Terrence and Crystal first met at “Movie Night” on April 27, 2012 at their church. Crystal’s grandmother had asked her to bring her to the movie night and Terrence was there because of his love for church and movies. Neither was expecting to find love on that night but as the saying goes, “Sometimes when you stop looking for love, love finds you.” From across the room, Terrence noticed Crystal’s care and special attention for her grandmother and that drew him over to spark a conversation. Terrence made small talk with Crystal's grandmother for a while. When Terrence walked away, Crystal asked her grandmother, “Do you know him?” Her grandmother said, “No! I don’t know who that is! But he is very handsome and seems really nice.” Four days after their brief meeting Terrence and Crystal went on their first date. "Terrence planned a romantic dinner at a fine dining restaurant for us. Dressed in a three piece suit, he presented me with a beautiful rose and asked me to be his girlfriend. That day I text my entire family and said, “I am officially off the market," recalls Crystal. Sadly, two months after Terrence and Crystal met, on June 27, 2012, Crystal’s grandmother passed away. It was at that time, that Crystal needed love the most and God showed her that true love never fails. Since then, Terrence has never left Crystal’s side. Check out their engagement session captured by Martha Theodore of Exclamation Point Photography!
Bride: Crystal Keeler, Accountant
Groom: Terrence Denkins, Director of Guest Services
Place of residence: New Orleans, Louisiana
Engagement Shoot Location: Fulton Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
Wedding date: 7/26/14
Engagement story (Told by the Groom):
I knew that I wanted it be spectacular! The first few thoughts that came to my mind for Crys’ proposal were she always said she wanted her family to be around, she wanted to be surprised and she wanted her best friends there. What I should also mention is that my fiancé is a very, very curious person. So, it was a difficult task to pull off this surprise proposal. I met with her Mom to tell her my ideas, which were that it needed to be in a restaurant that was beautiful and nice, but still offered the seclusion and intimate atmosphere. Her mom said confidently that she could accomplish this. Two weeks later her mom said, “To ensure that Crys does not find out about this, we will say that this event is to celebrate my new job.” Then I said, “Oh Ma! You have a new job?” She said, “No, but that’s what we will tell her.” Then the day of, I was able to get my family in from Houston and house them for the day in my apartment and the rest of Crys’ family and friends were to meet us at the venue. When we arrived to the venue, everything was planned perfectly. I pretended to have to go to the bathroom. While I was in there, changing into my suit, I had three people enter the room to greet Crys with red roses and then I entered the room with a single white rose. She instantaneously started to scream. In front of her family, I confessed my love to her, got down on one knee and I proposed to her. She said YES before I even got the ring out! After a hug and a kiss, she turned to see all of her friends and my family. She was truly ecstatic!
What makes your love special?
God makes our love special. Our entire story is all because of Him. Our testimony is Psalms 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord, And He will give you the desires of your heart.”
What are you most looking forward to about your wedding?
Groom: I am looking forward to just having a good fun time, filled with laughter, happiness, family, good food, and all that God has to bestow upon us.
Bride: I am looking forward to seeing Terrence’s face as I walk down the aisle and my Daddy’s talk with Terrence before he lets me go. I’m sure that will be funny.
Have you started planning your wedding?
Yes, we have started planning. Crystal’s mom, Yolanda Keeler, is our wedding coordinator and she has made the entire planning process an enjoyable one. She even has some surprises for us on our wedding day!
Congratulations to Crystal and Terrence on your engagement! We wish you a wonderful wedding day and marriage!
Vendors:
Photography: by Martha Theodore of Exclamation Point Photography
Curated by our Wedding Features Editor, C.K. Alexander. C.K is the owner and founder of Love Ink. Keep up with C.K. on Twitter here: @Love_Ink
