Engagement Shoot Location: 21c Museum Hotel, Durham, NC

Wedding Date: September 22nd, 2018

Location: The Palisades Country Club

Engagement story from the bride-to-be:

The proposal was a complete surprise! My mom and I have birthdays two days apart, which means that we traditionally celebrate together. This time wasn’t any different. My parents made the trip to the Triangle to celebrate my mom and I for the weekend. Little did I know that they were in on the plan. They were so adamant about making the trip! One of the most exciting things about November is football season. And anyone who knows me knows that I am a die-hard Clemson Tigers fan. November 4th was a HUGE game for the Tigers and it was the only thing on my mind that day. My mother had made dinner reservations at Fleming’s Steakhouse and I was getting quite antsy because I wanted to finish watching the game (it was a GOOD game) while Correai, my mom, and my dad , were trying to rush me out of the house so we could make our reservation. On our way to the restaurant I called to inform them that we would be a little late. They told me that we were fine and they would see us when we got there. We were greeted with smiles and such great customer service. I know now why they were so happy and excited to see us. They knew the ultimate plan. We sat down at our table and begin to peruse the menu. My parents and Correai were very persistent that we order appetizers. I wasn’t really feeling it, but I went along with the group. Calamari did sound good! Unfortunately, the manager came back to tell me that they were out of calamari, but that he had something that I would like much better (as he held a covered plate). When he removed the top, sitting on the plate was a small black box. Well, in my eyes it was a chocolate brownie of some sort. Correai grabbed the box, opened it up, and presented the ring. Somewhere in there, he said a few kind words that neither one of us can remember, and he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. Of course, I SAID YES! It is still one of the best moments of my life!

Our amazing wedding planner, LaToia Ormond from Beyond the Veil Wedding & Events , has been great to work with and has been a HUGE help in getting everything ready for our BIG day. We will be getting married outside at a country club with an evening ceremony followed by a night of dancing inside. Our wedding colors of navy blue, gray, and burnt orange will symbolize the start of the beautiful fall season!

We most look forward to celebrating our union with so many family and friends. We also look forward to finally being married and entering the next phase of our relationship.

It is rooted in the desire to do life together in a way that honors God.

It was the first photo shoot we took together. Donnell Perry was very accommodating in that he helped us find the perfect engagement session location and was extremely flexible. Unfortunately, it rained for a couple of hours leading up to our photo shoot which caused us to be delayed. Even though we were late to the location, Donnell was very accommodating and we never once felt rushed. He made us feel relaxed and comfortable. We enjoyed the preparation and how it felt intimate even though we were in a public establishment. It is nice to have a visual depiction of how we see each other at our best.

We didn’t have a theme. With it being winter, we wanted a location that was indoors that had a beautiful backdrop, but was a little different. 21c Museum Hotel was perfect because it was a hotel and museum with some pretty interesting nooks and crannies. It was also located in downtown Durham, which gave us the opportunity to get some photos in the city. With Durham being such a huge part of Correai’s life and one of the first places that I’ve planted roots, it only seemed fitting to take the photos in Durham.

The proposal was a circumstance of pure inspiration. She had no idea that I had ordered the ring, so the odds were in my favor that she would be surprised. As she is very close to her parents, I wanted them involved in the proposal. I have to give props to her mother for not only did she help with the organization, but she totally kept it a secret. I decided on Saturday, November 4th, since it was conveniently placed between she and her mother’s birthday, and Clemson football was playing a worthy opponent, making it a good excuse to have a weekend outing with the family. Reah’s mom made dinner reservations at Fleming’s Steakhouse for the birthday celebrations; however, I contacted the restaurant to make them aware of the true purpose for the visit. As the weekend approached, with God’s aid, I managed to tackle multiple delays and obstacles on my way to get the ring. We made our way to the restaurant. We proceeded to get seated and ordered our appetizers. After a few minutes the manager came to the table and informed Reah and I that our appetizer wasn’t available, but that he thought she may be interested in something else, something much better. He held a small dish in his hand and uncovered what appeared to be a small fuzzy item. She wasn’t sure what it was but assumed it was some type of chocolate, possibly a chocolate cake. She realized her mistake when he handed the dish to me and I took the ring box off of the dish and opened it to reveal her ring. I said some things which neither of us can remember. All I remember her saying is, “What are you doing?” But time slowed to a crawl when I got on my knee and asked her to marry me. At that point, she realized this was for real, and SHE SAID YES!