Ressurrection Graves ended up at a homeless shelter after losing her home and business in 2011. It was there she met Deven, a homeless veteran. Two years after meeting, the couple married on August 28, 2013 – the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.
After closing her massage business, Graves was living in her car when Hurricane Irene hit Washington, D.C. “I asked God to make clear what would end this cycle,” she shares. “His instructions were clear: go to a particular homeless shelter in Virginia. And I did.”
The couple got married at the Jefferson Memorial on a rainy Wednesday. “I’ve always seen rain as a sign of cleansing and harvest,” Graves shares.
The couple’s first choice was to marry at the Lincoln Memorial where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Since it was the 50th anniversary of that day, President Obama had first dibs. They married at the Jefferson Memorial.
Within a few months of meeting at the shelter, Deven was working fulltime. “I felt this was the final sign I needed,” Graves says. “He worked and it transformed our life. He proved himself to be faithful, diligent and a provider with integrity.”
“It was important to us to have a faith ceremony,” she says. “The person we really focused on and gave honor to was God.”
The couple took communion at their wedding, wrote their own vows and exchanged rings.
The couple took communion at their wedding, wrote their own vows and exchanged rings.
Graves wasn’t sure why she ended up at a shelter but could hear God’s voice throughout her journey. “He told me to look for selflessness, and Deven kept showing up,” she recalls.
Deven would walk five miles to Graves’s job at a local grocery store just to bring her lunch, then make the return trek.
After five months of dating they started to discuss marriage. Deven had an opportunity to move into a home and asked Graves to come with him as his wife. “I was in total shock that “the one” had finally come,” she says. “I felt this overwhelming gratefulness to God.”
“We have a picture of our first night out of homelessness,” she recalls.
Graves had decided to be celibate and knew any man she dated would have to already have made his own vow. “I believe that no-sex-before-marriage is a commitment that each individual has to personally make with God, independent of each other,” she says.
Family and friends surrounded the newlyweds on their special day.
While living in the shelter the couple enjoyed playing chess together.
Instead of a traditional reception, the couple visited various parks in Washington, DC and offered food to the hungry.
The couple started Glory Soldiers Global (http://www.glorysoldiersglobal.org/), an organization to help end poverty and homelessness.
“The homeless were so appreciative and were happy that we chose them on our wedding day,” Graves says.
“I believe that all men should have an opportunity to take care of their families and get back on their feet with dignity,” she says.
Graves selected her wedding dress the day before ceremony. “I purchased it off of the rack without all of the pricey add-ons, and I worked it,” she says.
“After I got into the shelter and met Deven, there were many confirmations that he was indeed the reason that I ended up there,” she says.
The couple now helps others overcoming homelessness after being supported in their time of need.
Since the duo married on the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s famous speech, their theme was “I Had a Dream and It Came True.”
Inspired by this beautiful story? Share your favorite moments below. To support their organization, visit GlorySoldiersGlobal.org. Want to see your wedding featured in Bridal Bliss? Email us now.
