Inspiration

Real Engagements {North Carolina}: Shana & Anthony! – Blackbride.com

Shana and Anthony, who have been together for almost 4 years, met in 2011 when Shana started working at the same bank where Anthony worked. "I was new with the company and Anthony was a part of a mentoring team that was chosen to assist us as we got acclimated to the business. We would talk casually about work stuff and overtime I noticed that he would kind of linger near my desk as if he were just waiting to see if I needed assistance with anything. When my training ended and I moved on to another area in the bank Anthony and I kept in touch via email and eventually by phone," recalled Shana.  After a few weeks Anthony finally asked Shana out for on a date to the movies. "I had plans later that evening but I liked him, so I accepted. Naturally when the movie was over, he invited me out for dinner, but since I had plans with friends, I had to decline. To this day Anthony says that he thought that was going to be our first and last date because he assumed I just wasn’t that into him," said Shana. Despite what Anthony thought, Shana was indeed interested in him and the two would go on to share several more dates.  The two continued to grow as friends and in April of that year they both decided to make their relationship official. Shana and Anthony are planning a "modern elegance" themed wedding, next Fall at the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, NC. Check out their Fall themed engagement shoot, captured by Hooman Bahrani of  Vesic Photography!

Bride: Shana Simpson, 26, Finance Senior Associate

Groom: Anthony Bonéy, 30, Customer Relationship Manager II

Place of residence: Greensboro, North Carolina

Engagement Shoot Location: Downtown Winston-Salem, NC and Old Salem

Wedding date: 10/30/15

Wedding location: Proximity Hotel

 

Engagement story from the bride-to-be:

Anthony and I had been tossing around the idea of getting married for quite some time. We both knew we wanted to get married, but anytime we would talk about it he would always say he wasn’t ready yet. The week before our 3rd anniversary, I noticed that Anthony was bringing up the topic more than usual, especially on that Friday (April 18th). We went out to dinner and he kept asking “what would I say if I asked you to marry me” and other little questions like that. After about the 3rd or 4th question I was ready to change the subject because we had been down this road before and I thought I knew how it was going to end. Well to my surprise, when we got home from dinner, there was a box sitting on the counter. I’m observant by nature so of course I noticed it as soon as we walked in the door. I ran and opened the box…and it was empty. Total disappointment lol. I went upstairs to put my things down but came back after hearing Anthony call my name. When I came back downstairs he said “look in the box again”. Naturally I was hesitant because I had just opened the box and nothing was in it. Despite my better judgment, I finally obliged and was stunned to actually find a ring in it this time! Standing in our kitchen, with just the two of us and our dog, Anthony looked at me and said “So will you marry me?” And of course, I said yes!

From the Groom: Walk us through the behind the scenes of creating this special day:

Shana and I had several conversations over the years about getting married, but I always told her that I wasn’t ready. Every time the topic of marriage came up I would dodge it like the plague because at the time I really wasn’t ready. However, as time went on and we continued to grow together I became more open to the idea. When I finally made the decision to propose, I went back and forth for about two weeks trying to pick the right time. I had been carrying the ring around with me for quite some time just waiting for that perfect moment. I was extremely nervous and didn’t know exactly what I was going to say or how I was going to say it, all I knew was that I wanted to take our relationship to the next level and begin a family of my own with Shana. Fast forward to Good Friday, April 18th, I finally picked the perfect time. I planned a nice date night for us to spend some time together and talk about our future. I could barely concentrate on the meal because I knew what was coming. During the course of dinner, I told Shana that I wanted to be with her and that we should get married. Surprisingly she was very disinterested because she assumed the conversation would end with me saying “I wasn’t ready.” We arrived home from dinner and there was a box sitting on the counter. Shana ran and opened it, but me being the jokester that I am, the box was empty. She looked at me and said “you play too much” and proceeded to go upstairs. While she was upstairs I got the real box with the ring and placed it in the same spot on the counter. When she returned I told her that there may be something else on the counter for her to which she replied “yeah an empty box.” I began to laugh however, she didn’t see the humor in the situation. After much convincing, she reached for the box and as she turned around I looked at her and said “Will you marry me?”

What was the theme of your Engagement session?
Our wedding is in the fall so it was really important to us to capture that in our engagement photos. North Carolina is one of the most beautiful states in late October/early November when the leaves are changing colors and we really wanted to showcase that in our photos. However, we didn’t want all of our pictures to look the same, so we decided to choose two different locations. For the first half of the shoot we went with a more urban look in downtown Winston-Salem and for the second half of the shoot we changed into softer looks for our nature shots at historic Old Salem.

What makes your love special?
Bride:
I think what makes our love special is our friendship. We have so much fun together! Even when we’re just at home doing nothing, we make each other laugh and I think that’s important. We are also very passionate, we love hard, we fight hard, but then we’re right back to loving again. Our love is unconditional, and there is no one else I would rather go through this journey of life with.

Groom: Our love is special because it is unbreakable. We have our moments where we don’t get along, but then again, what couple doesn’t? Even in the darkest hours we still have each other and that’s what gets us through the day. I know in my heart that Shana is the one person that I can go to with any issue and she will listen and let me know that everything will be okay.

What are you most looking forward to about your wedding?
I know it sounds cliché, but I’m looking most forward to actually being married. I have surprisingly never been the girl that was into having a big wedding, or any wedding for that matter, so for me the marriage is most important. I know our wedding day will be one of the happiest days of our lives and we’ll be so thrilled to see all of our hard work and planning come to life, but the idea of growing and building a life together is much more important to us than the actual day itself.

Have you started planning your wedding? If so, share a few details about your big day:
Once Anthony and I decided that we were going to have a wedding, I went into full on planning mode. We are getting married in October at the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro. Anthony and I’s favorite colors are black, white, and red so it was easy for us to decide on that as our color palette. Our ceremony is going to be in the evening so we really want to take advantage of that romantic feel and incorporate lots of candles. For our reception we are going to bring in more elements of red with our floral arrangements and lighting. Overall I think it’s going to come together beautifully and be a day we’ll never forget.

Congrats to the happy couple Shana and Anthony! We wish you a wonderful wedding and marriage!

Vendors:

Photographer: Hooman Bahrani of  Vesic Photography

Make-Up: Janny Molina of Pride Beauty Studio

Curated by our Wedding Features Editor, C.K. Alexander. C.K. is the owner and founder of  Love Ink and Brownstone Bridal. Keep up with C.K. on Twitter here: @Love_Ink

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