The Dee von Nkosi Story in Nine Acts

Act 1: the search - 3,000 miles

In 2007, Dee and von were two mature hearts in search of a lasting love. Both of them having experienced long term relationships had a clear sense of the type of person they were looking for. With 3000 miles between them, two souls threw caution to the wind and embarked on a journey to find love.

Act 2: the find

Dee spent a lifetime in Los Angeles and von nearly the last 30 of his in Atlanta. They knew "the one" was somewhere in the world but where? They both embraced 21st century technology to assist them in their search to find love.

In October 2006, Dee joined eHarmony and von did the same in February 2007. Between February and May, von received nearly 2,000 profiles. When Dee first joined, she set her profile up to only receive matches within the state of California and neighboring states. In April, Dee decided to change her profile to include all of North America. Having lived in Los Angeles all her life, and always desiring to live in another state, she thought, maybe “the one” is not local.”

In May, eHarmony matched von and Dee. When Dee’s profile arrived in von’s box, it was an OMG moment for him. She was beautiful, her profile was breezy and von liked what she talked about. It was clear from reading her profile; she was in search of a deep “meaningful” love, exactly what he was looking for. When von landed in Dee’s box, she thought he was cute and shared his picture with several of her friends and they agreed. After reading von’s profile, her interests were peaked and she was excited when he requested communication with her.

Act 3: the dance

Dee agreed to begin guided communication with von. Over the course of about a week, von and Dee went through eHarmony’s guided communication and had their first phone call on May 29th. They spoke every night, usually for about 3 hours.

In late June, Dee and von decided to meet in a neutral city and mutually agreed on Chicago. The two hit it off as they knew they would...von picked Dee up from O'hare airport and they headed over to the W (Lakeshore) for drinks, conversation and star gazing (at each other). von thought Dee was stylish and he was diggin’ it. Dee thought von was even cuter in person than in his pictures and his critical thinking nature was a turn on. The two enjoyed the Windy City and meeting in Chi-town would turn out to be the 1st of many travels.

Act 4: the relationship

Both being committed to getting to know each other, they made plans to see each other every six weeks. Over the course of their relationship, they continued their nightly "phone dates” and the more they learned about one another, the more they “liked” one another. They also realized that they were travel compatible having vacationed together in Las Vegas, Cabo San Lucas, New Orleans, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and in October 2007…….Paris. They thoroughly enjoyed each city they visited together.

Dee and von spent the next couple/few months solidifying their relationship and after about 2 ½ months, von drafted a closing letter to eHarmony letting them know that they had matched him with a fabulous woman and he was terminating his membership to pursue an exclusive relationship with her. He received a reply asking that they keep them posted on the progress of their relationship.

When Dee and von realized that the connection was real, they were excited to make introductions to their respective family and friends. The resounding agreement was, “You two make a great couple and I’m happy for you.”

Act 5: the engagement

As 2007 was winding down, von felt the pull of love and knew that Dee was “the one” and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He began the process of planning the engagement. Being an architect, von was a planner and designer so he wouldn't settle for any engagement ring for his future bride. He started the process of designing Dee's engagement ring. He just needed the type of stone...the diamond and the cut to work with and some visualization input from Dee. With a sketch, von had what he needed. He spent months searching for the perfect stone. In planning, von set a goal of having the engagement ring in time for their October trip to Paris so he could propose to Dee there.

After months of planning, diamond shopping, ring designing and fabrication, von picked up the ring on his birthday in September, about a month before their trip to Paris. The ring was burning a hole in his pocket and he couldn't wait until Paris to ask Dee to marry him and to present her with the ring. After conferring with some female friends, von decided that he would propose to Dee on his parent’s 47th wedding anniversary since he was scheduled to be in Los Angeles celebrating his birthday with Dee on that day. Dee had plans for them to go out to dinner anyway...it was perfect; she wouldn't suspect a thing. One thing von wanted was blessings from Dee’s mom. When von secretly called Dee’s mom, she was surprised and happy. She gave von her blessings.

Dee took von to an Asian themed (his favorite) restaurant named Koi. The seating had to be perfect...Dee thought von was being unusually picky. But over a desert of crème brûlée and champagne, von popped the question. Dee was totally surprised...she asked, “von, is this [the day] it?!?" von said, “yes” and pulled the ring out his pocket in the cutest little box like a mini shopping bag. Dee immediately fell in love with the very unique custom designed ring.

