Gabrielle Irving and Nazeeh Johnson’s love story is the classic tale of Boy Meets Girl with the twist of Black Love. Intercepted by the kind of divinity only God can ordain and immeshed with the details only true lovers can relate to, the story of how the Johnson’s came to be is holy, sacred and ever-spiritual.
While on vacation in Florida, Gabrielle, a small town girl from Pennsylvania randomly ran into NFL star of the Kansas City Chiefs Nazeeh on the street.
Drawn by her exceptional beauty, he boldly stopped and asked for her number and she obliged. From there, the two instantly hit it off and became “best friends right away” – like a scene from your favorite feel-good rom-com.
Gabrielle Johnson: We were back and forth and long distance for quite a few months before I even moved to Kansas City to be with him.
And with Gabby’s parents having been married for 34 years, it was only natural for her to have a desire for marriage.
GJ: For a while, I felt kind of like a standout; everybody else was married and popping out kids. I had become impatient. But God said to me, “When you’re ready, I’ll bring it your way.” And He did it in the most unexpected capacity that I could have even imagined.
After they met on the street, their conversations continued via DM and text.
GJ: We were in Florida chatting after that on Instagram and via text, just having conversations like we’ve known each other for literally forever. I remember the one thing that he told me that really, really stood out was he asked about getting a motorcycle. And I was like, “No, I don’t think you should do that. You’re in the NFL, you could get hurt. It’s very stupid and dangerous. And I don’t even know if you’re allowed to do that.” And he said he really, really, really respected that because most people can kind of be like a “yes” man to him. So, that moment really stood out to him. And then, the next week, I flew back out to Florida because he was there for training and spent his birthday with him. I brought him Nothing Bundt Cakes and every year for his birthday now, I buy him a Nothing Bundt Cake, which he loves.
So, we went out and had a party on the town and had a grand old time. But then he started camp the following week and tore his ACL, so his season was done. It was definitely an emotional roller coaster for him. He called me and asked me to take him to surgery. So, I took off from work and flew out to do it. And once he was done in surgery, he came out and opened his eyes still full of anesthesia and said, “I love you.” And then he turned and told the nurse, “This is my girlfriend.” And we hadn’t established that yet or anything, but he was all smiles and was so happy that the first thing that he saw when he opened his eyes was me.
We then went home and he allowed himself to be so emotionally vulnerable with me. We cried together. We prayed together. We developed such a strong spiritual and emotional foundation that it just took our relationship to the next level. We were inseparable. I was coming back and forth every weekend. We both just felt at home with each other. And in 30 days, I had a ring.
On September 28th, Nazeeh proposed to Gabby.
GJ: I came home from work and I walked into a room full of roses everywhere and one of our favorite songs playing which is “So High” by John Legend. Candles lit up the room and then there was a “Will you marry me?” sign with gold balloons and 500 long stem roses just sitting there waiting for me. He really did his big one.
We were back and forth for the next four months. And at the end of November, early December, I finally moved to Kansas City. He said, “I’m tired of paying for flights. I can’t do this life without you here anymore. I just need you to be here. And every time you’re gone, I miss you.” So, I said “Okay” and I moved in with him December 28th and we ended up going to the courthouse and getting married. We took our moms and we kept it a secret all the way up until June 28th of 2025, where we announced it at our wedding that we had been married for a year and six months to date.
To prepare for wife life, Gabby candidly shares that her major key was in “letting go”.
GJ: I had to learn to stop having unrealistic expectations for myself and stressing myself out. Becoming the woman I am today was not pretty, and it didn’t happen in any way, shape, or form that I could have even planned it to.
I think at some points, God forced me to have to let go of the things that I was struggling with, of the people who I was struggling with, or the people in my life who didn’t fulfill my goals. I lost a lot of people along the way. And it broke my heart at first, but at the same time, I wouldn’t be the person that I am today if it had not been for that. And then I also took it upon myself to say, I could have been the reason why we’re not friends any longer or why we’re not speaking any longer. So, I want to make sure that whoever I bring into my life next, or whoever comes into my life next, that I’m the best version of myself that I can be. Letting go of these things that hurt me or that destroyed me or put me onto the ground, I don’t think I’d ever be in this position in my life, or I wouldn’t even have met my husband. I had to let go of a lot of things and look towards God to really open up my mind and stop thinking that I know everything because I don’t.
When it came time to begin planning their public ceremony, the two had opulence, simplicity and modernity in mind when crafting their wedding aesthetic.
GJ: We were obsessed with the color black and everything black – Black people, Black skin, black hair – all of those things. Black is just so sleek and elegant and clean. And we just started falling in love with so many things that we were seeing. We wanted everything very regal, elegant, and simple. Very timeless.
GJ: All of the guests came in all black. Him and I wore white together and we shared that moment with one another. And then I changed into a second white dress for the reception while he changed into a black suit. And I had my time in my white by myself then.
