Southern Love in Washington DC

Client Questionnaire

Q1: Let’s start at the beginning. How did you two first meet?
A1: Daniel and I met in Summer 2014 at a pickup game of kickball in Washington, D.C arranged by a friend. At the time, kickball was a weekly social gathering where we’d all get together, get active and hang out afterward. Lasting friendships (and relationships) eventually blossomed out something so simple. The more time we spent together, the more I started to like him! He already had his eyes set on me. I finally decided to say yes to a date and ever since that day, our fate was sealed.

Q2: What makes your relationship special? Tell us some things that you both value in your time together. (example: pushing each other to new limits, love to travel, huge comic book fans, foodies, etc.) What makes your relationship unique?
A2: A few fun facts – both Daniel and I are named after our grandmothers, our birthdays are 5 days apart, and we both hold a degree in Mathematics! Since day one, our connection was organic. Our time together has been filled with ups and downs, last year we welcomed our baby girl and this year we both lost our grandmothers. Having someone to support you through such hard times makes a difference. We both love to travel and experience new things, spend time in watching movies and binge-watching ‘our shows, competing to see who can solve riddles/puzzles the fastest, and taking time to support each other’s endeavors

Q3: How did you know your partner was the one? When did you first know this in your relationship? (these may often be the same moment, but aren’t always)
A3: I knew Aerial was the one before we were officially dating. I was hounding her trying to get her to give me a chance, but she wouldn’t give in. The more I hung around her, being observant I noticed how many things we had in common. Things like Math Degrees, both having ECU Roots, both of us enjoying not being the center of attention, even though we often were. I would text her on nights our friends had social gatherings, “U OK?”. She often responded, letting me know I had a chance. So, I stayed persistent. Spending time together the chemistry was crazy. Nothing seemed forced and the conversation was always entertaining. We talked about everything from memes of Michael Jackson getting stomped by Timberlands, to politics, and even though she knew nothing about football, she learned by watching and questioning me. The fact that we could spend hours together just talking and not get tired of each other was my sign that I could spend my life with her.

For me, I knew Daniel was totally different and perfect for me from the first date. I never looked back. He jokingly told me I would NOT use him for free food and drinks (a running joke among us and our friends) and I thought to myself, you’re right. I knew he would be the one when I took him to meet my family for the first time and he fit right in. enough, it was June 27th. We have a thing for 27 (my birthday, our daughter, and our wedding date)

Q4: Give us all the details about the proposal. How and where did it happen? Was it a surprise? What was the planning process?
A4: I planned the proposal by disguising a Paint and Sip in our apartment’s community room. I invited about 6 couples who we are close to, to help me pull off the surprise. I invited members of our families (her family came up from North Carolina) to come to be a part of the surprise. About 2 weeks before the event I ordered our daughter a shirt that said, “Mommy will you Marry Daddy?”.

When the paint and sip started, I had to hold back on the amount of drinks I consumed so I could stay focused, but my nerves were getting the best of me. After Painting, BTW, she had the best painting out of the room, we all got together to take a group pic with our paintings and my Mom snuck in and handed my daughter to me. Aerial was still posing for the picture when I approached her with my daughter on my knee and asked would she continue to make me the happiest man alive for the rest of our lives.

Q5: We’re all about the bling… Tell us all about that ring!
A5: The ring!?  What can I say? He nailed it! It’s a 1 Carat Solitaire Princess Cut with a 1/2 Carat diamond 14K yellow gold band. Absolutely beautiful!

Q6: Are you excited to start planning your wedding day? Do you have any ideas in mind yet?
A6: Of course! We pretty much have everything nailed down with the exception of a few things. We want our day to be fun, memorable, and enjoyable for not just us, but also our guests. We’ll be using bright, bold colors to accent the beautiful farm venue we’ve chosen and are looking forward to all the little details that will reflect our style and personalities.

Get inspired and check out this National Gallery of Art engagement session below, as beautifully captured by Amelya Jayne Photography LLC.