Bride: Mesita Simms, 26 Groom: Durante Partridge, 27 Occupation: Simms: Private Events Director for Houston City Club; Partridge: Law Student at Thurgood Marshall School of Law
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Wedding Location: Excellence Playa Mujeres Resort, Playa Mujeres, Mexico
Wedding Date: June 18, 2009 Lance Chance: Georgia State University senior Durante Partidge stared accross the classroom at Mesita Simms for the entire final semester. On the last day of class, Durante finally mustered up the courage to speak to his crush. Walking in the rain, Durante caught up to Mesita on the way to her car and said, “Hello.” “I thought Mesita was one of the best-looking women that I’d ever seen,” Durante recalls. “I didn’t know that I would have a shot. One the last day of school I was like, “What the heck?” “He said ‘Hello’ and I said ‘Hi’ and then he just stood there not really saying anything. So I said, ‘Are you going to ask me for my number or what?'” Mesita laughs. “I liked that he was kind of shy. I thought he was cute.”
Ask and You Shall Receive: On a typical afternoon, Durante stopped at home to visit his girlfriend on his lunch break. Chatting away, Mesita sarcastically asks her man, “When am I going to get my ring?” Little did she know, the ring was on Durante’s finger. “He made some weird hand gestures and I saw the ring. I was so shocked because I was just being sarcastic. Once I saw the ring, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.”
He Said/She Said: Durante: “I fell in love with Mesita because she’s very caring and very nurturing. Plus, she got me to go to church. I thought that was pretty important. It made me a lot more spiritual.”
Mesita: “I fell in love with Durante because he was very kind, he loved his mother and he always made me laugh. We just became best friends.”
