The Perfect New York City Elopement

Tonya and Michelle instantly connected during their first date over drinks and tacos, and they recreated the first date for their proposal. “We went to the same place for dinner as we did on our first date, our favorite spot in our neighborhood. This was not out of the ordinary since we go there all the time. We walked a couple blocks home and Tonya asked if we could recreate our first date kiss on the stoop of our building. Again, this was pretty normal for us because we can tend to be a little sappy,” says Michelle. “She gave me the keys and asked me to open the door. As I turned around to put the keys in the lock, I noticed a key was missing. Turning back around to ask where the key was, Tonya was on one knee with a ring, asking me to be her wife.”

And as fate would have it, Michelle was also planning on proposing that very night. “There was a ring under her pillow I had put there earlier in the day. It took all of me not to just run up and give Tonya her ring. But I waited until we were in bed and jokingly asked her, ‘Are you really going to marry me?' She replied with, ‘I gave you a ring, didn't I?' To that, I reached under her pillow and gave her her ring. Needless to say, she was shocked as well. We both always said our relationship from the beginning has been serendipitous. We have always been on the same wavelength. Proposing on the same night was just another convincing factor of how we were meant for each other.”

For their wedding day, they headed to City Hall with Dani. Fine Photography documenting the beautiful celebration, Tonya dressed in a gorgeous Jenny Yoo gown, and Michelle polishing off her dapper look with a pair of spiked Louboutins. After making it official, they captured some incredible, love-filled shots on the Brooklyn Bridge and celebrated with a romantic dinner at a French restaurant in SoHo.