The Lucky Lady: Chanell Perry, 26, Elementary Teacher
Her Leading Man: Jarrell Woods, 27, Application Consultant for Oracle
The Big Day: 7/23/14
Wedding Location: Paris, France
How did you meet your man?
We met on our college campus at Arizona State University. It was a pretty random encounter during the summer. We had a very brief conversation and exchanged numbers. I thought he was really handsome, but I wasn’t too sure I was interested because he was a football player. I decided to give him a chance anyway.
Were you looking for love at the time?
Definitely not! I was 20-years-old at the time. I was just dating.
What was your past dating life like before meeting your fiancé?
I don’t have too rough of a dating past. (Thankfully!) I had a guy that I broke up with about one and a half years before dating Jarrell. It was sort of a bad break-up. Before him I would go on dates, but it wasn’t anything I saw going anywhere. It was just fun and a time-filler.
What was your first impression of him?
He went against everything that I thought football players were. First I thought he was really fine, intelligent and easy to talk to. Our conversations were natural and I felt safe with him.
Did you play hard to get?
I didn’t really play hard to get because when I’m in, I’m all in. But, I’m typically a really guarded person, so it’s always been hard for me to let people in. I found myself liking him early on, but I couldn’t be the first person to say something!
Describe your most romantic date ever?
Jarrell is an extremely thoughtful man. I would have to say our most romantic date was in Rome. He planned this surprise birthday trip for me to Rome for my 24th birthday. On my birthday we went to this really nice restaurant and I was treated like a queen. They brought me samples for things that weren’t on the menu and waited on me hand and foot. I was really amazing. Honestly picking just one date is hard.
How did he pop the question?
Jarrell proposed to me the day before we moved into our new house. He used our new puppy to help get it done. Our dog passed away a few months before we got our new pup. When I came home from work he handed me the dog and turned her collar around and there was my ring! Afterwards he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife and I of course said, “YES!”
What was really going through your mind as he proposed?
What was going through my mind is what I was saying out loud. I kept saying, “Is this real?” “Are you serious?” “Is this happening?” LOL. It was kind of surreal!
Photos: Natarsha Wright Photography