Whitney and Dazell’s love story first began on the campus of Cornell University as undergraduate students. Though an obvious attraction to and interest in each other was clearly evident, they didn’t begin dating until after graduation. Their years of college friendship laid the perfect foundation on which to establish their blossoming feelings of love. The more they continued to learn about each other the more in common they realized they shared, including a mutual love for exploring desserts.
Read all about Whitney & Dazell’s love story, proposal, and wedding aspirations, in their love in New Orleans engagement!
Bride & Groom-to-be: Whitney & Dazell
Occupations: Management Consultant & Middle School Teacher
Wedding date: 9/21/2019
Wedding location: New Orleans, LA
Location of Engagement shoot: New Orleans, LA
How did you meet? Dazell and I are college sweethearts of sorts. While we were definitely interested in each other during our undergraduate years at Cornell University, it wasn’t until we graduated and moved thousands of miles away from campus that we started dating.
Tell us your proposal story. While we love a good “dinner and a movie” night, a great date night for us is characterized by some sort of activity—indoor rock climbing, paint and sip, walking wine tours, etc. We’d attended an escape room for my birthday a few years back and absolutely loved the complexity, pressure, and competition of it all. So when my sister planned a trip to visit her in Dallas, I loved that Dazell suggested we take her to her first escape room!
When the night came, I was so ready to get started! We had an hour to crack all the clues and make it out of the Fairytale-themed course and I did NOT want to lose. Right out of the gate, I found a few clues but could NOT make sense of them and their role in the storyline. I didn’t know it then, but days earlier Dazell worked with the staff to plant a few extra clues along the course with a special message for me.
The night of, with less than five minutes to spare and my commitment to winning at an all-time high, I found Cinderella’s glass slipper and opened up the last door of the course—we won! But my initial excitement turned into confusion when I realized we hadn’t unscrambled an entire group of clues that were still left over. I walked back in the room and, with a lot of help from my sister, read the full message behind the clues: “Whitney, will you marry me?” Through a dozen “oh my God”s and a few “seriously?!”s, Dazell dropped down to one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him.
Describe your engagement session. We are so excited to get married in New Orleans, Dazell’s hometown, and we really wanted photos that would highlight the beauty and true treasures of the city. We knew the color and liveliness of Bourbon street mixed with the natural beauty of City Park would reflect the same vibe we want from our ceremony and reception. Best of all, we had a great time! We don’t have much experience in front of a camera together so it was great to play off of each other and the scenery for our shoot.
What’s your favorite thing to do as a couple? Hands down, our favorite pass time is searching for yummy desserts! We love, love, love macarons, Froyo, gourmet popsicles and all of that! We’re in a long distance relationship right now, so our dessert runs are less frequent than they typically are, but are always a highlight when we’re together.
How has wedding planning been so far? Wedding planning has actually be amazing! Our engagement will be a total of 15 months and I (Whitney) have been super organized from day one! In true “corporate consulting” fashion, I’ve developed a full blown project plan—yes, there are dependencies, deadlines, and all—in addition to a budget tracker and many documents to keep us organized. We also have an amazing planner who is helping bring our vision to life! Dazell has also taken an active role in planning, which has been a highlight for sure. We’re both planning for our wedding, just like we’re planning for our marriage.
Tell us what you’re looking forward to most on the wedding day. Honestly, I’m just looking forward to marrying my best friend! Our faith has truly guided our relationship and I’ve prayed over Dazell for so long. I can’t wait to come together with Dazell, in front of God, our family, and friends and start our lives as husband and wife!
Vendors:
Photography: Faraday Photography
Makeup Artistry: Faces of Virtue
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