Shavonne and Roderick's love story begins in September 2011 during a salsa class. Their mutual friend and Roderick's fraternity brother invited several people to join his young adult ministry for the event, not knowing that love would dance into the hearts of two of his close friends. Roderick noticed Shavonne before she noticed him and he knew almost instantly that Shavonne was the woman for him. " She walked in; late as usual I would learn, to our salsa class. It was like an unveiling. From our first dance I knew this would be my wife. And I knew that my season in Austin was to get to know and court her until God revealed our next season," said Roderick. The two finally had their first date in December and ended up talking for hours the first night. "I knew he was different and there was something special about what this could be when a sketch artist interrupted us to give us a picture he’d penned as we talked. Where does that happen? Well it happened to us … on our very first date," said Shavonne. Their first date became one of many as the two embarked on a romance that would lead to marriage. Shavonne and Roderick celebrated their union with a "Vintage Art Deco Glam," themed wedding at the Belltower on 34th in Houston, TX. Check out their special day beautifully captured by Motley Melange.
Bride: Shavonne Henderson, Esq., 34, attorney
Groom: Roderick Robeson, CPA, 45, internal auditor
Place of residence: Houston, TX
Wedding date: 10/04/13
Honeymoon Destination: We ventured to Mexico on our 1st anniversary
Engagement story:
Roderick had every detailed planned out, or so he thought. As he told me, he researched 7 years of weather patterns for September on the island of Curacao. Six months out from the big day, he contacted the seaside restaurant where he planned to propose so we would be near the beach at sunset. He planned for champagne, a photographer, a decorated table and the menu. He booked our flight so that we would have hours to spare once we landed. He looked at every contingency and had back up plans for his back up plans. As a combat vet, he wanted the proposal to go down with military precision.
So we arrived at the airport, and you guessed it, our plane was delayed. No problem. They said the plane would be ready in 10 minutes and we still had several hours to spare. Several hours and a new plane later, we finally get on our way. We get to Curacao and somehow jumped in the slowest customs line! So Roderick finally arrived at the rental car office and you guessed it, the line was long too.
Roderick finally gets the car and I’m of course irritated because I’d waited outside in the Curacao heat with no cellphone service to see what the delay had been about. GPS? Fail. The hotel and restaurant we booked could not be found by GPS. But Roderick traveled to Curacao a few years back so he went with a backup plan. He knew a short cut around the island. Short cut? Fail. There was nothing short about the route he picked and the traffic was heavier than the original route.
So it was zero-dark-thirty when we finally make it to the hotel and even later before we made it to the restaurant. The hostess and wait staff just smiled and were ready to go whenever he gave them the cue. Before he proposed, I noticed Roderick texting. The next day he let me in to the big secret. My parents and several of my close friends had known about his plans for months. On that September evening, he dropped to one knee and proposed. In the end, I said yes but he already knew I would.
Best/Most Memorable Moment:
Shavonne’s Moment: The moment that leaves me speechless was once the doors of the chapel opened. A few weeks before the wedding, I broke my ankle, and my doctor advised against doing much more than walking down the aisle in my crutches. However, at that moment, I felt no pain. A sense of peace filled me and the only thing I could see was Roderick at the end of the aisle.
Roderick’s Moment: There were so many memorable moments that it’s truly hard to say which was the “best.” But I think the two pictures that summed my favorite memories were one of me and Shavonne on the stairs. Shavonne was at the top in all her beauty and I was at the bottom just clowning around. The second picture was that of me and my family all smiling together. To this day it’s hard not to look at the picture of me and my family and not laugh and cry all at the same time.
From the Bride:
After 33 years of life, dating for only 10 months before our engagement, our wedding day was beyond special for me. From all the ups and downs of planning a wedding, this was the day we would finally say our “I dos” before family, friends and most importantly, in the eyes of God. That day took my breath away and left me with a sense of awe at what we could now be as husband and wife. We were no longer individuals; we were now an extension of our families’ and God.
From the Groom:
I had a wide range of emotions. The two that stood out were joy and relief. Joy because Shavonne was finally going to be my wife and not my girlfriend or fiancé. Joy because, as I told Shavonne multiple times, I was going to go out of my way to enjoy our big day. We deserved to celebrate! I felt relief because all the planning, moving, budgeting and errands were finally over.
Favorite wedding detail:
Since we traveled international and to some exotic, domestic locations while we dated, I thought it would be a perfect representation of us to have “love languages” carried as a theme throughout the wedding. So we not only had “love” spelled in rose petals at the altar, we also had each table identified by the world love in 1 of 16 different languages.
Wedding song:
Adore by Price. We picked this song because it reminded us of a pivotal moment in Roderick’s courtship when he sent me Prince sing-a-long tickets and exemplifies what every marriage should be: “Until the end of time, I’ll be there for you … You are my heart and I…truly adore you.” And, well, it’s Prince! How could you ask for more in a first song?!
What are you most looking forward to as a married couple?
We’re looking forward to the life we will build together. The experiences we will share. The family we will have and growing old together in our own unique and special way.
Advice for a Bride/Groom on their wedding day:
Your wedding day will fly by so remember to breathe, take each moment in stride and always know that the day represents a beautiful beginning to your future.
Congrats to Shavonne and Roderick! We wish you many more years of wedded bliss.
Vendors:
Photographer:
Kori Biller of Motley Melange
Ceremony & reception location:
Bridal gown:
Maggie Sottero, Ventura’s Bridal
Bridal party attire:
Jim Hjelm, Ventura’s Bridal
Groom’s tux: Men’s Warehouse
Cake & favors: Abbia’s Delights
Event Design: Chic Soiree
Music: DJ Rob G (Robert Gamble)
Hair: Jerrica King-Stewart
Makeup: Eileen Gabice
Beauty of Colours
Flowers: Keisha’s Kreations
Stationery: Vivian Jade
Linen: Over the Top Linen
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