I can remember our first meeting LaTarsha during our consultation in Downtown Raleigh. LaTarsha was all smiles as we talked about their wedding details with Elana of Elana Walker Events. Her smile became even bigger when she talked about her fiance’ Tony and his one of kind proposal. After hearing about their love story and their faith, I couldn’t help but be impressed with this couple. LaTarsha and Tony met October 12th, 2011. Ironically, they met by accident. LaTarsha was involved in a car accident on a cold rainy morning on the way to work. Tony was the first on the scene, since he works for the Rocky Mount Police Department. Luckily no one was hurt. That was the day she met the love of her life and it was one accident she was happy about. They have been inseparable since then. LaTarsha says “Each day our love is growing stronger and stronger.”

Engagement story from the bride-to-be:

The entire wedding proposal was memorable. Well, I was at church on a Friday night. My Dad was on the pulpit, saying a prayer for families and the surrounding communities. There had been a few tragedies recently that week which took the lives of some young people that we knew. As I was praying someone tapped me on the shoulder and told me to go to the lobby of the church, so that’s what I did. When I got there, it was a Police officer. He explained to me that I need to come with him. So, by this time I am freaking out. What happened, what’s going on, is Taylor okay, are all the questions I asked while riding to Nash County jail. The only thing he told me was that he was okay and that we needed to go to the jail, OMG. So we get to the jail and Lord behold the man I love was sitting in an orange jump suit in a holding cell. So I’m frisked at the door, even more hysterical at this point, in disbelief. To make a long story short, at the end of all the questioning, and the why didn’t you talk to me, he popped the question. I was lost for words initially, but I then utter yes while still trying to make sense of what just happened. All of the officers cheered, smiled and gave us our congrats, then I went back to church to let everyone know that everything was “ A okay”. Memorable!

For the Groom: Walk us through the behind the scenes of creating this special day:

I wanted an interesting and memorable proposal. There was a lot of preparation. I had to speak with the jail administration to get the okay. They thought that it was a great idea. I also had to get my partner on board. On that day, when I got home I acted as if I had very long day at work, I tried to convinced her that something was wrong. I told her that I was not going to church that night and that I just needed to rest. Then the rest is history.

What was the theme of your Engagement session:

Country themed mixed with a little city.

What makes your love special?

When Taylor and I met, our careers was the focus of our life. I was definitely not looking for a relationship at the moment. But as we grew closer and got to know each other better, we could no longer hide that we were madly in love with each other.

What are you most looking forward to about your wedding?

The vows, we are writing our own vows. I’m nervous but, I cannot wait to share with the world how much I love this women.

Please tell us about your photography experience?

Donnell is amazing, his wife, Tiffany was there assisting him, they make a great team. What made the experience even better was the fact that Tiffany was a Duke fan. It was very cold that day, but they made it very warm. Tony and I are not models, lol but they both gave us direction to get the perfect pose. I loved the venues he picked out. We had no clue about Raleigh, we told him the look we wanted and he made it happened.

Please tell us about your wedding planner?

Elana Walker, has been amazing from the day we met. We actually set down with her a year before the wedding date to get a head start. She helped with everything from the colors to picking out bridesmaid dresses. She was unable to make that day we went to pick out the bridesmaid dresses due to schedule conflicts, but she still managed to be there via technology and help pick the best dress. This whole process has been stress free because of her. So we highly recommend her if you are looking for wedding planner.

Please share a few details about your big day:

We will be having a traditional church wedding, very little décor because the church does not need a lot of sprucing up. Our reception will be held at Benvenue Country Club, a very beautiful place. They have a beautiful golf course, I know that Donnell will capture some beautiful moments there.