Love can find you in the most unexpected of places — your DMs, for example.
Although Ashley and J.R. would meet in person for the first time in 2019, they had been social media friends for seven whole years. In that time, J.R., a Hollywood casting director, sought out Ashley’s expertise as a former news anchor for a show he was working on. Ashley, daughter of R&B greats Terry Lewis (of the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis production team) and Karyn White, of “Superwoman” fame, is a creator and community manager for Pinterest. Once the project was up and running, they still managed to stay connected, doing what people who are friends on social media tend to do, which includes liking each other’s posts and generally rooting for one another from afar.
But that was the extent of what could be between the two for some time, as they were both in relationships. It wasn’t until Ashley was back on the market and made aware of a dating show he was casting that things changed. As it would turn out, J.R. had had something greater in mind for her than a spot on a series looking for Mr. Right. He wanted to be her Mr. Right.
“I slid in his dm to let him know that my relationship had ended and asked if he had any shows for me to audition for at the time,” Ashley recalls. “He responded, ‘You’ll be wifed up in seconds in these streets!'”
Soon after, J.R. decided to call Ashley and ask if he could have the chance to take her out on a date while visiting Atlanta, where she lives, from his native L.A. She obliged him, jokingly sharing that she ate him out of out of house and home while at Chops in Buckhead, much to his excitement.
“As soon as we met in person we immediately hit it off,” she tells ESSENCE. “We ordered steaks, lobsters, lobster mashed potatoes, spinach, basically everything on the menu. I ate my plate, his plate, and any thought of a leftover. You should’ve seen the look on his face. He said, ‘This is what love at first sight looks like.'”
He wasn’t kidding.
“From day one, she was the girl of my dreams,” says J.R. “During our first date, I felt I was having the best conversations with the most incredible woman I had ever met.”
He adds, “The next day, I called my mom and said, ‘I’m going to marry this girl.'”
Two years after that first date, in the fall of 2021, he took the step to actually “marry that girl.” He did so on a stage in front of thousands of people, which he says was all “God’s plan” based on how it came to be.
“I received a call from my friend, Vanzil Burke, owner of Burke Management, who had received a call from our friend, Curtis King, Owner of The Black Academy of Arts and Letters in Dallas. Curtis wanted us to visit his annual event, The Riverfront Jazz Festival. I told them that I couldn’t attend because that exact weekend, I was planning on popping the question,” J.R. recalls. “Curtis called and offered his stage during [headliner] Erykah Badu‘s performance. I then called Ashley’s mom and asked her to surprise the audience and her daughter that night by bringing her up on stage so I could propose. If it weren’t for Curtis, Vanzil, and my now mother-in-law being behind the scenes to pull the proposal off, I’d still be at the drawing board.”
Less than two years after that emotional moment, and following the wedding planning struggles that plagued many a couple during the pandemic, Ashley and J.R. triumphantly said “I do” on May 20, 2023. It was a star-studded affair in Long Beach, Calif., with Ashley’s mom performing “Love Saw It,” which is J.R.’s favorite song by her, at the reception. Fellow R&B great Cherrelle also sang the classic “Saturday Love,” and both comedian Luenell and Jerome Benton of the band Morris Day and the Time, who is Terry Lewis’s brother and Ashley’s actual uncle, hosted the follow-up to the ceremony.
And while the famous faces were nice, and the exchanging of vows was beautiful, nothing beat getting to see their families become one as the bride and groom joined together, for life, in love.
“It was amazing seeing everyone come together for the first time and celebrate the beginning of our next chapter,” Ashley says. J.R. agrees.
“This was the first time our two families met, and it was beautiful to see how we all became one big happy family,” he said. “This was the best day of my life thus far.”
Learn more about their love story and how their unforgettable day came together in the latest Bridal Bliss!
“I had never met someone with such a kind spirit, filled with so much joy, and who exuded positivity,” she says of J.R.’s impact on her. “He made me feel safe and cared for. He was everything I always knew I needed in a mate.”
“We came from different backgrounds yet had many commonalities and wanted the same things for our futures,” the groom shares, adding that things were clear for him from their first date. “I knew at that moment that she was the best person to start life’s journey with jointly.” He declared that he would marry her the day after their date. “Fast forward four years and my dreams have finally come true.”
