Welcome to the Merritt-Taylor Wedding page. Please explore the site and get ready for “Sunday Brunch by the Sea” in Hampton! REMEMBER, the ceremony and reception are at DIFFERENT venues! Don’t forget to RSVP online! Thank you.

We met at Virginia State University in Davis Hall, the music building, in 2009 as college freshmen. I was studying Mass Communications (at the time), and he was a Music Education major. Apparently, he would try to sit next to me in class, but I never noticed him. A mutual friend introduced us in the hallway one morning, but I was in a rush to get to my next class across campus. We saw each other from time to time on “the yard,” but we never hung out. It wasn’t until sophomore year that he saw me on campus and asked to carry my books back to my dorm. It sounds “cheesy,” but it’s true. Plus, I didn’t mind because when I switched my major to English, all my textbooks were thick and HEAVY. He walked me back to Whiting Hall, and I found out he stayed across the street in Howard Hall. We never actually dated in undergrad. Go figure. That didn’t happen until much later...

We spoke from time to time over the years, but we did not officially become a couple until 2013. I was in Hartford, Connecticut with family for the New Year, and he offered to pick me up from the airport. I was beginning my second semester of graduate school, and I really needed a ride back to campus. He ended up driving me back to his house and introducing me to his family. I’m not sure why because we weren’t a couple. I did get a free meal out of this unexpected visit, so it wasn’t all bad. It’s all history from there. He bribed me with a few meals (I clearly have a weakness for food) that were what I called “unofficial dates” that eventually led to Richmond museums, Williamsburg theme parks, and Maryland/DC visits while I was interning during the summer. I guess this was an accidental relationship that became permanent. Ha, ha!

Brenton and I have been engaged since April 2015. That’s right. Three years. But.... I bet you all don’t know our engagement tale. We had been planning a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina for months, and we couldn’t wait to leave. Brenton had been juggling quite a load between volunteering to help the tuba section as an alumni, packing up his belongings in his room, and working early (and often unpredictable) morning shifts at the YMCA. I knew this would be a problem because it’s easy to get ill when you’re “stretching yourself thin” as the older generation would say. Of course, he gets really sick the day we are supposed to leave. So, what do I do? I take him to the doctor, grab a bunch of face masks (he’s contagious), Lysol, medicine, and I drive to Charlotte as he sleeps in the passenger seat. I didn’t know why he was so upset during the trip. After all, he’s the one who should have taken better care of himself. Ha, ha! He told me later that he had the entire proposal planned out, and it was ruined. So, he ended up changing his plans after our trip to the CaroWinds amusement park. We stopped at Applebee’s because it was the only restaurant open, so I wasn’t expecting a proposal. Just a quick bite. After dinner, he told me to fix my hair; I thought it must be messy after the rides. I came back to the table, and there is my ring.... sitting on top of my dessert surrounded by chocolate sauce hearts. He still wanted to “pop the question”’after being sick nearly the entire trip. I thought that said a lot about his focus and determination... so I said “yes.” Then, we had brunch the next morning at the place he wanted to propose.... Harper’s. Things don’t always go as planned, but we definitely know how to make the most of our moments.