Wedding Day

Ceremony

The River Church - Durham

Reception

Our Wedding

He Meets Her MoniqueWe met at a mutual friend's birthday celebration. Unlike traditional birthday celebrations, which often involve dinner and talking with people you already know. This was a unique birthday party that allowed each attendee to introduce themselves and briefly talk about their creative business venture. I got to hear about his t-shirt design business (Reign4ever) and poetry writing, and he got to hear about my inspirational book (Image Confidence Esteem). If it weren't set up as a networking event, then I probably wouldn't have had a chance to talk to him.My initial goal was to just drop in and speak to a few people I knew and then leave the birthday celebration. Although the food was good and the music was energizing, I was exhausted from a full day of events. However, I'm glad I stayed around for the meet and greet/networking. After everyone's introductions, he approached me and unlike the usual greeting ('hello', 'nice meeting you'), he said "so what's your story", he showed his interest in at least wanting to know a little more about me. SteveThere she was … I was invited to a friend’s birthday party where we were supposed to wear White.&nbsp;After driving around in circles for a while, I finally arrived fashionably late and fashionably dressed in RED!&nbsp;I hadn’t read the invitation thoroughly and immediately noticed that I stuck out like a sore thumb on a broken hand!&nbsp;Once I got past the shock of me looking like a blood stain on a ball of cotton, I started to mingle with the other guests.&nbsp;And then she walked in … dressed in White Linen and floating across the floor like she was a leaf caught in a rustling wind.&nbsp;I immediately asked who she was and as the night passed, I made my way over to her to introduce myself.&nbsp;We had great conversation immediately.&nbsp;Something about it seemed very natural and flowing.&nbsp;It’s very rare that you meet someone and say to yourself … THANK YOU GOD!&nbsp;I told her some time later that I knew she was the woman I had prayed for.

The 1st Date MoniqueOur first date was spontaneous, we didn’t have advance plans to hang out. So when he text me to ask if I was busy that day, I didn’t play hard-to-get, I just said, “I hadn’t made any plans yet.” Then he called and we made plans to meet at the NC Museum of Natural Science in downtown Raleigh.During our date at the museum,&nbsp;I felt free with him. I talked openly about things I enjoy like going to the beach and traveling, and he shared his likes and stories about traveling with friends. We only had an hour to walk through the museum, and neither of us were ready for our time together to end. So in the midday late summer heat, we walked a few blocks to the park downtown. The park was filled with parents playing with dogs and babies. As we were admiring the dogs and babies, he told me about his dog Zion who had died a few years prior. He expressed his love for dogs and his desire to someday get an Akita. His love for dogs paled in comparison to his love for kids. He began telling me about his athletic and brilliant teenage son, and his creative and independent adult son. Then, what I wasn’t expecting to hear was his desire to be a father again and his openness to share that information on a first date. I was excited about how this revealed to me a lot about him as a caring father and compassionate man. SteveFirst dates can be awkward and uncomfortable.&nbsp;The most important thing about the first date is to BE YOURSELF!&nbsp;There is no need to place added stress on yourself by not being yourself.&nbsp;This really sets the foundation for your “to be or not to be” relationship.I wanted our first date to be different.&nbsp;We looked up times at the downtown Museum and went there to see the sites.&nbsp;We engaged in good conversation about our families and our likes and dislikes.&nbsp;Afterwards, we weren’t ready for the date to end, so we walked to a nearby park that was recently renovated.&nbsp;We sat there on a bench and watched families play with their babies and their fur babies. While sitting in the shade, sipping Lemonade, we bonded even more.&nbsp;Our conversation got a little deeper regarding our personal goals, relationship goals and interests.&nbsp;Funny how much watching dogs and babies can bring out of you.

A Budding Relationship He shows me that I mean a lot to him, when he takes pictures of us every time we're together. Capturing our moments together made them even more memorable. To show appreciation and let him know how special he was and is to me, I began keeping a journal every day we were together. I would put them in the form of love letters and mail them to him almost every week, and have been doing that for a little over a year. We have a way of showing each other how much we mean to one another, from attending church services together, to cooking together, to going to live music events (before Covid), to attending Tyson's football games, and enjoying time with our families.

The Proposal: Reaching the Culminating Moment On New Year's Eve, we were anticipating the countdown to 2021 trying to stay awake while singing, dancing and eating. He mentioned to me that he had to work on designs for a few t-shirts and he knows I love to peel up the vinyl designs before it's pressed on the shirts so I asked to do them. I began to work on a black vinyl page peeling between letters to reveal the design and words. Along the way, I couldn't decipher what it said so at the culmination of the peeling off the final piece of vinyl I flipped over the page and there it read, "Will You Marry Me?" Overjoyed, my arms flew up in the air and I exclaimed "Really?! - Yes, of course." We're so elated and grateful to begin the rest of lives together!

Our Story

Travel

Things to Do

Kenisia Taylor - Matron of Honor Tyson Holmes - Best Man Mykael Cooper - Best Man

Wedding Party

We love and appreciate our family and friends. In an effort to ensure we prevent the spread of Covid-19 and that all stay safe, we've limited our wedding guest attendance to under 50 people. The ceremony and reception attendance are by invitation only. Thank you for understanding. We're observing Covid precautions and ask guests to wear masks (new masks will also be provided), try to maintain 6 feet distance, maintain clean hands (hand sanitation stations will be available). We ask that you please evaluate your health before attending the wedding. Be blessed! The Wedding of Monique K. Turrentine &amp; R. Steven HolmesSaturday, June 12th, 2021Two o'clockThe River Church4900 Prospectus Dr.Durham, NC 27713 Attire: Semi-formal (Sunday's Best)

Steve & Monique

Steve & Monique

Engagement Photos