How We Met
I’ve always imagined love as a two-way street of vulnerability, communication and genuine happiness. I knew what I wanted my love-story to look like, but I didn’t know when God would answer my prayers and send who He had for me. I’ve always been a woman of faith, and I always remained faithful to God in knowing that he would honor His word with eventually bringing the man he had specifically designed for me— in His time.
I moved to Dallas in August of 2015, and in 2016 is when I discovered my now husband (ah that sounds so good to say), Cory Jefferson. I followed him on Instagram and I basically played the Instagram game where I liked a few of his photos (of course expecting him to do the same for me), and he never ended up doing the same nor did he even slide into my dm’s—so of course I unfollowed him after a while (call me petty, idc!). An entire year goes by, and we ended up running into one another face-to-face through our mutual friends @itsjessicaacy & @quincyacy. After our initial encounter, we realized we had a few conversations with each other on Instagram, but we didn’t realize that until after the fact. So you can basically say, we met “before we met.”
After our outing the night before, the next day he finally slides into my Instagram dm’s and tells me he wants to hangout again, so I sent him my number and from there we started consistently communicating.
The Proposal: May 14, 2020
Cory and I dated for almost exactly one year before he proposed. Due to the current climate of our world (COVID-19 pandemic), Cory worked with my parents and my brother to set up the proposal at our weekly family Bible study. Every Thursday, Cory and I go to my parent’s house for our Bible lesson, where we read scriptures and pray together as a family. That particular week they told me we were taking family pictures so my dad could submit them at work for a giveaway and feature of “Families of Frontline Workers.” With me being a full-time influencer and always having my family in my photoshoots, I was a bit confused thinking “we have tons of photos together, why is everyone so pressed this week about this picture?” Low and behold, it was because they had all of this planned.
Cory proposed as soon as I walked through the door and I was completely in shock. We’d been planning on getting engaged in the near future, but I figured due to this virus and everything around us being shut down, there was no way he could accomplish a special engagement or even get a ring during this time—but he definitely proved me wrong! Our one year dating anniversary was May 18th, so when I realized he proposed before that date, I automatically assumed he had done that so we could keep our same anniversary date and of course get married on that exact same day.
The Wedding Ceremony: May 19, 2020
After Cory proposed to me, I didn’t know that our wedding ceremony would be within the next few days due to the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, we would constantly joke about the fact that after we were engaged, we would be engaged for a couple of hours before we went straight to the courthouse, and that’s pretty much exactly how we did it.
Our wedding ceremony was extremely intimate and full of love—exactly how we envisioned it to be. We planned for 10 or less people (due to social distancing regulations) which only included our immediate families along with my pastor, photographer and a few friends that drove by to see us afterwards. We also created a zoom where our close friends and family could watch our ceremony live as it took place.
The ceremony took place in our backyard, where my father walked me down the aisle to Happily Ever After by Case as I was greeted by my husband! The only thing that mattered to us was committing our love, relationship and marriage to God in front of the people who loved us the most. Our wedding ceremony was neither traditional nor modern—it was just how WE wanted it to be.
From the very beginning of our relationship, we have taken great pride in the fact that we over communicate our thoughts, feelings and desires for one another. We are both Capricorns and natural planners, so as soon as we knew we wanted to do life together—we pretty much had everything planned out!
Many of you have asked why or why not hold a formal ceremony in celebration of our love? Our decision was one that was best for us as a couple and we made the best decision for us by saving money and making our new house a home. For us, marriage is an eternal and sacred commitment to God and to your spouse— a commitment to seek God and remain best friends forever.
Wedding Ceremony Details:
My Dress
With my husband and I knowing and planning that whenever we got engaged, we’d want to get married right away, I ordered a dress on ASOS the day after he proposed. If you are a frequent online shopper like myself, you know they don’t play about their two-day shipping. Long story short, it came Monday evening and did not fit. My manager then reached out to Grace Loves Lace right away hoping we could pull something off. They were clearly sent by God. They opened the store on a “closed” day and had someone come in on their off day, all to move mountains and get me in this amazing dress and veil—the morning of the wedding! In 20 minutes I tried on this dress and was out the door! I am so grateful for them, their incredible service and for accommodating me on such short notice.
Floral Wall
DFW Floral Wall Rental
Marquee Letters
Alpha-LIT Letters Dallas
Closing Remarks
For anyone that is currently trying to figure out what’s best for their situation in regards to marriage and wedding ceremonies, I would like to say make sure you seek God first. Cory and I prayed collectively, individually, and sought counsels from those who we know have our best interest at heart. Everyone’s situation and relationship is totally different, so while I am elated that I was able to inspire so many people, I just pray that I inspire them to get closer to God and seek what’s best for them.
Love,
JaLisa E. Jefferson
P.S. Check out our wedding site — TheJeffersons2020.com
Be sure to check out videos from Cory + JaLisa:
Leave a Comment