When a love is meant to be, there’s just no stopping it. Just ask Cherell and Stephanie, who met online when they were both just looking for friendship.
Cherell admires Stephanie’s courage the most. “it’s what I love most about her,” she tells us.
Cherell and Stephanie dated for three years before getting engaged. Cherell surprised Stephanie with a romantic proposal on bended knee at night in front of the Jefferson Memorial, the same place where they decided to become a couple. #TooSweet
“I’m most looking forward to building, growing, having fun and loving the woman of my dreams for as long as forever last,” says bride-to-be Cherell.
“On the weekends we do any and everything to avoid being in the house,” says Stephanie. “Whether it’s a concert, shopping, taking a quick weekend trip, brunch, hanging out with friends, or our play dates with our nephew, we are always on the move and we reserve the weekends for errands and not relaxation.”
“I wasn’t looking for love at all,” says Stephanie. “I was looking for someone to hang out with and just enjoy their company. I considered myself emotionally unavailable at the time, but I would go on dates expecting nothing at all from them. I think my past was so rocky; I just gave up on looking for prospects.” And then Cherell came along.
“Our parents don’t believe in our lifestyle, but we have a very cordial relationship with them,” Stephanie shares. Together she and Cherell are confident there love can withstand anything.
“I didn’t know right away,” says Cherell. “Our love story was a gradual beginning and became very fulfilling—which is why I know she is ‘The One’ today.”
After tying the knot this spring, the couples plans to honeymoon in Tahiti. This just in: We’re super jealous!
Was Cherell nervous about proposing? “Absolutely!“ she says. “The strangest thing about my nervousness was that I knew I loved her enough for her to say yes and she loved me enough for her to say no if she didn’t want to accept my proposal.”
Here’s a story you’ll love: “I knew Cherell was The One when I had a real bad asthma attack and had to go to the emergency room. I was hooked up with oxygen, looking like last week and just barely present. She stayed with me the entire time and made sure I was calm and okay. I was supposed to have a girl’s night sleepover that night, and I didn’t want to cancel it, so once they got me stable, she left the hospital, went to the house to set everything up for the girls and came back to get me once I was released. She obliged my crazy demands, and to keep me happy, she went against her better judgement of making sure I got rest that night. I knew then that she genuinely loved me and tolerated my crazy, so she had to be it.”
“Cherell said ‘I love you’ first, I believe,” Stephanie tell us. “I was stone cold with emotions prior to her and she has really opened me up to be in-touch with my feelings.”
“She was very genuine when we met,” says Cherell when asked about her first impression of Stephanie. “It was like deja vu when I met her in person because I swore that we have met before. I’m still convinced that we were together in a past life. But she stood out because she wanted to be my friend and allowed time and life to evolve us. She didn’t just talk the talk.”
“I know I will feel full of love and admiration on our wedding day,” says Cherell. “Stephanie and I have a language of our own without words, just eye contact. It will all feel magical.”
“One year Cherell planned a weekend trip for us at this beautiful bed and breakfast in a quaint little town,” Stephanie recalls. “I wasn’t privy to any of the details. I was having a very stressful time with work and life, so she organized this trip to help me relax. It was nice, serene and just the break I needed from reality. I thought it was especially sweet because she is in tune with me so much that she knew that I needed to get away without me even having to suggest it.”
“I’m most looking forward to making new traditions, building a family and just growing together and enjoying life as a unit,” says Stephanie. Join us as we congratulate the happy couple on their upcoming “I dos.” Want to see your engagement photos featured in Just Engaged in 2016? Email us now.
