Marchell and Cory met when Marchell first moved to Atlanta from Florida in September of 2012. "I was new to the city and had just started working at the Art Institute, Cory was assigned as my mentor and was supposed to train me," recalls Marchell. Throughout the course of Cory mentoring Marchell, a relationship blossomed and caught them both by surprise. "All I know is that God knew what he was doing when her brought me to Atlanta," said Marchell. Two years after their chance meeting the two are planning a modern wedding next fall. Check out their vintage themed engagement shoot captured by Eneaux’s Own.
Bride: Marchell D. Pollard, 32, Career Service Advisor
Groom: Cory A. Jackson, 32, Assistant Director of Admissions
Place of residence: Atlanta, Georgia
Engagement Shoot Location: Lawrenceville, Georgia
Wedding date: 10/2/15
Wedding location: Eagle’s Landing Country Club
Wedding theme: Modern
Engagement story from the bride-to-be:
I was completely caught off guard when he proposed. We had always talked about marriage, it was ultimately what both of us had wanted but we were just going with the flow not really in a rush. I woke up and got dressed for church as usual, my sister was acting strange, almost as if she was nervous about something but I didn’t catch on. Since it was Mother’s Day we had planned a brunch with his mother, our siblings and my son after church. We planned it at one of my favorite places, Marlow’s Tavern in Atlanta. Once we got to brunch, Cory acted as if he forgot his Mom’s card in the car, when he returned he had a wrapped gift box with him. I scolded him, thinking it was a gift for his Mom that he didn’t tell me about but he stated it was for me. I unwrapped the box and found a bunch of junk from our house, I was so confused. At the bottom I found a large envelope that said my name and was stamped with CONFIDENTIAL on the front of the envelope. I immediately thought it was a vacation he had planned for me, but when I opened the envelope it was a packet of blank pages. The front said BACKGROUND CHECK and the very last page said “APPROVED” with a check mark. Cory had always joked about him running a background check on me before we could move further in the relationship. I was still not thinking engagement until he took my hands and started speaking with tears in his eyes. When he got on one knee I started shaking because I knew that finally the chapter 1 of our forever had started. I was so excited for our new beginning.
For the Groom: Walk us through the behind the scenes of creating this special day:
On Mother’s Day 2014, after church, I took her to one of her favorite restaurants in Atlanta, called Marlow’s Tavern. I had my mother, along with my younger brother meet us there, since it was Mother’s Day. When we arrived, my mother and brother were already there. Once we sat down, I immediately remembered I had left my mother’s card in the car. However, little does she know, I had left the card in the car on purpose, for not only was my mother’s card in the car, but a gift- wrapped surprise, I had hidden in the trunk.When I got back to the table, I gave my mother her card. Marchell saw the gift wrapped box, but figured it was for my mom and I just didn’t tell her about it. She had no idea, what was coming next. Once my mom finished reading her card, everyone expected me to give my mom the gift- wrapped box, but I smoothly slid the box over to Marchell to surprise her. She was so surprised, just by looking at the size of the box she can tell it was some article of clothing or something. When she opened it, was filled with random books and a couple of random t-shirts of mine. She was so confused, until she saw at the bottom of the random pile it was a sealed-shut manila folder that had the word “Confidential” on it. When she opened it, she saw a stack of papers, on the front page it read “Background Check”, the middle pages were all blank, and the final page read “APPROVED”. The meaning behind that is, for a long time Marchell and I would hint around getting married, but me being a guy, I would always jokingly say, “I’m just waiting on your background check to get approved”. So the metaphor I was presenting with blank pages in a background check, was to indicate that I had nothing (negative) on her and she had passed, which now means we can get engaged. All she can do was smile and laugh. After she caught on to my madness, I then stood up and attempted to take her hand, but she was in a state of shock and disbelief at this point. She didn’t know how to react after she caught wind of what I was doing, so she just sat there shaking. With her hand held close to herself, I started telling her how much I appreciate her and loved her, and how she showed me how to step out on faith and just know that everything will work out as it should. Can’t lie during my spill, I was getting choked up, but I didn’t cry. Held on strong to finally ask her if she’ll marry me. And with the biggest smile, she said YES!!
What was the theme of your Engagement session?
We did two different themes for our engagement session. One was us, the casual theme, how we are everyday and the other was a vintage theme. I let Cory style me and we created his vision of a black and white old school theme. It was fun, we have really good energy and pretty much are always flirting and playing around so our photographer was able to get a lot of candid and natural shots.
What makes your love special?
Our love is special because we met each other at the perfect time. If it had been a month earlier or later our relationship may have not evolved as it had. We both truly feel that it was God’s perfect timing. From the first day we met, we have been inseparable. Conversation is always flowing, we have had many challenges that we always overcome and are stronger as a result. My family adores him and his family welcomed me with open arms. Our love is so true and pure it feels like I am finally living life. Most of our days are quiet and peaceful, yet we are filled with passion and excitement for what is yet to come.
What are you most looking forward to about your wedding?
The most special part of a wedding we both feel, is the celebration of love. Vowing for God and in front of all of our most closest family and friends brings nothing but joy to our hearts. We thank God for providing the means for us to be able to celebrate our special day with everyone close to us.
Have you started planning your wedding? If so, share a few details about your big day:
Our special day will be on Friday, October 2, 2015. Our wedding will start in the evening at 6pm in the Grande Ballroom of Eagle’s Landing Country Club. Our reception will follow shortly after where we plan to the dance the night away. We fell in love in fall so we plan on marrying in the fall. It’s that time of year that makes for a beautiful transition into a lifetime of love, joy and peace.
Congratulations to Marchell and Cory! We wish you a wonderful wedding and marriage.
Curated by our Wedding Features Editor, C.K. Alexander. C.K. is the owner and founder of Love Ink and Brownstone Bridal. Keep up with C.K. on Twitter here: @Love_Ink
