Let's Get Married

Groom: Asante and I met on a blind double date one evening in Flint, MI. I had recently just moved back to Flint after spending a few years living in Chicago for school. On this particular day, I had just got back in town from a work trip and was hanging with one of my friends. He told me he was about to meet up with a classmate that he was interested in. Later that evening he mentioned that her roommate would be joining and I wished him luck entertaining two ladies! He asked me to go and keep her roommate company and I told him “absolutely not”! I did not have a haircut and he had no idea what her roommate looked like, so at the time it didn’t sound like the greatest way to spend my evening. After much debate, he convinced me to take one for the team and I agreed to be his wingman. Lo and behold, when I turned the corner at Buffalo Wild Wings, I sat down across from a beautiful young lady that would one day become my bride! Bride: One evening I was attending an event with my college roommate on campus. After the event she asked if I would come with her to meet up with a classmate who liked her. I didn't hesitate to keep her company, even if I was the third wheel. She told him that I was going to be joining them and he managed to find a friend to bring along. I truly went only to support her and did not expect more than a drink and conversation for the night. We arrived first at Buffalo Wild Wings and found a few seats. The guys walk in and I meet Troy Forte for the first time. After drinks and a few laughs we continued the night at the movies. Troy still loves to tell how that movie experience went! After the movie we went our separate ways and did not exchange numbers. Like I said I was there for support so I was not expecting a connection between us. It did not take long for Troy to find me and ask for our own solo date! We kept it going a few years after that!

I had been holding on to the ring for months trying to figure out the best way to make the proposal a memorable experience for Asante. She is not one for surprises and had already mentioned to me in the past that she would not want to be proposed to in a public setting. I had to figure out something that was reasonably low-key that would allow me to have a photographer on hand to capture the moment. It just so happened that my favorite college football team, University of Michigan, would be in Dallas to open up their season against the Florida Gators. I decided to buy some tickets and invite Asante’s best friend Tiffany, my best man Brian, and my Dad to come down and see the game. It was the start to a great weekend, Michigan won of course...Go Blue! After contemplating on how I could create the proper atmosphere for a proposal, I decided to plan a trip to the Dallas Arboretum. I chose the arboretum because my late mother loved flowers and It was my way of having her there with me in spirit. I hired a photographer to capture the moment when we approached a specific landmark. Asante being her observant self, noticed the photographer right away and said, “what is that lady doing”. She was only taking pictures of flowers, nothing out of the ordinary, but I thought she was on to me as soon as we entered the gate. As we got closer to the destination, it was challenging to keep everybody on task, partly because this had to be the hottest day of the summer!! However, we kept pushing and finally reached the large picture frame that was selected to be the backdrop for the proposal. We waited for other tourists to take their photos and then I was up for my big moment. As we approached the picture frame, I got down on one knee, pulled out my life savings in the form of a diamond ring, and asked Asante to marry me. She laughed, she cried, and most importantly…she said yes!!