology," Jackson said. "We want them to get rid of their policy if they're not able to enforce it for everyone the same way. 
 
 "And we would love for all that to happen without going to court," he added. "We understand the gravity of taking something to court." 
 
 Although Gunn would not comment on the case, he did talk about the city's ordinance regarding dress codes. "Of course dress codes are allowed, but they can't be written in a way that discriminates against any particular group," Gunn said. "And when I say group, I mean any of our 14 protected statuses," which include race, color and gender.
– The best wedding present Kathy and Brandon Gunn received at their Michigan wedding was one they never opened—at least not for nine years. That was because the gift from great-aunt Alison came with a special instruction: "On the plain white box was a card that read, 'Do not open until your 1st disagreement,'" Kathy Gunn wrote in a post on the Love What Matters Facebook page, spotted by UPI. “Now, there had obviously been plenty of disagreements, arguments, and slammed doors throughout our 9 years," writes Gunn. "There were even a couple of instances where we both considered giving up ... but we never opened the box." Doing that, she says, "would have symbolized our failure." So the box sat on shelves in various closets through the years, gathering dust. "It somehow taught us about tolerance, understanding, compromise, and patience," writes Gunn in a post that so far has racked up 14,000 likes. Finally, on Aug. 30, after the couple put their kids to bed and had some wine, they decided to crack open the box. Inside, they found wineglasses, envelopes of money, and some advice. To Kathy: Pick up a pizza or "something you both like," and get a bath ready. To Brandon: Go get flowers and a bottle of wine. "It was by far the greatest wedding gift of all," says Kathy. The Huffington Post rounds up photos of the couple here. (A math quiz was enough to tank this couple's marriage.)