Tikia and Homer’s love story began on the beach of Ocean City, Maryland, during a Labor Day weekend retreat with their church singles group. Sitting next to each other on the sun-warmed sand, a conversation began that continued over the phone later that evening. Talking well into the night they realized more and more just how much they shared in common. Their beautiful winter wonderland wedding with family and friends was everything they could’ve wished for.
Read all about Tikia and Homer’s love story, surprise NYC New Years proposal, and experiences in their winter wonderland wedding in Richmond, Virginia.
Bride & Groom: Tikia and Homer
Occupations: K-8 Art Teacher & Software Engineer
Wedding Date: December 17, 2016
Wedding Location: The Westin, Richmond, VA
Tell us how you met and all about the proposal. I met Homer on the beach at Ocean City, MD while socializing with friends. I was attending our annual singles Labor Day weekend Beach Retreat at Ocean City, MD with our singles group from our church in Vienna, Va and found out through our conversation that Homer was apparently attending the same church and singles group, but didn’t attend as often due to living in Maryland during that time. He came and sat next to me on the beach and we started talking, and it wasn’t until we had exchanged numbers and talked on the phone that night and after the retreat ended that we realized we had a lot in common and started dating soon after that.
The Proposal… My family and I were visiting New York City for our annual New Years NYC post Christmas vacation back in 2015. The proposal occurred on New Years Day 2016. My dad, sister, and I were out exploring NYC and were inside the American Museum of Natural History when my sister got a call on her phone telling her to bring me outside to the bridge in Central Park. To get me to follow her out onto the bridge, she made up a story about wanting to take some pictures of the bridge and other areas of Central Park. I was annoyed at first because I was hungry and ready for dinner, plus wanted to finish looking at the exhibits at the museum before heading out to the park. My sister insisted we needed to go right out to the bridge, and after I protested a bit, I followed her out there. When we got to the bridge, Homer was waiting at the end of the bridge, and I was shocked and confused, thinking “What on earth is going on here?!”. Then he walked toward me with tears in his eyes and told me he wanted to go on a journey with me forever, then got down on his knee and proposed. With tears in my eyes, I said yes, and we hugged and kissed! Then two of his friends came over the bridge and all three of them, including my sister, proceeded to tell me about how they came to plan the surprise NYC proposal.
Wedding style: My wedding dress- I already had an idea of the type of wedding dress I wanted when I went shopping with my mom for dresses at David’s Bridal. I wanted a halter or one-shoulder strap, floor-length gown that would easily hold up over my chest while dancing the night away. I wasn’t interested in a wide, Cinderella-style ball gown because of all the itchy taffeta and layers of fabric that would be had to move around in.
After trying on a couple of dresses, I found the dress of my dreams, a floor-length gown with a one-shoulder strap. I was also excited to find a cathedral-style veil with tiny rhinestones that matched my dress!
What are your best memories from the wedding?
1. Walking down the aisle and saying, “I do” within our Charles Dickens, 18th century “Christmas Carol” style winter wonderland theme, surrounded by our family and friends.
2. Dancing the night away at our reception with our family and friends to music representative of our two different genre styles: swing and pop!
What advice do you have for engaged couples? Don’t get too caught up and stressed out with wedding planning, take some time to have fun together and enjoy date nights.
“This article is dedicated to both my mommy, Sandra Wright-Bonner, and Homer’s father, Homer Reynolds, Jr., who both passed away this year.
To my Mommy: Your endless love, joy, and dedicated passion toward helping me bring my dream wedding to life will forever be remembered. I love you Mommy, forever and always!” – Tikia
Vendors:
Wedding dress, Bridesmaids dresses, shoes, and accessories: David’s Bridal
Bride and Bridesmaids Hair: Denise Rosa of Embrace Hair Studio at Sola Salons
Brides and Bridesmaids Makeup: Lou Stevens Glam Squad
Ceremony and Reception Location: The Westin, Richmond, VA
Photography: Jamie Hayes of Hayes and Fisk
Videography: Starring You Films LLC
Awesome Wedding planner: Pearl Thomas of Rubies and Pearls LLC
Florist: Vogue Flower Market
Wedding Cake: Creative Cakes by Gloria
Stationery: By Invitation Only
Wedding Décor: Mosaic Catering + Events
Musicians: Lyric String Quartet
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