Time flies when you’re living life, having fun, and falling in love!  I remember when Tiffany and I were in elementary school together oh so long ago!  She’s grown in to a beautiful woman, successful fashion designer, and the soon-to-be wife of the love of her life, Jamal.

Who says you have to stick to tradition when you’re in love?!  Carpe diem, right? That’s exactly what Tiffany and Jamal did a few months ago – right in the midst of Hurricane Irene!!  Read more to find out about their whirlwind love story!

 

Where did you two meet?

 

Tiffany:  At my old job.  His mom and my former boss were good friends and set us up by arranging a surprise lunch.

 

What attracted you to each other?

 

Tiffany:  The brightness in his smile.  He was very cute!

 

Jamal:  Her beauty.

 

Where do you currently live?

 

New York, NY

 

 

When did you get engaged?

 

The weekend of Hurricane Irene.

 

Tell us about the proposal.

 

There wasn’t a formal proposal.  We were stuck indoors for the whole weekend , so we had a lot of time to talk about our relationship and future.  We decided it was time for us to take the next step and we set a date, and said, “We’re ready, let’s do it!”

 

What do you enjoy doing most together?

 

Tiffany:  Going to the park.  Whenever we take walks, it’s always so serene and peaceful.  It’s when we really focus on each other and just talk and laugh without any distractions.

 

What do you love/admire most about each other?

Jamal:  I love the strength in her, and how loving she is towards her family and friends.

Tiffany:  I love how loving he is with everyone.  He’s very forgiving and he always tries to see the best in others.

What are your wedding plans?

We’re getting married Sunday, October 7, 2012 at Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa in Michigan… on a mountaintop (literally).

What are you both looking forward to most on your wedding day?

Jamal:  When we say our vows and speak the words “I do.”

Tiffany:  Our first kiss and when we’re announced as husband and wife for the very first time.

As a married couple, where do you see yourselves in 5 years?

Jamal:  Traveling and having fun.

Tiffany:  Working on starting up a family business, with maybe one kid, still absolutely in love and enjoying our life together.

I just love how they decided to jump right into wedding planning!  Love is all you need and it’s pretty obvious that they have lots of love for each other!  I can’t wait to see the pictures from their beautiful mountaintop wedding.  I know Tiffany’s wedding gown is going to be GORGEOUS, especially since she works in the fashion industry!

Congratulations Tiffany and Jamal!  I wish you two the very best in life and love!

XOXOXO,

Ebony

Ebony Peoples Events & Designs congratulates Ashley & Matt on their recent engagement.  I met Ashley while attending Michigan State University.  Ashley was in high school then and her father worked for the university.  Ashley was always like a little sister to me and now she’s all grown up *tear* and ready to get married.  Read Ashley & Matt’s love story and indulge in some of their favorite pictures together.  You’ll also get a glimpse of the proposal photos taken by “secret” photographer Angie Pierce of Creatively Yours Photography.

Where did you two meet?

We met at work, I (Ashley) was still a “student employee” and he was a full-timer so he sort of robbed the cradle… Just Kidding! But luckily I was moving to a different department in the near future… and the rest is history!

What first attracted you to each other?

Ashley: I thought he was definitely good looking, and a little goofy.

Matt: A pair of tight fitting jeans got my attention!  Her genuine personality and honest conversation fueled the attraction.

Where do you currently live?

Matt lives in Appleton, WI and Ashley still lives in Holt, MI for another 6 weeks while finishing up her Masters degree at MSU. Ashley will be joining him in Appleton in May, and can’t wait to finally be together permanently!

Ashley & Matt in Chicago

 

When did you get engaged?

We got engaged on March 3rd, 2011.

Tell us about the proposal.

