We're Getting Married!

Our love story began in August 2013 on the first day of law school orientation. Dominique and I had both signed up to live in the Aston, a small apartment building in Foggy Bottom reserved for GW's first-year law students. At our first orientation session, we were given final opportunities to provide full disclosures of every wrongdoing ever committed to avoid premature destruction of our lawerly aspirations, and informed of rules such as "no parties in the Aston past 11 pm" – which we managed to obey for the next 5-6 hours. As the session ended and we filed out of the lecture hall, I spotted Dominique from across the aisle and managed to orchestrate a path-crossing maneuver on our way out. I introduced myself, acting as smooth as I could while desperately trying to avoid letting my instant fascination with her bright green eyes turn into a creepy, terrifying stare. To this day, I have no recollection of the words that exited my mouth over the next 60-90 seconds, but luckily (and perhaps very generously) Dominique will tell you she only recalls being captivated by a handsome smile. With the help of some new friends, we repeatedly found ways to see each other throughout the rest of orientation week. By the time the first day of school rolled around, we both knew we had already discovered something very special.

On my 28th birthday weekend, Kavon surprised me with a staycation at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in DC. That evening, he suggested that we snap some photos by the Tidal Basin at sunset before heading to dinner on the Wharf. As it turned out, Kavon had several of our best friends hiding nearby in the Jefferson Monument. As we approached, they rushed out and presented themselves as a “birthday” surprise. I was speechless! But that wasn't all. Just then, a group of touring school children observing the situation play out spontaneously began a “Happy Birthday” serenade, almost as if they had also been planted on the scene.  As our friends snapped photos of us by the water, with the sunset and the Washington Monument in the backdrop, Kavon said "let's take one like this." He pulled a small black box from his back pocket, smiled that same handsome smile from the lecture hall, and got down on one knee. The gallery of school children cheered and yelled, and our friends, after beautifully capturing the moment on camera, rushed to us in celebration. It was the happiest and most exciting moment of my life!

Our wedding was originally meant to take place in Michigan, in May of 2021. As fate would have it, we were forced to postpone not once, but twice. As a result, we decided to downsize slightly (in numbers, but not in fun) and move to a different venue. We now plan to get married in a vacation destination that is very close to our heart - Tulum, Mexico! We visited Tulum on what would have been our wedding weekend in May 2021. Tulum is a magical place that gave us space to unplug and connect to one another. We can't wait to exchange vows and celebrate our love there with our closest family and friends!