Dee and von took their trip to Paris the following month. It was an unforgettable post-engagement celebration trip. They stayed in a trendy boutique hotel just a few blocks from Notre Dame. They walked and ate at sidewalk Parisian cafes, did some sightseeing and shopped for antiques.

After arriving back in the United States, the next step was to set a wedding date. They decided on July 18th and spent the next 9 months preparing for their big day.

Act 6: the wedding vision

von had requested that the wedding be elegant and not chaotic. Dee’s vision was a celebration that would be small, intimate, outdoors and fun. Both Dee and von appreciate thinking outside the box and wanted their day to be a representation of their respective styles.

Act 7: the wedding day

Dee and von’s wedding day lived up to their vivid imaginations. It was beautiful. A close friend of Dee’s described the wedding as being Eco Chic. It was held on the lawn of the Admissions House of Occidental College; the college President Barack Obama attended in the early 1980s. The weather was warm and favorable. Dee wore a Lazaro gown with a birdcage veil made especially for her by her cousin. On the side of the veil were two flowers and two pucka shells. The veil was a hit.

The groom and best men wore custom made silk outfits inspired by North African fashion. The ceremony was held under a huge tree in front of 60 family members and friends. The Bride’s niece sang Whitney Houston’s song, I believe in You and Me beautifully. After the ceremony, the guests were directed about 10 feet away to a lounge area for hand held H’ors deurves. The reception was held on the patio and grass in front of the house. Guests went home with three favors (a miniature book of Dee and von’s engagement photos, a custom made Mojito lollipop and a madeline cookie. The cookies were packaged in boxes topped with a delicate handmade butterfly made by a friend of the bride.

The Bride and Groom’s first dance song, Make Me Whole by Amel Larrieux was sung live by a friend of the bride. The soloists’ voice was so beautiful, many of the guests didn’t realize that the song was being performed live.

Dee, von and the guests, topped off the night with dancing until 11:00 pm. It was a beautiful celebration of love.

Act 8: the honeymoon

The couple honeymooned in the Caribbean. They Island hopped between the British Virgin Island and US Virgin Island. They started on Virgin Gorda for one night, then took water taxis on to Tortola, St. John and St. Thomas for two nights each. They stayed at beautiful resorts with ocean views and private beaches on each island. On their honeymoon, they were able relax, have fun and enjoy each other.

Act 9: the marriage

July 18, 2009 to forever.... being written by time :-)

Georgia Aquarium Wedding - Shockley Wedding

On June 27, 2009 there was a new featured exhibit at the world’s largest aquarium. Atlanta Falcon and former University of Georgia quarterback, DJ Shockley portrayed his undying commitment and love to the former Portia Phillips.

After meeting in high school, DJ and Portia knew early on that they were destined to be together forever. He continued to throw touchdowns playing as the key quarterback for University of Georgia and she continued to pursue her education and passion for working with disabled children. ‘Twas the night before Christmas at Centennial Olympic Park, DJ completed a pass for a touchdown that would change his life for the better, he asked Portia Phillips to marry him.

The excitement of sharing a new life together meant the planning had to begin immediately. To bring their dream to life, the couple chose the elite services of Kenisha White, President of The Genesis Concept. Kenisha White helped bring together their vision, needs and wants by leading them to The Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world, for the largest event of their lives.

The GA Aquarium provided first class service from the beginning to the end. The atmosphere of the venue gave an exotic feel and tropical flair for the evening. The ceremony began promptly at 6:30 pm, before 350 guests ranging from professional athletes such as Matt Ryan, DeAngelo Hall, Quentin Moses and Thomas Davis to Georgia Bulldogs coaches Mark Richt and Rodney Gardner; and many more professionals, family and friends.

An ecstatic bride, Portia wore a Lazarro, pearl white, a-line style dress covered in Swarvoski crystals with her bridesmaids standing with her dressed in orchid and silver. The guys lined the stage wearing classic black tuxedos. Overjoyed to be newlywed Mr. & Mrs. DJ Shockley the couple recessed to continue the celebration with family and friends at the reception.

