Rasheda and Neville’s love story began in 2005 when they were both high school sophomores in Washington, DC at Cardozo Senior High School. They admired each other from afar, until one of Rasheda’s friends dared her to approach Neville to introduce herself. She says, “I answered the dare, by walking up to Neville while in gym class to say hello and introduce myself. From then on, we became a couple and have been together for 16 years now.” Check out more from their romantic wedding day in Atlanta, Georgia captured by Avonne’ Photography.
Bride: Rasheda Leann Foster, 31, Educator
Groom: Neville Evan Shaw, 32, Master Control Television Broadcast Operator
Photography by: Avonne’ Photography
Place of residence: Atlanta, GA
Wedding date: April 22, 2021
Wedding location: Ashton Gardens, Sugar Hill, GA
Wedding theme/motif/inspiration: The theme of our wedding was timeless and classic. Black and ivory with gold accents, minimalistic, candle-light and romantic.
Honeymoon Destination: Riviera Maya, Mexico
Engagement story:
Neville proposed on April 11, 2019, which was our dating anniversary. We had dinner at the Park Tavern in Piedmont Park in Atlanta, GA. After dinner, while walking back to the car, I noticed a yellow parking ticket on the windshield. I was initially upset and grabbed the ticket to see what the citation was for. While reading the ticket, I quickly realized that it was a letter from Neville expressing how he felt about me and the journey of our relationship. By the time I got to the end of the ticket, Neville was on bended-knee and stated: “I bend the knee”, which was a nod to one of our favorite television shows to watch together. I immediately began to cry. He asked me to marry him, and I excitedly answered, Yes!
What makes your love special?
What makes our love special is that we are best friends. We have been through the challenges of a long-distance relationship while in college (Rasheda attended Howard University in Washington, DC and Neville attended Clark Atlanta University), and managed to maintain the connection we initially developed while in high school. We have also been there for each other in our toughest moments; which has made us stronger. We encourage each other’s dreams and aspirations, and always strive to keep God first in our relationship.
From the Bride: (briefly tell us about your wedding experience and how you felt on your big day)
On the day of the wedding, I felt an immense amount of peace and calmness. Although it was a big day that we have planned for two years, I felt secure and knew that I was right where I belonged. Also, our wedding was the first time since the pandemic that both of our families were able to get together and celebrate. I was so excited to see family that I haven’t seen since quarantine and celebrating the day with my new husband. It was truly an emotional and beautiful day.
From the Groom: (briefly tell us about your wedding experience and how you felt on your big day)
There was a lot of preparation that went into bringing our day to life and organizing all of the logistics of having our families travel to Atlanta, however when it finally arrived I was more excited than anything else. I was adamant about being traditional and there not being a “first look” because I wanted to really have an honest response to seeing Rasheda. I honestly did not think I would cry, but when I saw her, I heard God say, “Here she is” and the waterworks began. She looked incredible. Perfect! From that moment, all I could do was stare into her eyes and see the rest of our lives ahead of us. It was truly a beautiful day. I could not have asked for God to provide us with a better blessing.
Your best/most memorable moment:
Neville: Seeing Rasheda walk down the aisle for the first time.
Rasheda: Seeing Neville as I walked down the aisle, but also the “first look” I did with my father and brother. They were so delighted to see me in my wedding dress for the first time and my father cried so much during that special moment. It was beautiful.
Wedding song, explain choice for song:
Rasheda walked down the aisle to Charlie Wilson’s “Without You”. Neville first heard this song on the radio the day he found the engagement ring and he adamant that Rasheda would walk down the aisle to that song. Our first dance was to K-Ci & JoJo’s “All My Life”. This was Rasheda’s favorite love since she was a child, and she always wanted to incorporate that song into her wedding. Our last dance was to Glenn Lewis’s “Fall Again”. Rasheda first heard and fell in love with this song while watching Maid in Manhattan years ago. While planning the wedding she heard the song again and felt that it would be the perfect song to cap off the night.
Favorite wedding detail:
Our favorite wedding detail was the floral and décor, cake, and food. Our floral and décor was exactly as we wanted it to be. It was elegant, clean and romantic. For dinner, we were adamant about incorporating some of Neville’s Jamaican heritage so we decided to have traditional Jerk chicken, rice and peas, and plantains, or our guest could choose salmon. Our wedding cake consisted of three different flavors; white/vanilla cake with a layer of raspberry marble with fillings of white chocolate buttercream, Swiss strawberry marmalade and crushed pineapple butter cream, and a layer of chocolate marble cake with layers of Oreo cookies and cream butter cream. Our wedding cake was absolutely delicious!
What are you most looking forward to as a married couple?
As a married couple, we are most looking forward to celebrating anniversaries together, having children and raising a family, traveling, and growing closer to each other.
Advice for a Bride/Groom on their wedding day:
Our advice for a bride/groom on their wedding is to keep what is most important in mind. Things will go wrong on your wedding day, but if you remember what brought you two together and remember that no matter what, your wedding was a day to celebrate the love between you two and to be the start of the rest of your lives together.
Congratulations to the happy couple! We wish them a lifetime of love and wedded bliss!
Sources
Avonne Photography|Weddings by Epic|Ashton Gardens Atlanta|Justin Alexander gown/ Anya Bridal|Azazie|Miguel Wilson collection|Baker’s Man, Inc.|Cinnaholic|DJ 6five|Maame Wilson with Glam by Maame|Keia McBride with Bveil Beauty|Weddings by Epic|Minted|Fortune Luxury Concierge