Olivia and Duwane ‘s love story began on July 4, 2009, when they met at a mutual friend’s BBQ in Atlanta. They instantly connected and since then haven’t missed a day of talking. Living in different cities didn’t stop them from getting to know each other. The two say that the distance helped them to cherish every moment and memory that they shared. After two years of flying back and forth between New York City and Atlanta, Olivia made the transition to the South to be closer to her love, Duwane. Olivia and Duwane celebrated their union with an urban chic wedding at the Peachtree Club, in Atlanta, GA. Check out their special day beautifully captured by Atlanta based wedding photographer Matt Druin!
Bride: Olivia, 31, Production Associate, Turner Sports
Groom: Duwane, 34, Firefighter & EMT
Place of residence: Atlanta, GA
Wedding date: 7/26/14
Wedding location: Atlanta, GA
Honeymoon Destination: Bangkok & Phuket, Thailand
Engagement story {From the Bride}:
On July 4, 2013, Duwane ran the 6.2 miles Peachtree Road race in the rain with the ring in his hand unbeknownst to me; I met him at the finish line with my parents and Duwane’s family and friends. He took my hand and said he had to tell me something, “On this day 4 years ago we met and I knew you were the one for me.” I started crying as soon as he got down on his knee, his lip started quivering and rest became a blur. I don’t even remember him asking me the big question, I just said YES and nodded my head. People in the park clapped and cheered for us.
From the Groom:
Our wedding day was honestly one of the best days of my life thus far. Most men say they get nervous, or have second thoughts, but that was the furthest thing from my mind. I just wanted everything to be perfect for Olivia, because she deserved it, and it was. Everyone raved about her dress, my tux, and how the love in the air was palpable.
From the Bride:
It was the most exciting day of my life thus far. The night before we had our friends and family attend out Meet & Greet instead of having a traditional rehearsal dinner. This made the festivities kick off to a great start and kept me smiling. The morning of I felt refreshed since I didn’t have to get up early as the wedding was at 6pm.
What makes your love special?
Many feel that dating long distance can be problematic, but for us it made the relationship stronger. We dated seriously for 2 years before moving to the same city and it made our love even stronger. We knew that if we can make it work apart then being together would be easy.
Favorite wedding detail:
Our food had a mixture of both our Southern & Jamaican cultures. We had a station with fried chicken, mac & cheese and collards greens and the other station was Escovich Salmon, rice and peas, and plantain.
Wedding song:
Kiss of Life- Sade is our favorite singer; we even traveled to Oakland, CA to see her perform live a few years ago.
