Photograph by Kevin D. Liles
Max Poznyak & Dominique Dixon
Max: We’ve been together for two years, so it kind of felt like time.
Dominique: We were basically a married couple. We live together, bought a car together, had a joint bank account. So we’re like, “Why not?”
Max: We’ll be together forever.
Photograph by Kevin D. Liles
Joseph Sanni & Queené Bryant
Joseph: From the first week we were dating, we knew.
Queené: We’re very down-to-earth and very spiritual, so we wanted it to mean something more to us first, and then to celebrate with everyone else in a more elaborate way.
Joseph: I don’t see any time for really waiting, especially if you know you’re going to be together.
Queené: It was a proud moment. I’m very happy and fulfilled.
Joseph: I’ll remember her tears when I put the ring on her finger.
Photograph by Kevin D. Liles
Cely Almendares & Dina Molina
Cely: We met at Cross Keys High School. We were going to get married last week, but we couldn’t, so we decided to today. We still want to get married in a church, the traditional way. [Saying “I do”] means a lot. It’s going to change our future.
Photograph by Kevin D. Liles
Felipe Arevalo & Stella Martinez
Stella: Our families are not in this country, so we decided to get married here and then we will get married at church when we go to Colombia.
Felipe: We’ve been living together, and we have a kid. So it’s time to settle down and start thinking about our future.
Photograph by Kevin D. Liles
Dawit McDonald & Bonnie Johnson
Dawit: Why today? The time and the chemistry lined up perfectly. We kind of had one of those moments—that this was our next destination.
Bonnie: I started crying.
Dawit: I thought, “Wow, it’s real. It’s real!” I feel breathless. Quote me!
Photograph by Kevin D. Liles
Teniqua Clark & OlaJide Ajani
Teniqua: We met at Pappadeaux’s. He commented on my gown, so it just went from there.
Olajide: Saying “I do” is a big responsibility. As a man, you have to take care of the family.
Teniqua: What will I remember about this day? The time I waited!
Photograph by Kevin D. Liles
Nick Groebner & Abbey Smith
Abbey: He’s the one I want to spend my life with.
Nick: It feels good [to be married]! Kind of like a monkey off the shoulder, so to speak.
Abbey: I will remember that he was looking at me very intently. He was very much in the moment, and I appreciated that.
This article originally appeared in our February 2017 issue.
