K’Lea and Jeff were married April 11 at St. Columba Catholic Church in Dothan, Al and their reception was held at The Grand on Foster in historic downtown Dothan. K’lea described her wedding day as southern, traditional and timeless and I couldn’t agree more. From the timeless, elegant beauty K’Lea possesses to the sweet love between this couple it is evident they are so in love and ready to live out their happily every after with God at the center of their marriage! These two are looking forward to settling back into life in Dallas, TX and enjoying each moment as they build their life together.
Enjoy the beauty in the images of K’lea and Jeff’s wedding day along with some words from the two of them! And to see more of their day, click here for a slideshow of images highlighting their day.Did you have something borrowed, blue, old and new?
Borrowed: Handkerchief that was my mom’s with an embroidered blue “K” for Karen…she embroidered another blue “K” for me. I kept it in my pocket during the ceremony just in case. Loved that my dress had pockets! Blue: Shoes! I wore powdered blue patent wedges. New: My dress! Old: Broach of my mom’s that I hooked to my bouquet. It had a lock of my hair from my first haircut. Growing up, I remember her wearing this in the 80s & 90s when broaches were quite fashionable. Bride, how would you describe the groom?
Loving, Genuine, Loyal, Selfless, Playful, Driven, Creative: If God would have given me the opportunity to put together the perfect husband for myself, I could not have created a more perfect life partner than Jeff. Only the All Knowing, Almighty Creator could have fashioned such a match for me. What is your fondest memory of your wedding day?
Groom: The anticipation of K’Lea walking down the aisle and finally seeing her when the doors opened. What is your fondest memory of your wedding day?
Bride: My favorite part of the day was taking pictures outside the church at the conclusion of the ceremony and our ride to the reception. Thunderstorms were forecasted but it was turning out to be a beautiful evening. It was so exciting to see the wedding party file out of the church and cheer us on as we took photos and got in our “get-away” car. That time of celebration with our family and friends and the private moment in the car for the first time as husband & wife were overwhelming. I was absolutely giddy and could barley catch my breath from all the excitement. Describe your favorite thing(s) about your reception:
Bride: My absolute favorite part was our first dance! I love to dance and love dancing with Jeff even more. It was such a special song because we picked it the night of our engagement. We were the only ones dancing when the band was playing their last song of the night and the song was, Stand by Me. So, right then and there, we picked our wedding song! It was so fun dancing to it at the reception. With my dress bustled and spinning around the dance floor, I felt like we were the only two in the room and maybe even a little like a Disney princess too:)
Bride & Groom: Loved the departure…thrilling running through the lavender & birdseed!
Groom: Grooman’s Cake (Peanut dressed as William Wallace from Braveheart) How did you meet and how long did you date? Tell us your love story. – I attended an investment conference in New Orleans with my grandparents. On the last day, there was a closing reception and I was exhausted and did not want to attend. My grandmother insisted and while I was there, I met a lady named Donna Knox. We talked for an hour or so and found out that we were both from Alabama and both vacationed in the Destin area in Northern Florida. I learned all about her children and grandchildren and she learned about my college years and career so far in Dallas. When the night was ending, she mentioned that her neighbor at the beach had a son in Dallas that she thought I would really enjoy meeting. She thought we would be a great match! I wrote my information on a scrap of paper I had in my purse and she said she would pass it along to his parents. This was in early November of 2013 and I still had not heard from him the beginning of December. I did not remember his name, so I thought it was a lost cause. Then on December 14, 2013, I was having lunch with a friend and noticed that I had an email from Jeff! I was so excited. My friend immediately pulled him up on the internet and said “let’s enjoy our girl time for now…because you are going to marry this guy”, ha! The following Friday he picked me up for drinks and the moment I walked out of my house to meet him, I knew! He was standing by passenger side of the car with the door open and had his arms outstretched to give me hug and said, “K’Lea”. That was it. I knew he was the one. We had so much fun at drinks that we walked to the restaurant next door and had dinner. It was getting close to midnight and I had completely forgotten that I had to be at the airport at 5:30am to go home for Christmas and I had not packed one thing. We headed home and when we were saying our goodbyes, I kissed him!! What!? So out of character. It was a little kiss but I still couldn’t believe I did that, haha. Anyway, we both went home for Christmas and talked the whole time we were away. When we got back to Dallas, we became inseparable, best friends and after seven months of dating we got engaged and planned our wedding for eight!
Tell us all about the proposal! – We were headed to the beach to visit our families in a few short weeks and that was the proposal plan…BUT the ring was ready and was burning a hole in his pocket. We were headed out of town to Memphis for a wedding on Friday and I am a last minute packer. That Sunday he asked me what night I was going to pack…I responded, Thursday night or possibly Friday morning (always last minute!!). We had both been traveling the weekend before and had been busy with work, so he asked if I could pack earlier so we could go to a nice dinner on Thursday and spend a little quality time together before heading to another busy wedding weekend. I said ok and was excited Thursday morning to go to dinner! When I asked what time and where, he said that he didn’t really have a plan and we could just play it by ear. I was a little confused…and maybe a little irritated. Most nice restaurants in Dallas require reservations, so why was there no plan? I took a deep breath and decided to go with the flow. He came to pick me up…still no plan AND he had forgotten his wallet at his condo :/ So we stopped by for him to pick it up and I waited in the car. He was gone forever. I almost went to go check on him. But then he came to the car and said there was something inside he wanted me to see. I thought it was going to be a rug because he had recently been trying to find a new one for the dining room. But when we got to the door, he took both of my hands and started telling me how he felt about me, when he knew I was the one, what he saw for our future and I was in shock. Then he opened the door and there were candles, flowers, and rose petals everywhere. He got down on one knee and proposed! I did not know what to do! I immediately said yes but then froze. He had to ask if I wanted to try on the ring. We had champagne, called our families and headed off to a nice dinner at the Mansion. After dinner he suggested we go have a drink in the bar. I was up for it and when we walked in I was surprised by a big group of our friends. It was so special to get to celebrate with everyone! We barely got any sleep and then the next day had a great time making calls, responding to text messages, and starting the planning on our 7 hour drive to Memphis.
Wedding Venue: Saint Columba Catholic Church | Reception Venue: The Grand on Foster | Wedding Planner/Coordinator: The Bride and Groom | Florist: Hugh Deese of The Petal Pusher | Wedding Dress: Carolina Herrera (Warren Barron – Dallas) | Bride’s Veil: Monvieve | Hair and Makeup: DeeDee Morris | Bridesmaids Dresses: Formally Yours | Wedding Invitations: Needle in a Haystack along with Pink Ink Scripts (Calligraphy) | Reception Band: City Heat of Atlanta, Ga (Music Garden Bands) | Bride’s & Groom’s Cake: Debra West | Catering: KBC Catering | Rentals: David Parker (Linens) and Dave Guiler (Stages) | Additional Vendors: Daley Ann (Monogram, Save the Dates, Napkins, Koozies)