Celebrity photographer, Korey Akinbami and videographers of Visual Statements Photography & Video were on site to cover this event of the year. The ballroom was set and ready to receive the guests, although many were not aware that they would be partying with the fish of the GA Aquarium. The guests were further astounded by the beautiful room designed with silver linen, orchid lighting, manzanita trees with hanging crystals, arrangements filled with orchids and roses, a huge dance floor in front of the Beluga tank and the highlight of the evening, the photo booth provided by WOW Photo.

After being served an array of appetizers and hors d’ oeuvres during the pre-reception cocktail, guests were presented with buffet stations of both Southern and New Orleans cuisine by Wolf Gang Puck Catering. The stations included Georgia baby shrimp with apple wood smoked bacon and cheddar cheese grits, slow braised short ribs, grilled asparagus, Cajun seafood pasta, blackened salmon, classic jambalaya, and Caesar salad.

With such fun and spirited personalities, the couple immediately got the party started by dancing to the tune of ‘Always’, played by Atlanta’s own V103, DJ Cowboy. And of course it would not have been a party without paying tribute to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

Villa Serena Outdoor Country Wedding Reception Site

Darren Benbow met Lisa Brown after high school graduation, at a gathering of their friends in Long Island, New York. Immediately, Darren knew that there was something about Lisa that he had to get to know, so they exchanged phone numbers. Shortly after they started to date, Lisa moved from New York to North Carolina with her family to attend college. In many cases, a drastic move such as theirs would have lead to a bitter end; however, this was not the case. The move actually strengthened the couple’s relationship and lead to the fairytale ending most people only dream of.

Five years later, life started leading them in two different directions. Lisa made a move to Maryland, and Darren was still in New York pursuing a career in music, as a Motown Records recording artist. A big argument between the couple led Lisa to write a letter to Darren, which he never responded to. A few years passed and Darren moved to Atlanta and a desire to reconnect with Lisa was overdue. With a common name, such as Lisa Brown, his search proved to be harder than he ever could have imagined. He spent money on Classmates.com, US Search, and People Finder, but the results led to nothing. After years of profile searches, reckless emails, and chance meetings with her old friends, it seemed the search was leading to a dead end.

One day, Darren received an anonymous email in his MySpace inbox from a girl who claimed he dated her sister years ago. Forgetting she had a younger sister, he continued to correspond with the girl until realizing it was Lisa’s younger sister. She went on to tell him that Lisa had relocated to Atlanta as well, and lived 20 minutes from where he was.

Darren and Lisa reconnected the same night they spoke, and it seemed as though they picked up exactly where they left off. He always said that if he found her again, he would never let her go. Believe it or not, two years later they were married at Villa Serena.

Villa Serena is a stately Italianate mansion secluded in a magnificent 100 acre wooded estate overlooking pristine Black Shoals Lake. This European style stucco and stone villa, surrounded by multi-tiered terraces and lovely landscaped grounds, offers an exceptional location for hosting any important event. The manor house, a private residence, with its center courtyard, is the perfect venue for elegant candlelight weddings, lovely outdoor country weddings, ceremonies and receptions, luncheons, theme or holiday parties and corporate events, large or small. Numerous sites, with both lakeside and garden views, provide exquisite backdrops for your memorable occasion. Of the many wedding sites and locations all over Georgia, Villa Serena is the perfect site for an elegant outdoor country wedding, ceremony, and reception.

Villa Serena, known for its personal touch and refined ambiance, is guaranteed to surprise and delight both you and your guests. From exceptional cuisine to elaborate decor, the staff's personal touch will customize each event to the client's particular preferences. Located in the Greater Metro Atlanta, Georgia area; Villa Serena is convenient to many Georgia cities and counties. Some of these include: Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbia, Conyers, Covington, Duluth, Gainesville, Lake Lanier, Lake Oconee, Loganville, Madison, Metro Atlanta, Monroe, Snellville, Social Circle, Stone Mountain, and Clark, Clayton, Dekalb, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Newton, Morgan, and Rockdale County. Conveniently located between Atlanta and Athens with easy access to Interstate 20 and GA highway 78, it is the perfect private location only minutes away from these metro areas. Welcoming not only area residents but also national and international visitors, the estate offers a unique and prestigious setting for your next memorable event. Villa Serena assures its clients that all who select this venue will surely "Celebrate the Moment and Cherish the Memory!"