Goodgyalknd
✧・゚: *✧・゚:* in my princess era *:・゚✧*:・゚✧
Allan and Shayla met during a party in NYC during 2012. Shayla recalls, “I’d stepped outside for some fresh air, and Allan was outside too. He immediately caught my eye, but I played it cool, and we struck up a conversation. He kept it really professional and gave me his business card!” They exchanged emails, connected on social media and were soon planning their first date.
Almost seven years later, Allan proposed in Paris. Shayla started planning their wedding the moment the plane took off from Paris back to the States. However, their plans were derailed by COVID-19.
They decided to move forward with their wedding anyway opting for an intimate park wedding in April. It was just the two of them and their officiant. The ceremony ended up being perfect. Shayla shares, “We’re a pretty lowkey couple and honestly wondered about the experience of sharing such intimate vows, promises, and declarations in front of our family and friends. It ended up just being the two of us, so that exchange was very special and just right for us.”
We wish this couple the best. Read about their romantic Paris engagement, and how they prepared for their intimate nuptials below.
- Groom & Bride : Allan Cole & Shayla
- Occupations: Allan: Web developer/designer at Automattic Inc., Musician, and Visual Artist; Shayla: Regional Community Manager at The Wing
- Wedding date: 04/04/2020
- Wedding location: Malcolm X Park, Washington, DC (also known as Meridian Hill Park)
How did you meet?
Allan: We met in 2012 at a party in NYC. Shayla had just relocated to Brooklyn from Philly, and having moved to NYC for college, I’d been there for about 11 years. My brother went to school with Shayla’s best friend, so we ended up being at the same party with the same group of folks but hadn’t met before.
Shayla: I’d stepped outside for some fresh air, and Allan was outside too. He immediately caught my eye, but I played it cool, and we struck up a conversation. He kept it really professional and gave me his business card! We exchanged a couple of emails and connected on social media. A few months later, when the Mayan calendar was predicting the world would end, I slid into his DMs to let him know I liked him. We went on our first date a few weeks later, and although it took him a little longer to figure it out – I knew then he was the one I’d marry someday.
Tell us about the proposal
Allan: We got engaged on March 25, 2019 in Paris. I was in France a week prior on a design research trip for work, and had explored this place called Le Bon Marché with my team for inspiration. I noticed it was filled with food, fashion, tech, art, decor, a little bit of everything Shay and I enjoy. Although I carried the ring around with me all day the day before in Versaille, I ultimately knew Le Bon Marché was where I wanted to propose. I sought out this little cafe space I’d spotted there. We had coffee, we had wine, and I popped the question.
Shayla: I got flown out. Allan planned the whole trip, dinners, museums, a tour of Versaille, it was really special. After he proposed, we spotted an older Black couple in the cafe and used our translator app to request they take a picture for us. Turns out they were Americans from Florida! They celebrated that moment with us – four Black Americans in Paris – it was all really special.