Royal Vibes and Streetwear Collide in Kat & Q’s Engagement Session at the Grand Bohemian Hotel

Linda L.K. Stokes “Kat” and Quinton T. Ross “Q” formal and casual engagement session at the Grand Bohemian Hotel showcased their personalities and personal styles.

“We knew we wanted to do a formal and casual shoot,” bride-to-be Kat explained. “Heels and dressing up is my style and sneakers and streetwear is Q’s style.”

Throughout the wedding planning process, they’ve prioritized making each other feel a part of every decision. And their engagement session was no different: Kat picked out their formal attire and Q was in charge of their casual looks.

We had so much fun and everything just flowed perfectly because that’s just who we are, everything is a good time with us.

– Linda L.K. Stokes “Kat”

The couple’s playful energy started from their first meeting at Romare Bearden Park in uptown Charlotte during the pandemic. Enjoying a picnic with some of her girlfriends, Kat’s guy friends saw them having a good time on her Instagram… so they decided to crash the picnic. Q was one of the guys.

Kat recalls, “We had mutual friends but we had never met before that day. We exchanged phone numbers in the park and now 3 years later we are on the way to the altar.”

With a wedding date set for September 15th, 2024, the couple can’t wait to exchange vows before their closest friends and family in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Keep scrolling for more details on their love story (including their proposal!) and photos from their royal-inspired engagement session.

• Full names of the couple: Quinton T. Ross “Q” & Linda L.K. Stokes “Kat”
• Occupations: Linda is the Owner and Stylist of Legacy A Luxury Hair Experience an Upscale Beauty Salon in Charlotte. Linda is also a Human Resources Professional. Quinton is a Senior Cyber Security Analyst
• Wedding date: September 15th, 2024
• Wedding Location: Charlotte, NC
• Location of Engagement Shoot: Grand Bohemian Hotel, Autograph Collection, Charlotte

What did you do on your first date?

Being that it was during the pandemic we hung out in the house and at the park a lot. But in November I posted on my IG story “I’d love to go see Christmas lights and drink hot chocolate tonight.” A few minutes later I got a call from Q….he came to my house, met my mother for the first time, and for a seafood boil dinner. Then he took me to see Christmas Lights where his uncle used to take him as a kid.

When did you know you found “the one”?

Honestly, there are so many reasons why we’re the one for each other. We both are very supportive and have a true partnership mindset. Our ability to pray together and keep each other uplifted means a lot. On top of that, we have so much fun together!

– Linda L.K. Stokes “Kat”

Q: One of the first times I remember was on a Wednesday, when Linda came over to my house with dinner. Roast, Potatoes, Carrots, and Cabbage…on a Wednesday. This is a Sunday meal, whew but she cooked that on a Wednesday.

Linda: So me and Q met in September, I invited him home to Tennessee with me for Christmas. It was Christmas Eve and we were driving through the Smokey Mountains in my car. The evening weather changed very quickly it went from a clear evening to light rain to heavy snow. I let Q drive my car and we took a detour as TN was not prepared for the snow and the roads were not salted. As he was driving my car slid off the road and flipped on the side. We had to leave my car and firefighters came to get us, we spent Christmas Eve in a hotel in the mountains. Being that I did not flip out on him, I knew he was the one for me. He ensured I felt safe and I was able to remain calm during the entire situation. He reminded me that we were blessed, safe, and that we were “God’s Favorites”.

Tell us your proposal story:

We went to Jamaica for the first time for the both of us for my birthday. On July 23rd, 2023, Q planned a beachfront sunset dinner that evening. I cried so much because I was surprised and had no idea when he had time to even plan the night.

There was a photographer there taking pictures of us. Then he had us stand up to take more pictures. All of a sudden some of our friends walked up to the beach/dinner, I said, “Hey ya’ll, what are ya’ll doing here?”…Then Quinton started holding my hand and talking about our journey then he dropped to one knee.

He planned it all so perfectly, it was captured on video, and pictures with a professional photographer. Although our family was not there in person, he ensured they were able to join via Facetime.

On July 23, 2023, Q changed one of the saddest days of my life to one of the happiest. On this same day in 2017, one of my best friends passed away. It’s truly a day I’ll never forget.

What’s your favorite thing to do as a couple?

I know this is probably cliché but honestly, we love to do a lot of the same things so really anything we’re doing together is a great time for us. We’re definitely a couple that truly enjoys each other’s company. So as simple as just having an in-depth conversation to exploring places on an adventurous day it’s all a great time.

How has wedding planning been so far?

I’ve worked alongside an amazing event planning (Alan Douglas Events) & Catering Company (Two Guys In a Kitchen) for years and being a Bridal hairstylist wedding planning has been easy and stress-free so far.

Looking for my dress was one of the hardest, as there are so many beautiful ones out there but I wanted to find the right one for me and my style. We didn’t hire actual wedding planners, so I’ve done all the event planning myself, and Q has been phenomenal with ensuring I did not cause any stress on myself.

Our Day of Coordinators and Décor team (Alan Douglas Events) has also made things seamless for us. We know all of our vendors personally, so that made the process easy as well. We’re beyond blessed and grateful for our team pulling everything together to make it an amazing day!

Let me also add that one of the hardest things during this process has been not being able to invite everyone to our big day. We know and have a lot of people we love but it’s just not possible to invite everyone and stay within a reasonable budget. We truly love that everyone is so supportive and they are all excited for us.

Tell us what you’re looking forward to most on the wedding day.

Q: Looking forward to celebrating our love and becoming one union.

Linda: Feeling like Royalty, being all dressed up and finally making my best friend my husband. Celebrating with all of our favorite people. And honestly, the ballroom being full of people but dancing with Q like it’s just the two of us in the room.

Recently it was an honor and pleasure to be featured and published in MunaLuchi Bride Magazine Issue Number 30 December 2023 as the hairstylist with Whitney Stephenson, owner of the amazing Mahogany Brown Bridal in the Muna Collaboration. The experience was great as always since we have worked together many times.

The featured Bridal Gown designers, models, décor team, and photographers ensured that we all had a great time while also creating beautiful work together and that most certainly showed during our spread in the MunaLuchi Magazine.

Being previously featured and loving all things MunaLuchi, as an upcoming bride myself, it’s a dream come true and exciting to now share a small part of our love story. We hope to inspire many and remind those who desire to have true real love that it is possible to have, don’t settle for less, and remain true to yourself. Our Love story is an answered prayer.

– Linda L.K. Stokes “Kat”

Looking for more royal engagement sessions like this one at the Grand Bohemian Hotel?

Click here.

Vendors:

• Bride & Groom To Be: Linda “Kat” Stokes & Quinton “Q” Ross
• Venue: Grand Bohemian Hotel, Autograph Collection, Charlotte
• Photographer: Josephus Ware
• Hairstylist: Linda Stokes, Legacy A Luxury Hair Experience
• Makeup Artist: Johnatha Camp
• Barber: Willie Jones