Ashley:  I was in town visiting on my Spring Break and we had been looking forward to our date night at our favorite sushi place for weeks.  First I should explain a little about the sushi restaurant or the story wouldn’t make much sense. This sushi bar is one big oval shaped bar, with the chefs in the middle, and a moat around the bar where the sushi comes floating around the bar and you pick which plates of sushi look good to you and eat until you’re full.  So Friday night we went out for sushi, and I’m eating and enjoying our yummy dinner when Matt starts coughing and said he had too much wasabi with that bite and he needed to get a napkin.  He walked over to the waitress area and got more napkins (the whole time I was thinking, you could have just asked the waitress for more napkins, that’s what they’re there for after all) but I just kept eating, thinking nothing of it, when all of a sudden this heart shaped dish with pink, white, and red pieces of paper folded into heart shapes came floating by on one of the “sushi boats” when Matt says, “I think you should grab that”. I’m very confused at this point because I have no idea what he is talking about, and he sort of rushes me to grab it before it went floating past to the next people at the bar. Then I’m just staring at this dish, and he says, “I think there’s something in there for you”, so I unfold the piece of paper that said “read me” on it, and there was nothing. Now I’m even more confused, and so was he… because he wasn’t sure what happened to his “note.”  I unfolded another little heart and found a note that said “I just wanted to do something special to show how much I love you” (or something along those lines). As I’m reading this note a big present appears at my side from some random man. Matt opens MY present (which was a big frame with something long written on fancy cute paper) and said he needed to read me something.  He read this long thing which I don’t remember a word of and then pulled out the ring!  At the same time a secret photographer pops out from somewhere snapping pictures. So with all the flashes and confusion that came before that I just sat there stunned, no words came out.  I think I said something like “Is this real?” because I had no clue what had just happened, and eventually said YES!

Matt:  I had been considering proposing for a while, and got to the point where I knew I wanted to do it while she was visiting on her spring break.  I was tossing ideas around in my head, and bouncing ideas off others, and eventually started crafting the plan Ashley mentioned.   Then I decided I would just do it at home.  Then I decided I wouldn’t be able to wait and would just be greeting her at the airport with the ring.  Finally I decided I wanted to make sure I made the moment something she could remember and be excited to tell her friends and family about.  I called in some backup and got some assists from my friends, and I went to the sushi restaurant the day before to talk to the sushi chef and a waitress to make sure all the logistics were in order.  All I can say is I’m glad I had so many people in on the plan, because the moment I walked in the restaurant I felt like I was floating, and I might have been sitting there an hour, or never done it had I not known that my friends were waiting for me to start the show!  The look on her face is something I will never forget.  Especially that first look of being stunned, where she didn’t say anything.  I had a quick thought that maybe I had read the whole situation wrong, so I quickly grabbed her finger and jammed that ring on so she couldn’t say no!

What do you enjoy doing most together?

Ashley:  Camping, canoeing, watching Sparty (Michigan State) destroy Bucky (Ohio State)  in basketball and football, eating sushi, having wine and movie nights.

Matt:  Cooking and wining/dining together. Being NOT 7 hrs apart.  And watching Bucky show Sparty who’s boss on a regular basis.

What do you love most about each other?

Ashley:  I love his unconditional love for me the most.

Matt:  Since Ashley stole my answer (directly from the proposal I had framed for her, I might add).  I will also say I love her determined and sometimes “sharp” attitude, her smile, and there’s just something about her laugh.

Ashely & Math with their niece, Grace, and nephew, Sean

 

What are you wedding plans?

We haven’t officially started planning yet.  All we know is the wedding will be in Michigan somewhere probably in the summer of 2012.

What are you looking forward to most about your wedding day?

Ashley:  Walking down the aisle in my dress and seeing the look on his face.

Matt:  The picture taking being done, and the celebration beginning.

As a married couple, where do you see yourselves in 5 years?

Ashley:  Still happily married with a little rug rat running around and probably another on the way!

Matt:  Head over heals in love.

Thank you Ashely & Matt for sharing your love story with the world.  You two make a super cute couple!

More engagement stories are coming soon!

XOXOXO

~Ebony

Today marks the launch of a new segment of my blog called “Engaged In Love.”  I’ll be sharing amazing love stories and pictures from recently engaged couples.

I’d like to start the “Engaged In Love” segment with my sweet college friend Tyann and her fiance Adrian.  The recently engaged couple will be tying the knot in Michigan this summer.  Read along as they share they’re amazing love story and beautiful engagement pictures capture by Aaron Robinson of Vintage Image Photography.

