• Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Money & Career
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS MEET

Sign up for ESSENCE Newsletters the keep the Black women at the forefront of conversation.

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
Select the newsletters you'd like to receive:
Please select at least one option.
By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
      • Hair News
      • Natural
      • Relaxed
      • Transitioning
      • Weave
      • 4C
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Money & Career
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · Weddings

Bridal Bliss: Ashley and Melvin's New Orleans Wedding

After making their long distance love last, Melvin and Ashley knew they were soulmates. When it was time to pop the question, he asked his 10-year-old daughter to help him pull off the surprise. Just wait until you hear how smooth the proposal was—read on for details and Nawlins’ wedding photos!
Bridal Bliss: Ashley and Melvin’s New Orleans Wedding
Courtney Dellafiora
By Charli Penn · Updated October 27, 2020

Bride: Ashley Nicole Cooper, 30, Electrical Engineer

Groom: Melvin Royce Nichols Jr., 32, IT Support Analyst

Married On: March 7, 2015

Location: New Orleans

Instant Romance
Ashley and Melvin’s paths crossed for the first time when they both wound up visiting Washington, D.C. on the same weekend. “The weekend we went just happened to be the same weekend as the Congressional Black Caucus conference,” she recalls. “He and his friends had no idea, so they ended up being the only ones in the lounge without a suit on.” Believe it or not, it was Melvin’s attire and laid back vibes that helped him stand out to Ashley. “It was rather refreshing because my friend and I met a lot of pretentious people that night, and he and his friends were just normal.” The next night he took her on a date to the harbor. They started talking and never stopped – they wound up hanging out the entire evening. “We both had bad experiences with long distance relationships before, so we didn’t put much thought into the possibility of our relationship growing,” Ashley admits. “However, we found each other to be pretty cool so we decided to keep in touch.” It was the best decision they could have ever made. When she got back to New Orleans and he returned to Maryland they started using FaceTime video calls to say connected every night. One month later they met in Atlanta to spend the weekend together and they both knew they’d found “The One.” Eight months later he packed up his life and drove to Atlanta,” she recalls. “I flew to Atlanta to meet him and then we drove back to New Orleans, his new home. That’s when we began our next chapter.”

Treat Her Like A Lady
Melvin’s 10 year old daughter was staying with them for the summer when he decided it was time to propose. “He told us he was going to take us on a date and that he wanted to show her how a guy is supposed to treat a lady,” Ashley shares. “She’s a girly girl so she told me she wanted us to wear dresses and get all dressed up. I obliged, of course.”

Melvin gave them flowers in the car and took them to their favorite restaurant, Vincent’s, which happened to be the first restaurant they tried together when he moved to New Orleans. As they looked at the menu, while dining in a private room, Melvin presented both of his ladies with gifts. “He bought her a necklace and me a charm for the Pandora bracelet he bought me for our first Christmas together,” says Ashley. “He would always buy charms to represent different events for my bracelet. The charm he bought this time was a ring with a little diamond on it. He explained her gift to her and told me that my diamond charm represented his desire to one-day marry me. I thought it was really sweet and thoughtful.”

What she didn’t realize just yet was that Melvin had just kicked off one seriously sweet proposal.  His next move was the best move. “He knows that I’m big on deals and sales so he asked me to scan the code for the restaurant with my phone, “ says Ashley. “I didn’t have the app, so I downloaded the QR reader. When I scanned the code it said, ‘Will you marry me?’” Melvin’s daughter then reached in her purse and gave her dad a box. “He got down on one knee and said the sweetest, most heartfelt words before asking me to marry him,” she adds.

It was a joyous occasion and the surprises just kept on coming. She turned around to find her mom, dad and brothers standing there videotaping the entire thing. “I gave his daughter a little nudge and told her I couldn’t believe she was in on it the entire time (she really did a good job of keeping the secret) I never suspected anything!”

Photos: Courtney Dellafiora

Planner: Wink Design and Events

COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now