Terri-Nicole, 26, said she wasn’t looking for love when she met her high school sweetheart, Michael, 26. “I was getting ready to leave for college in a few months so dating someone new was the furthest thing in my mind," she says. But after their friendship blossomed into love, she knew she'd found her soulmate.
"Not only does he love God, but he also respects his parents, loves his family and works really hard," Terri-Nicole says of her future husband. "He truly puts me first and respects me and I couldn’t be any luckier."
When they are finally husband and wife, Terri-Nicole says she can't wait to see Michael every day.
"I think he chose to marry me because we are best friends; we can truly be ourselves, we can always talk about we what we need from each other, whether it be good or bad, and he loves that I will compromise," says Terri-Nicole.
Terri-Nicole says the sexiest part of Michael's body, second to his heart, are his lips.
The bride-to-be says her parents are proud she chose such a great man to start her life with. It's true — he really sounds likes a keeper!
“We were friends for a while before we started to date. My friends said that I was oblivious to his affection towards me,” Terri-Nicole says. “So I guess without realizing it, I did play hard to get.”
Terri-Nicole says she and Michael can't wait to show off their Soul Train dance moves at their wedding. "You never know when an impromptu Soul Train line might start," she says. We can already tell their big day is going to be a blast.
Terri-Nicole's engagement ring has a radiant cut diamond with a pave diamond setting. "We went ring shopping and he designed the ring after a few other rings I saw," she says. "He took the best features of them all."
The bride-to-be says her most embarrassing date with Michael was the time she ripped her leather pants. "Mike had just moved back to New York from Atlanta and we were going out for a night on the town. I thought since we hadn't seen each other in 3 months I wanted to dress extra sexy for him," she says. "I wore leather pants, thinking 'Yes, work it girl!' But later in the evening, I dropped my gloss, and unbeknownst to me, my pants had torn!"
Terri-Nicole says her wedding colors will be smokey grey, nude and peach. The couple is going for a glamorous vintage feel. We see their vision.
Terri-Nicole says her best gift from Michael was a ticket to Atlanta to visit him during college. "Since then he has bought me jewelry and we have taken nice trips. But this gift stood out because now I know that whatever our future holds, he will always do whatever it takes to make sure I’m happy."
Leave your well wishes for lovebirds Terri-Nicole and Michael below and share the love. Want to see your engagement photos featured on ESSENCE.com? Email us now!