There were a lot of obstacles when planning their wedding. The pandemic put restrictions on guest counts at some venues, while others wouldn’t allow you to have a reception in the same place as the ceremony. The bride and groom also had different ideas for the big day. “I wanted an outdoor garden-themed wedding, and J.R. wanted to have a wedding concert,” says Ashley. But things started to come together when they decided to look into getting married in California and the groom remembered a location that would end up being perfect for their nuptials. “J.R. was born and raised in Long Beach and his father was a known local painter of Pine Ave. J.R. remembers growing up and watching him work at every business on that street and immediately thought of Ovation Square, as once upon a time, it stood as a bank, a nightclub, and now a church/event space.”
For Ashley, music has always been a big part of her life, so it also makes since that it was a big part of her day. She two-stepped to the Anita Baker song “Sweet Love” with J.R. for their first dance and shared a sweet moment with her father to “Unforgettable,” Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole’s classic. “J.R. is a big fan of Anita Baker, and when we first started dating, I surprised him with tickets to see her perform live in concert. Whenever we hear ‘Sweet Love,’ I just want to grab him and start slow dancing,” Ashley says. “As for ‘Unforgettable,’ I love Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole! I knew this classic hit was fitting for our father-daughter dance. I felt the song was very classy, which is the vibe we were going for throughout the night.”
Comedian Luenell and Morris Day and the Time’s Jerome Benton were the joint host at the fun reception. “Luenell is one of J.R.’s close friends. She received her wedding invitation and was the first to call and congratulate us. Because of Luenell, J.R. met Vanzil and Curtis, and since they were such an intricate part of the engagement, he wanted Luenell to be a significant part of the wedding. J.R. wanted my mother and me to meet Luenell while she was performing in Atlanta, he asked, and she was so delighted that she accepted, and we’re eternally grateful that she did,” says the bride. “You know Jerome from The Time, but many forget that he’s my actual uncle. J.R. and I love Uncle Jerome so much, and he was the first person in my family that J.R. got to spend time with due to the pandemic. Also, we knew that it would be hilarious for Uncle Jerome and Luenell to join forces at the wedding.”
In addition to looking beautiful as she watched her baby girl get married, Karyn took to the stage to perform during the special occasion. “For my mom to perform at our wedding was a dream come true!” says Ashley. “My husband’s favorite song of hers is ‘Love Saw It,’ so performing that will always be so special to me. She didn’t just perform by herself but brought the amazingly talented O’Bryan to duet with her on stage.”
“My favorite moment from the wedding was, of course, saying ‘I do,’” Ashley says. “But once I completed saying my vows, he made a joke saying, ‘Wow, that was long. I didn’t write that much.’ Then he pulled out this 12ft scroll and started reading his vows. I was laughing, crying, and so happy to marry my life’s love.”
Another highlight of the night for Ashley was watching singer Cherrelle perform the jam, “Saturday Love” for the packed house in Ovation Square. “My mom and I started dancing, and everyone jumped out of their seats to join us on the dance floor,” she recalls.
“My favorite moment from both the wedding and reception was feeling the love in the room in its entirety,” says J.R., pictured with his mother and Ashley’s mom walking down the aisle. “Everyone wore their hearts on their sleeves and embraced each other with it.”
The couple’s cake was crafted by A Heart’s Baked Desire and it looked as good as it tasted.
Pictured from left to right: Jimmy Jam, the groom’s father James Pittman, Ashley, J.R., and the bride’s father, Terry Lewis.
Pictured from left to right: Terry Lewis, Vanzil Burke, Jerome Benton, Victor Burke and Jimmy Jam.
The newlyweds now reside together in Atlanta and are planning for their next chapter. “My mother gifted us with a beautiful country cottage as a lovely wedding present, so we uprooted our lives in Los Angeles, remodeled our home, and are preparing for our next chapter,” says Ashley. “First comes love, then comes marriage…and you know the rest.”
Vendors
Photographer: @wanderlustcreatives
Florist: @villafloraldesign
Cherry blossom trees: @exoticblossomsbyval
Telephone booth: @event.engineers
Hair: @hairbyjazmeen and @darendacheree_smiff
Makeup: @missdrini
Venue: @ovationsquare
Cake: @aheartsbakeddesire
Catering: @cateredbyraquel
DJ: @chromequeen
Dress and veil details: @ritavinieris and @thewhitedresscouture
Groom’s dinner jacket: @tomford