Where did you two meet?

We have 2 different stories for this… lol

Tyann’s Version:
In October 2008, I ran into Adrian at the Bernhard Center on Western Michigan University’s campus after a party. I saw him coming towards me as I was holding a conversation with a young man. I tried to walk away as I saw him approaching me as I remebered him to be arrogant and mean. As I was attempting to leave he approached me and starting talking to me asking me where he knew me from. As he was talking I was walking down the stairs of the Bernhard, wishing he would leave me alone. We talked and I told him where he knew me from and asked him to walk me to my car. The conversation was nice; he wasn’t too hard on the eyes either. He walked me to my car and we exchanged phone numbers. We talked the next day and had a date planned for the following weekend. We went to lunch where he annouced that he had forgotten his wallet, I said no problem and we continued with the date, going indoor rock climbing after lunch. He has since made up for forgetting his wallet on the first date.

Adrian’s Version (The Truth):
We actually met in 2000 at the State Theater in Kalamazoo, Michigan after the homecoming stepshow. She was part of an opposing act. After we demolished the competition (sorry Idris), Tyann and I exchanged pleasantries and parted ways. Fast Forward to 2008. Tyann and I met again after the Western Michigan University Alumni Party. We were both transitioning towards the exit when we exchanged glances. I thought she was cute, so I casually pursued as I attempted to recall why she looked so familiar. She was obviously smitten, because she side-stepped some guy that was “in her ear” and met my pursuit. Despite our state of flux, we eventually recognized our source of familiarity. To prolong this reunion, I walked Tyann to her car where we exchanged information. After a week of communication via phone and emails, we went on our first date. I accidentally left my wallet (seriously) and she said “it’s cool I got it”. Unbeknowest to me at the time, this snafu would be the segway to the beginning a beautiful journey, with a beautiful woman and a beautiful life together.

What first attracted you to each other?

Tyann:  His arrogance attracted me to him even though that was one of the things that I didnt like about him.

Adrian:  Her looks..lol

Where do you currently live?

Pontiac, Michigan

When did you get engaged?

July 31, 2010

Tell us about the proposal!

Tyann:  I agree with his version.

Adrian:  I thought the hard part would be getting the ring. If it is one thing I learned from Oprah, the proposal has to stand out as much as the ring. I knew the weekend getaway might be predictable, thereby minimizing her level of surprise. So I started to make an outline of what and how I wanted to get ‘er done, but was getting no where fast. So I went to speak to Tyann to find some inspiration; converse and look at pictures from our relationship. As nerdy as this sounds, I made a powerpoint presentation accompanied with a excel spreadsheet which highlighted the progression of our journey together. My military training has taught me that in utilizing the element of surprise, it is most effective to strike before dawn. Donned in After 5 attire, I set my laptop to play my proposal by powerpoint accompanied by music at Tyann’s bedside using stealth (down on one knee). The mission was a total success. She said yes. The funniest part was that, I don’t know whether she was still sleepy or excited, when Tyann initiated her rounds of announcing our engagement, her exact verbiage was “he engaged to me”. I take this as a compliment.

What do you enjoy doing most together?

We enjoy working out together.

What do you love most about each other?

Tyann:  I like that he has a backbone and owns the male/man role.

Adrian:  I like her spunk and zest.

What are your wedding plans?

We are getting married on August 13, 2011 in Kalamazoo, MI at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in front of 250 guest. The reception will take place at the Gilmore Theatre Complex on Western Michigan University’s Campus.

What are you looking forward to most about your wedding day?

Tyann:  Seeing his face and my grandfathers face when they see me for the first time in my dress.

Adrian:  Seeing the doors open and her walking down the aisle, that’s when I know she won’t change her mind.

As a married couple, where do you see yourselves in 5 years?

We will have one child, both of us will be further in our careers and we plan to be living in either VA, SC, or NC.

I’d like to send a very special thank you to Tyann and Adrian for sharing their engagement story with us!  I can’t wait to see the pictures from their fabulous wedding!

More “Engaged In Love” stories will be posting soon!  Stay tuned!

~Ebony