Downtown Houston Engagement Session: Kiara + Dequaris

Bride-to-be – Kiara Wilson – Graduate Student
Groom-to-be – Dequaris Reed – Production Supervisor
Wedding date – 8.8.15
Wedding location – B & A Warehouse, Birmingham, AL
Location of engagement shoot – Downtown, Houston, TX

When we told you we had lots of pretty coming your way, we weren’t playing.  Engagement sessions will never get old here, especially when they’re as colorful and full of emotion as this one we’re featuring today.  The streets of downtown Houston made the perfect backdrop for Kiara and Dequaris’ esession.  The theme…there wasn’t one.  They just simply wanted to be themselves and have their love captured.  Mission accomplished.  The photographer, Joshua Dwain,  has a way of bringing out the best in his clients…it’s as if he’s not even there.  Enjoy these photos and definitely check out the gallery for the full session.

Tell us how you met?

“Dequaris and I met on April 13, 2009 outside of a National Pan-Hellenic Council meeting on the campus of The University of Alabama. I had just become a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and he, at the time, had already been a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated for almost 2 years. We greeted each other casually and that was that. Post graduation in 2010 for him and 2011 for me, we both moved to the state of Florida to accept job offers; however, it wasn’t until the summer of 2013 that we decided to pursue each other. The rest is history.”

The Proposal:

“It all started on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. A movie, a visit to the Tampa Art museum, and a night on the town were on my and Dequaris’ agenda. The movie of choice was “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”. After a few scenes, I realized that I had not yet seen “Captain America: The First Avenger”. I had gotten it confused with “Thor: The Dark World”.  An hour and a half into the movie, I began to get really frustrated because I needed a lot of the background information from the first movie in order to fully understand this one…and I REALLY needed to go to the little girl’s room. At that point, the movie was no longer enjoyable. More time passed by and before I knew it, it was 6:30.  SIX THIRTY…a whole two and a half hours after the movie had started. Finally, the movie ended, I was able to use the restroom, and we left the theatre. By then, going to the museum was the furthest thing from my mind, but Dequaris insisted that we still go.

We arrived in Downtown Tampa and parked on the campus of the University of Tampa. We began to walk towards the museum which, to me, seemed like miles away. The view, however, was breathtaking…the water, the skyline, the weather…all perfect. I began to complain about the walk because I had on heels. Being the gentleman that he is, he offered to carry me the rest of the way but I turned down his offer and told him to shut up. He responded with a smile because he knew that all of my complaining, nagging, and frustration would soon be overshadowed by a very special moment.

Eventually, we made it to the museum. I began to reach for the door handles to open the door when lo and behold, the museum was closed. By then, I was highly upset. He apologized and suggested that we just explore the riverwalk since we were already there. We began to walk down the museum steps toward the river and before long he slowed down and stopped in front of me. He grabbed my hands and said, ‘You know how much I love you, right? Ever since you’ve been in my life, you’ve helped me become a better man and you’ve helped me view life from a different perspective. You know it’s really ironic that this morning you mentioned us leaving our mark here in Florida before we move to Houston…well I’m here to let you know that we’ve left our mark.’ He then pointed to a paver that he’d had engraved for me on the ground nearby. Before I could even read the engraving, I heard “Kiara Nicole Wilson…” and at that moment I knew what was happening. Cheesing like a Cheshire cat, I turned around and there he was on his knee asking me to honor him by being his wife.  After I said “Yes! Of course! Yes!”, we heard cheers and applause from the riverwalk play area and someone said “Hey guys! Look over here!” It was the photographer he had hired to capture each and every moment.”

Engagement session theme:

“We did not have a theme for our engagement session mainly because we wanted a genuine representation of our identities and personalities to reflect throughout our photos. We chose neutral locations within Downtown Houston that would offer great scenery and also provide our photographers with an empty canvas to work their magic. As expected, we are more than pleased with the results of our photos. They really captured the true essence of our love.”

What did you do on your first date?

“Beyonce’ is my favorite recording artist of all time so for our first date, Dequaris decided to take me to Charlotte, NC to see the Mrs. Carter World Tour at the Time Warner Cable Arena. It was utterly amazing!”

Favorite thing to do as a couple?

“We have a strong affinity for music. Because of that, we really enjoy traveling across the U.S. to see our favorite artists in concert.”

How has wedding planning been so far?

“Moving to a new city and starting graduate school has made wedding planning quite the challenge; however, our loved ones and our amazing wedding planner, Eliana Baucicault, have provided more than enough guidance and support to keep our heads above water. We’re definitely soaking up the experience and learning a lot about ourselves along the way. It’s important to us that we enjoy our engagement period and not get too entangled in the web of wedding planning.”

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