It was a chance meeting at at gas station that brought Victorri and TJ together.
Victorri, a sophomore at North Carolina A&T, was headed to Raleigh, NC when her family made a stop for gas that would change her life. She recalls, “We stopped at the Sheetz gas station outside of Raleigh, and I went in. As I was headed out, I saw him (TJ), and we locked eyes. He greeted me first [..] I don’t remember exactly what he said, but we exchanged numbers.” They immediately began texting, and it was the start of a college romance.
One of Victorri and TJ’s favorite things to do as a couple is travel. Soon after they made their relationship official, they started a tradition of going to Cancun, Mexico every year. They planned their 2019 Cancun trip around Victorri’s birthday, and TJ knew it was the perfect opportunity to plan a surprise proposal. He popped the question during a photoshoot while vacationers cheered them on!
To commemorate their upcoming nuptials, this stylish couple planned a chic engagement shoot at the North Carolina Museum of Art. They share, “We wanted it to be modern glam – kind of like us. Going to museums is one of my favorite things to do – we actually went to this museum for one of our first dates. We wanted it to be simple, yet sophisticated.”
See their stunning photos, and read more about their love story, proposal and wedding plans below!
- Couple: Victorri Taylor and TJ Leak
- Occupations: Marketing Specialist and Account Manager/Event Planner
- Wedding date: May 1, 2021
- Wedding location: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
- Location of Engagement shoot: North Carolina Museum of Art
How did you meet?
Victorri: It was August of 2011, right before my sophomore year at NC A&T. I came back up to Greensboro from Atlanta a few days before move-in. I was with my parents and we were headed to Raleigh to see my step sister. We stopped at the Sheetz gas station outside of Raleigh, and I went in. As I was headed out, I saw him, and we locked eyes. He greeted me first, and we were talking a bit. I don’t remember exactly what he said, but we exchanged numbers. When I got back in the car, my stepdad told my mom what happened and all she said was, “Be careful with those Ques” because he had on all his fraternity paraphernalia. After that, we started texting. He was on the way to Atlanta, and I know he’s going to say I texted him the whole way there, but I don’t remember that at all. He came to see me at school shortly after, and the rest is history.
TJ: So, I was on a kidnap trip to ATL because one of my frat brothers asked me to ride to the store with him. I hopped in the car at NCCU and we started riding to the store. After hopping on the highway, I asked him which store are we going to and he said “my store in Atlanta”. I’m like, “Bro I don’t have any clothes”. He said, “it’s cool we will be back tomorrow, and ‘I’ll get you whatever you need.” So, we are on the road and stop at the Sheetz in Mebane to get gas and snacks for the trip. I see this pretty little lady walking into the store, and I tell my frat brother that’s going to be my lady. Of course, no one believes me, but I approach her and start with small talk but ultimately got her number. I saw her mom looking while I was talking to her, but you can’t make a shot if you never shoot. She texted me my whole trip to ATL, and the rest is history!
What did you do on your first date?
We went to eat at TJ Friday’s right before I had to go to class.
Tell us your proposal story.
Victorri: We became an “official” couple in 2013, two years after meeting and when TJ graduated from school (I had one more year left). One of our favorite things to do as a couple is to travel. We started a tradition of going to Cancun, Mexico every year. For our 2019 Cancun trip, we decided to plan it around my birthday.
The night before our trip, as TJ was packing, he asked what I was planning to wear because we were doing a photo shoot. I was thinking, “Oh, we are!?” I just said I’ll wear one of the dresses I already packed, not thinking anything of it at first. But then I started thinking that wasn’t like him and he must be planning something.
When we arrived at the resort TJ wanted to take pictures immediately to get them out of the way. I thought that was strange, but I went along with it. We went to the resort’s professional photographer and set a time to come back and take pics. While we were waiting, we went to a pool party to enjoy some drinks and the scene until it was time to go get dressed. Once our time came for the photoshoot, we chose a few spots by the beach that were perfect. When we got to the last few photos, I suggested the pier. We took a few photos there and then TJ gave the photographer his phone. When he got back in place behind me, I heard him saying something and then he immediately got on one knee. I turned around and started crying. I was speechless. I just remember I kept saying, “Are you serious?” and then I asked if he told my mom lol.
TJ’s: We changed clothes and I knew it was time to grab the ring out of my bag. I put the ring box in my back pocket so she would never see it, and we went to meet the photographer. We took a lot of pictures in different areas but I knew the background I wanted in the shot, so I waited until I felt right. We were trying to go to a rooftop that had the ocean in the background which I thought was perfect, but the door was locked. Next, we went to the pier and the background looked good, but I wasn’t sure. There was a boat of around 60 ppl that came by and started cheering us on to kiss each other and that’s when I knew we had an audience and the vibe was perfect. So I told the photographer to record us on the pier for a second and she was a little confused but when I dropped down to one knee she knew it was the moment. The people on the boat started going crazy and Torri started to smile-cry. Smile-cry isn’t a word, but it’s this little thing she does lol (if you know her, you know). I gave my speech and to this day, I’m still waiting for a yes or no answer lol. She was lost for words ,and I know I caught her off guard.
Describe your engagement session.
Yes, we wanted it to be modern glam – kind of like us. Going to museums is one of my favorite things to do – we actually went to this museum for one of our first dates. We wanted it to be simple, yet sophisticated.
What’s your favorite thing to do as a couple?
We love to travel! That’s one reason we got engaged in Mexico and why we’re having a destination wedding. Cancun is one of our favorite places to go, so it was perfect. We’re pretty much always out and about
How has wedding planning been so far?
It has been great so far. Planning a destination wedding hasn’t come with all of the headaches of planning a domestic wedding. There were still a lot of decisions that had to be made, but I’m glad that we agreed on mostly everything. With destination weddings, you usually have packages you can choose from and then you can customize them which makes things easier. Having a vision was the most important part, and being able to stick to it has made it easy.
Tell us what you’re looking forward to most on the wedding day.
We’re looking forward to having a nice, elegant ceremony and enjoying a wonderful party after. We’re looking forward to celebrating with our friends and family. When they see everything that we’ve planned, they’ll know that we stayed true to who we are.
Vendor
Photographer: Jeffrey Lynn Media Photography
Very interesting post! I love to read about such great engagement photo sesion ideas, thank you. Love the blue dress.
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Awesome post, really beautiful photographs.