GJ: And eventually, I ended up in black like everyone else.
As for her dresses, she shares she “had no idea” what she was even looking to do.
GJ: I went home to Pennsylvania and I went with my mom and my grandmother. I looked up some bridal shops really last minute and I only went to two stores. Honestly, I found wedding dress shopping to be very exhausting. But I found my dress and only made a little bit of changes to sleeves and the neckline and things like that but they were very small, small changes. It fit me like a glove, and it was me.
GJ: I went with a hairstyle that was also just so elegant and well-shaped. And the dress was just simple, and the beading was spectacular. The train was so long, and the entire thing was beaded and laced. I had a custom veil and it was so beautiful and it draped so nicely.
GJ: My second reception dress was custom and I honestly loved that dress so much too. It looked great on me. And it did what I wanted and what we wanted for the wedding.
To get ready, the Johnson’s prepped at the hotel all of their guests were saying at and she made sure to protect her piece amidst her getting ready process.
GJ: All my girls came in and woke me up. We had food and mimosas everywhere. I got an IV drip bag and we got started. I kind of sat to myself. The only people who were allowed in the room with me were obviously my makeup and hair, and my mom, and my maid and matron of honor. That was it. I didn’t want to be bothered; I just needed to relax.
I did my first look with my dad instead of with my husband, which was really great. I wanted to give my dad his own moment with just me and it was definitely a tearjerker for sure.
And as for the walk down the aisle? That’s where the emotions truly began to erupt in their rapture of love.
GJ: I have a bad habit of ugly crying. So I was literally trying so hard to hold it in. There are pictures where I’m clearly just trying not to cry. I walked down the aisle to “Giving Myself” by Jennifer Hudson and the lyrics itself are just so beautiful and it’s just such a big song because she sings big and everyone was just in tears, which also made it hard for me to not cry. I loved that moment so much.
The reception then came to ensue after and to say the Johhson’s know how to throw a party would be a vast understatement.
GJ: Walking out as a married couple in front of their family and friends to the sound of Trillville “Neva Eva”, the couple was beyond ready to get their party on.
Dancing to iconic songs like “Daddy” by Beyoncé for her father-daughter dance and “Mama” by Boyz II Men for his mother-son dances, the food for them was just as important as the playlist.
On the menu for the evening was a berry salad to start guests off with, followed by a ribeye over mashed potatoes and broccolini or salmon over risotto with garden vegetables as the entree options.
GJ: From what we’ve heard and what we experienced, this was the best wedding meal that people have said that they’ve ever had. It was so good!
Complimented by signature drinks they each helped handcraft for the turn up, the Johnson’s ended their night surrounded in a circle of love on the dance floor with their most beloved around them cheering them on.
As for what she wants to be her legacy as a wife, Gabby shares that her desire is to be the best version of herself.
GJ: I want to support him through this life. The NFL is not an easy career to have, and I want him to be able to say that I walked him through this and made this experience, although stressful, easier for him.
I would like to be able to hear him say that he’s proud to have me as his wife. That I make him feel loved, strong, complete, and whole. I want him to be able to say he never had to lack in those places in life. I want to be a super wife. I want to constantly be moving, constantly going, constantly growing. And I never want to be a closed book. I think my legacy is just me constantly being willing to learn, willing to grow, willing to become something different or to move and to shake and to even shapeshift to whatever I need to be in that moment–even for myself, by giving myself some of that grace that I give to others.
Because you can’t be good to somebody else without being good to yourself first.
And as she reminisces on her big day, Gabrielle encourages brides to “give you and your husband time for yourselves on that day.”
GJ: Once you walk down that aisle, before you go out there and party with everyone, make sure that you never leave each other’s side on that day. Make sure you are seen in every single picture together. That you’re not far from each other, but you’re spending that day with each other. And that you’re not making it about everyone else around you or your family. Before you even walk into your reception, spend some time alone just to soak it all in.
Do whatever you feel like you need to do to soak in this experience that you’re going through right now. The ceremony is the most sacred part of that wedding. You’re about to have the fun that you’re about to have but soak in that most important part, which is really the tying of the knot.
We wish Gabrielle and Nazeeh a lifetime of marital bliss!
Written by Kennedi LéShea.
Vendor Credits:
Makeup: Ashley Strong – @makeupmyriee
Hair: Bri Moore – @bookwithbri
Planner: Moyah Daniels (The Glo Experience) – @gloexperience
Photo/Video: Travis Daniels – @travisdanielsphotography
Venue: The Glass Venue – @theglassvenue
Catering: Sogno Elite Events – @sogno_elite_events
Photo Booth: Esteem 360 Photo Booth Rentals – @esteem360photoboothrentals
Cigars: Cigar Stud – @cigarstud
