When it’s meant to be, it will be.
Devana and Gimere’s love story should have begun years earlier. They both attended North Carolina A&T, starting college the same year, had mutual friends, studied or interned in Thailand (just at different times), and had hopes to work in the Bay Area. “Funny enough, I was even offered a role that would’ve placed me on his team at the same company — but we somehow kept missing each other,” Devana says.
But they finally stopped passing each other and connected during the pandemic. All it took was a DM. A platonic conversation that led to a revelation after their first date in Durham, North Carolina: “A date that had me texting my friend afterward, ‘That’s my husband.'”
And she’s not kidding. She knew when that date concluded that he was her person. “It might sound cliché, but it was in the way he carried himself — calm, confident, and intentional. He handled every little detail with care, making sure I felt seen and comfortable. I’d never experienced that before.”
But for Gimere, there was no eye-opening moment because so much of their time together was beautiful. “It was more about how everything between us just flowed,” he recalls. “Our conversations were effortless, our energy always matched, and we shared so many of the same values and outlooks on life.”
Their chemistry, their connection, was too strong to take for granted. So on December 27, 2023, during a family photo session while on a joint family cruise, he asked for her hand in marriage. “We posed for a couple’s photo. Out of nowhere, his mom distracted me by pretending there was something in my hair,” she says. “When she stepped aside, I turned, and there he was on one knee. I was completely shocked and speechless. It was the most beautiful surprise.”
The most beautiful surprise inevitably led to an even more beautiful wedding day. The couple, who are filled with wanderlust, decided to tie the knot in Sintra, Portugal, on September 1, 2025. It happened with a gorgeous garden party that offered plenty of unforgettable moments, from Devana’s solo bridal march that left Gimere in tears to the dinner with their beloved family and friends and the after-party that was all the way turned up. The experience, at the Camélia Gardens, was everything they could have dreamed of, and the perfect start to married life.
“I’m genuinely looking forward to continuing to build this journey together,” Gimere says. “Knowing that the person I’m with is truly my soulmate makes it even more special, because we have so much fun together and genuinely love the life we’re creating.”
Fall in love with their love, and see more of the impeccable beauty of their big day in this week’s Bridal Bliss.
“What truly solidified it for me was how he approached our first disagreements,” Devana says of realizing Gimere was the man for her. “Instead of brushing things off, he was the one who suggested couples therapy. I was honestly shocked, a Black man recommending therapy to strengthen our relationship showed me how serious he was about building something lasting and healthy together. That moment told me everything I needed to know about his character and commitment.”
“One of the first things we bonded over was music,” the groom says of their shared interests. “Early on, we started sending each other a daily song, and it became our thing. It revealed how similar our taste in music was, and I really enjoyed putting her on to songs she hadn’t heard before and vice versa.”
Devana looked like a dream while getting ready with her bridesmaids.
While the ladies took pretty and peaceful pictures, the fellas were captured turning up ahead of the ceremony.
For their Portuguese nuptials, the couple chose Camélia Gardens, a palace in Sintra, which they found through planners MUZA Weddings. “From the moment we arrived, we both felt the magic,” Devana says. “To seal the moment, yellow butterflies followed us throughout the tour. Since my “brousin” (a cousin who was like a brother) passed away, yellow butterflies have always felt like a sign from him. Seeing them everywhere that day felt like a blessing, as if even my guardian angels were telling us, ‘This is the one.’”
The couple exchanged vows in front of this lovely floral creation.
“I walked myself down the aisle and was really nervous, but seeing Gimere at the altar, so emotional, my guy was tore up, instantly reassured me that I was marrying someone who loves me deeply,” the bride says. “The moment I reached him, all my nerves disappeared, and it felt like it was just the two of us up there.”
“Seeing Devana for the first time while standing at the altar was surreal. Even with so many eyes on us, it felt like we were in our own little world,” Gimere says.
While the joy jumps through this photo, Devana admits that before she said “I do,” she was a huge ball of nerves. Or make that a sweaty one. “My palms were sweaty, and I was freaking out a bit,” she recalls. “Suddenly, my maid of honor said, ‘Gimere wants us to play this song for you,’ and started playing “Dx7″ by Daebull, a song we first heard together on our first trip to Portugal. Instantly, my nerves melted away. He knew exactly what I needed. It’s something about marrying a man who knows what you need when you need it.”
“Our first baecation to Turks and Caicos stands out,” Gimere recalls of his memories of their love blossoming. “We had such a good time, laughing nonstop, exploring, and connecting over our shared love of food. Everything about that trip felt easy and natural, and it really showed me how well we worked together.”
The venue was not only a beauty, but it was a showstopper they fell for after checking out nine other venues, from castles to gardens.
“This was the first time I really got to take everything in: the music, the vibe, the setting, all the details we’d worked so hard on with our planners,” Gimere says about the cocktail hour. “It was a dope full-circle moment to see it all come to life.”
All eyes were on the couple as they enjoyed their first dance as husband and wife.
“It was the first time all day I could take a deep breath and truly take it all in,” Devana says of the dinner portion of the day. “We designed our reception table to be one big table, giving us a full view of all our guests while still keeping a sense of intimacy.”
“Looking out at everyone, our families and friends laughing together, I felt such deep gratitude,” the bride says. “It truly felt like our two worlds had become one.”
Her gown for the ceremony and reception was an off-the-shoulder look with big personality. Her second look of the day to cut a rug in? Va-va-voom!
“This was when we finally got to cut loose, laugh, dance, and just be ourselves without worrying about what was next,” Devana says of the after-party.
“It was pure fun,” the bride recalls of the way the evening concluded. “It was the perfect way to end the night and really be in the moment.”
“I married my best friend and my all-time favorite travel partner, so I’m most excited about continuing to explore the world together,” Devana says. “Having our loved ones join us in Portugal for our wedding was such a special experience because it combined our two greatest loves: travel and family. Our next stop is Thailand, the place we both spent time abroad in undergrad but missed each other by one semester. It feels like the perfect full-circle moment.” As for Gimere, “Continuing to go through life and grow together with my person, exploring the world, experiencing new adventures, and discovering new phases of each other along the way — is what excites me most.”
Vendors
Dresses: @elyseebridaldesign x @sengcoutureofficial
Makeup: @frankyraw
Hair: @dl_bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses: @ladivine_bycd
Groom’s Tux and Styling: @saintamourcollections
Event Design, Production and Creative Direction: @muzaweddings
Venue: @cameliagardens
Florist: @kckliko
Videographer: @hugosousafilms
Photographer: @joshuawoodlandphoto