Shannis and Marius' Charming City Engagement Session in Birmingham -Munaluchi Bride

After a school project brought them together, high school sweethearts Shannis and Marius have been together ever since, forming a relationship going on ten years to the date on the day of their wedding. The couple chose downtown Birmingham, Alabama as the backdrop for their engagement session – highlighting the city architecture and rooftop views.

Read all about Shannis and Marius’ loves story and romantic surprise family proposal in this charming city engagement session. With photography by Kelli & Daniel Taylor Photography and wedding planning by MunaLuchi Coterie member Tonia Sims of TLS Weddings & Special Events, LLC.

Bride & Groom: Shannis & Marius
Occupations: Nurse Practitioner & Software Developer
Wedding date: April 22, 2017
Wedding location: Greenville, MS
Location of Engagement shoot: Downtown Birmingham, AL

Tell us about how you met and all about the proposal.
We met in 2006 while we were both enrolled in a high school foreign language course. A school project quickly sparked a friendship between us. That friendship eventually grew into a relationship that has lasted just shy of 10 years, and on April 22, 2017 (what will be our 10th year of dating), we will “tie-the-knot” and prepare to spend our lives together.
Proposal: On April 22, 2016, we planned to celebrate our 9th year of dating. Marius’ plan was to take me to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, where unbeknownst to me, our parents and several other family members gathered to witness the proposal. However, his plans got washed out…literally. It began to rain like crazy. Plan-B; the proposal was moved to Seasons 52, a posh restaurant in the Birmingham area. Our families had gathered in the restaurant prior to our arrival. One can only imagine the look of surprise, confusion, and shock on my face upon entering the dining area and seeing our families. To my complete surprise, Marius kneeled down on one knee, presented a ring, and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. He went to Jared, and I said “YES!” The entire restaurant erupted into clapping and congratulatory cheers.

Describe your engagement session.
Since we are both from a small Mississippi Delta town, with no high-rises, we instantly knew we wanted to do a rooftop engagement shoot that pictured tall buildings and architecture in the background. We also wanted to do an outfit change during the shoot that would show our fun, relaxed side as well as our more polished and formal side.

What did you do on your first date? Given that our favorite thing to do is to enjoy a really good meal, that is exactly what we did on our first date. We went to a local Mexican restaurant, but surprisingly, I was so nervous and excited that I barely ate anything. Marius, however, ate like a champ. The food was good, but the company was great!

What’s your favorite thing to do as a couple? Anyone who knows us can tell you that our absolute favorite thing to do together is EAT! We love trying new foods and challenging our palates. From Mexican to Indian and everything in between; you name it, we’ve probably tried it.

How has wedding planning been so far?
Wedding planning is definitely not for the faint of heart. However, with the help of our amazing planner, Tonia Sims of TLS Weddings and Special Events, the process has been smooth sailing. We knew, during our first meeting, that we’d be a perfect match.