Bride: Kristen White, 25, Corporate Meeting Planner
Groom: Jermaine Gardner, 28, CEO of JG Painting
Married On: September 1, 2012
Wedding Location: Che’ne Rouge, Hiram, GA
Wedding Style: Traditional Elegance
Love Of My Life
“A mutual friend introduced Jermaine and I on the first day of my freshman year of high school,” beaming bride Kristen recalls. “And, he has kept me laughing ever since.” Although their relationship began on a more friendly note, things quickly escalated from cute, crush-mode to a full-blown courtship. Jermaine was a high school senior when they met, so it took her parents a little while to get used to the idea. But, eventually, even they could see that what Kristen and Jermaine shared was real. Once they made it official, they never looked back. Even though Jermaine graduated three years before Kristen did, and they both attended different colleges, the one thing that never changed was just how deeply committed they were to one another. “It seems as if each year only brought us closer,” says Kristen.
A Change of Plans
Kristen would be lying if she said she didn’t know Jermaine planned to make her his wife one day—they’d gone ring shopping together and discussed marriage quite often—but she had no clue when he planned to pop the question, so he was still able to catch her by surprise. One evening, after a romantic dinner for two, they went back to her place to change for a fun night out on the town. When she opened her bedroom door, the entire room was filled with roses and candles. (He had slipped his sister his spare key in advance so she could sneak in and set up for him!) “As soon as I saw everything, I knew what was about to happen, and I just couldn’t stop smiling,” Kristen recalls. “It was a long time coming—we’d been together nine years! I was so happy that I just wrapped my arms around him, started crying and kept saying, ‘Of course I will!’” Fourteen months later, the day they’d boh anxiously awaited for so long finally arrived, and it was absolutely perfect. Share their love!