Ladies, if the vibe is right, don’t be afraid to take some initiative or make the first move.
When Ruth met Donntay at one of her soror’s kickbacks, they hit it off immediately. Ruth recalls, “We connected at the party; and by the end of the night we had exchanged phone numbers and Donntay requested me on Facebook. I decided to take initiative and called Donntay first.”
Ruth’s move paid off, as they embarked on a beautiful three-year courtship, which led to Donntay’s proposal in front of family and friends at Ruth’s 30th birthday party.
As millennials and lovers of all things 90s, they decided to have two themes for their engagement shoot. Ruth shares, “One of our themes was the nineties sitcom kind of love. Donntay is from Detroit and I thought it would be cute to pay homage to Martin and Gina from the iconic show Martin. We also did a black and white theme, using some of our wedding colors as a theme (burgundy, ivory, and navy).”
Read more about Donntay’s awesome proposal and see all of their gorgeous engagement photos below.
- Couple: Ruth Thomas and Donntay Cooper
- Occupations: Ruth-Government Operations Consultant II, -Donntay-Legislative Analyst
- Wedding date: 12/06/2020 (Prayerfully!)
- Wedding location: Villa Toscana Homestead, Florida
- Location of Engagement shoot: Homestead, Florida
How did you meet?
We met at my soror’s kickback. He approached my line sister in pursuit of me. We connected at the party; and by the end of the night we had exchanged phone numbers and Donntay requested me on Facebook. I decided to take initiative and called Donntay first. We hit it off instantly and haven’t stopped talking since. Four months later on April 17, 2016, Donntay officially asked me to be his girlfriend. I said yes and it’s been an amazing journey since.
Tell us your proposal story.
Donntay’s Point of View: Since Ruth has an effervescent personality, I knew the perfect opportunity to pop the question would be on the weekend of her celebrating her big 30th birthday. Ruth had a multitude of family and friends come to Miami for her Bad Boy Records themed party followed by a brunch. Little did she know, I decided to change the location of her brunch to a location that was aesthetically more pleasing than the night before. Ruth was taken aback a bit when she found that the brunch location changed, but fortunately, she decided to go with the flow of things. It was all worth it because, on that beautiful Sunday afternoon of June 23, 2019, I got on one knee and asked Ruth for her hand in marriage. In the company of our family and friends, Ruth said yes with great joy.
Ruth: The weekend that Donntay proposed was also the same weekend that I had activities planned for my 30th birthday. The night before he proposed on June 22nd, 2019, I threw a 30th Bad Boy Record themed birthday party. I planned to have brunch at a restaurant in Brickell and went around the room to ask my friends if they were still planning to come the next day. They told me that they were planning on coming and confirmed a different restaurant with me. I was a bit confused and then was told that Donntay changed the venue. I was taken aback because Donntay rarely does that! The next day June 23rd, 2019, some of my girlfriends ended up going to the restaurant ahead of us to hold our seats. When we finally got to the restaurant, my line sister pulled me aside to the restroom to distract me as Donntay got ready for the proposal. Once I got back from the restroom, Donntay led me to the restaurant deck and then proposed to me. I happily said yes!
Describe your engagement session.
I wanted us to do various looks to highlight our love and have it reflect the space where we were taking the pictures. One of our themes was the nineties sitcom kind of love. Donntay is from Detroit and I thought it would be cute to pay homage to Martin and Gina from the iconic show Martin. We also did a black and white theme, using some of our wedding colors as a theme (burgundy, ivory, and navy).
What did you do on your first date?
We went to Ruby Tuesday for dinner and afterwards took a stroll underneath the stars.
What’s your favorite thing to do as a couple?
We love being gourmet enthusiasts and attend mixology master classes in Miami.
How has wedding planning been so far?
It has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions, to say the least! It has been a bit stressful due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. But my fiancé Donntay, wedding coordinator, and family have all been supportive and checking in with us. I get excited when I’m able to cross off one of the things on my wedding planning list.
Vendors
- Photographer: Cendino Teme, @Cendinoteme_
- Makeup Artist: Nicolle Leilani, @nicolleleilanibeauty
- Makeup & Hair: Tiffany @Blushmycurls
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