Fate is the development of events beyond our control…a destiny guided by an all-knowing higher power watching over us. For Daquan, this sentiment is believed to be true; that he and Jamar were placed on each other’s path. And what initially began as a friendship would later develop into love as overtime they began to fully comprehend the totality of their bond, and just how rare it is to have a relationship so complete…
Read all about Daquan and Jamar’s love story, surprise romantic proposal, and wedding experience in their intimate and stylish wedding. Planned and designed by MunaLuchi Coterie member Darryl Wilson of D’Concierge Wedding Events, featuring invitations by Oda Creative, and specialty designs by Ten23 Designs. See the complete gallery here.
Couple: Daquan and Jamar
Occupations: Daquan – Dancer/Choreographer/Cheer Gym Owner, Jamar – Manager of HR Quality Systems and Technology at Comcast.
Wedding date: 11/6/16
Wedding location: Arts Ballroom – Philadelphia, PA
Tell us how you met and all about the proposal.
Daquan – “I believe it was fate. I was invited to a game night by one of my good friends. I had not seen him in a while so I agreed to attend. When I arrived, I heard a lot commotion at the front door which let me know that the part had gotten started. I knocked and 3 guys answered, none of which were my friend or anyone that I knew. I asked if my friend was there and one of the 3 guys replied,’NO, he stepped out to grab some ice,’ I said, ‘ok cool,’ and walked right in. One of those 3 guys was Jamar.
Jamar seemed to really be the center of attention at this event. He had my attention as well. He was handsome, funny, and outspoken, especially when joking with a friend telling his friends, ‘you have one more time before I throw you out my house, I pay the bills here damn it!’ We all laughed, and then I asked someone, ‘Wait! This is HIS HOUSE!?’ They replied ‘YES!’ It turned out my friend was just staying there for a while. I was so embarrassed as I walked right by this man, barley even speaking, thinking I wasn’t in his home. Not the best first impression. After the party we kept in contact and often joked about my rude first impression but friendship became fascination, which in 2 years time became dating. 5 years after that , I now call my friend my husband.”
The proposal:
Daquan – “Let’s start by saying that Jamar hates surprises, but I’ve been determined to change that. It was Jamar’s birthday weekend and I was determined to give him the best birthday weekend ever. All he asked for was dinner at a specific restaurant that he had his eye on.
I called his mother the week of, who lives in Florida and told her about the plan for his birthday and how I wanted to surprise him with friends and family in attendance. She was excited. I then asked her for her blessing and she became overwhelmed with excitement and said ‘yes!’ Her only request is that when she gets old, that we don’t make her ‘return to Cold Philadelphia…’ I agreed! So I flew her in that weekend and put her in a beautiful hotel in Center City Philadelphia.
Saturday night, we got dressed and I told him I was taking him to dinner. We made our way to the restaurant he told me about a few weeks prior. When we arrived he gave me a huge hug. Little did he know, he had a much bigger surprise in store.
We walked in holding hands and I led the way. He was startled by the huge group yelling ‘SURPRISE! I was able to get our close friends from New York, DC, Philly, along with his sisters, and most importantly, his mother all the way from Florida. Tears instantly came to his eyes which was shocking for all of us as Jamar is not known to get that emotional. It was perfect. But there was still another surprise in store. In fact the biggest one of all.
We ate dinner, drank and socialized as I wanted to wait for 12:00am, which was his actual birthday. The time came near and my nerves were through the roof. I cued an old friend who is a singer and he stood up to sing one of our favorite SONGS… I grabbed Jamar’s hand and pulled him into the middle of the floor, got down on one knee, removed the promise ring that I gave him the year before and said, ‘the promise ring was nice and all, but you deserve more than just a promise. You deserve forever, Will you marry me?’ The room was full of tears of joy! He replied, ‘Yes!’ And pulled me in for a huge hug. It was a success!”
What was wedding shopping like for you? We both were styled and designed by Octavius Terry-Sims and Groom Official. He was amazing. We flew to LA for fittings and our tuxes were made to our body types. Groom Official styled our entire party.
Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding? Our main goal was to mix some traditional aspects all while incorporating ourselves and our culture. We had traditional moments, but we also made sure that our wedding was a celebration of our union.
Groomsmen gifts: Matching watches.
Favorite item on the menu: Omelet (brunch style).
First dance song: “Smash into you” by Beyoncé.
What is your best memory from your wedding?
Daquan – “My favorite was for sure was when Jamar came out and surprised me with a choreographed wedding dance performance. I am a professional dancer/choreographer and I surprised him first after our first dance with dancers. He was surprised but it was to be expected from me. No one expected him to surprise me later on. He performed ‘Ego’ by Beyonce with two back up dancers! It was amazing!”
Jamar – “My favorite was our ‘first look.’ We had not seen each other since the day before in the wedding rehearsal and we highly anticipated seeing each other. Our groomsmen played a big part in this as they made sure we did not see each other the day of although we had connected Grooms’ Suites at the venue. They walked us out and we met back to back. We grabbed hands first, and they counted down. ‘3,2,1…’ We turned around and the emotions took over. He looked so handsome. I was staring at my soon to be husband!”
What is the best wedding advice you can give to engaged couples? Our best advice would be to enjoy the engagement. No need to stress about the wedding planning process. Hire an amazing planner like we did and always remember that your wedding will be one of the biggest celebrations of your union.
Vendors:
Planner/Designer: Darryl Wilson of D’Concierge Wedding Planning
Cake: Desserts by Dana
Floral: 19Eleven
Invitation: Oda Creatives
Venue: Arts Ballroom Philadelphia
Tuxedos: Groom Official
Linens: What’s the Occasion Linens
Speciality Design: Ten23 Designs
Photography: Ken Maurice Studios
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