Bride: Shannon Lynette Moore, 28, Retail Coordinator and Wedding Planner
Groom: Ian Patrick Dawson, 33, Field Engineer
Married On: September 22, 2012
Wedding Location: The Peachtree Club, Atlanta, GA
Wedding Theme: Vintage Meets Modern
Interns Wanted
Shannon met Ian during her freshman year at Clark Atlanta University. She was an intern with a special events production company where he worked as a sound engineer. After interning for a few years, she joined the company full-time. Ian and Shannon were friends before lovers. They worked side by side each day in a family-like work environment that gave them a chance to get to know each other well without the added pressures of being on a date. Then one day, Ian took a job out of town and Shannon was sad to see him go. They weren’t a couple at the time, so she couldn’t protest him leaving, but deep inside she really wanted to ask him to stay. Their friendship meant a lot to both of them, so in his absence, they kept in touch daily. “As I got to know her more and more, It was clear to me that she was as invested as I was in building on our friendship,” says Ian. “Love was built on a foundation of friendship.” When an opportunity to go on a trip to visit a friend arose, Shannon invited Ian to join her. It was the perfect excuse for them to see each other. “He accepted my invitation, and on the first night of our trip, he presented me with a beautiful Tiffany’s necklace and formally asked if I would be his ‘significant other,’” she recalls. “That was five years ago and now we are happily married.”
A Beautiful Morning
Ian and Shannon’s entire courtship was long distance. He would visit her in Atlanta once a month and she very much looked forward to each visit. One morning, she awoke to find out he had a surprise for her. “He’s always brought me gifts—clothes, shoes, etc.—so that’s what I was expecting to see when he walked into the room, but instead I saw nothing,” she recalls. “He walked over and knelt down on the side of the bed. My mind was racing as he expressed how he felt about me and our future together.” Ian asked Shannon to be his wife, she said yes, and then he pulled out a beautiful diamond ring. Share their love!
Photos: Erik Umphery
Bridal Bliss: A Long Distance Love
Co-workers Ian and Shannon were the best of friends for years until he moved away and she realized she missed him more than she could have imagined. Their long distance love led them straight to the altar. See their “I dos!”