Credit: Iris Mannings of Iris Mannings Photography
The Bride: Simona Noce @missnocepr
The Groom: Panama Jackson @panamajackson
Wedding date/location: October 12th , The Main Street Ballroom, Ellicott City, Maryland
Wedding hashtag(s) : #ItWasAlwaysWright #VerySmartWedding
How long have you been together?: Almost 7 years!!
Describe how you all met?: We actually met on Twitter! Panama posted a tweet to his followers asking if there was anything fun happening in D.C that night. I, being quite the social butterfly, was tagged in a response to Panama by one of his followers, suggesting he follow me for ‘cool things to do.’ Well, after following each other for a bit, and Panama reading my Twitter timeline version of my dating challenges, he slid in my DMs to offer advice about a situationship I was in! I decided to hear him out, since I heard he was this ‘verysmartbrotha’ relationship blogger. One too many DMs led to phone conversations and, well, the rest is history. It truly went down in the DMs!
When did you know he was “the one?”: I knew he was the one when I couldn’t shake him off after dating other people . We dated for a year and a half before we broke up. Post break up, we dated other people however he was on my mind and in my heart. I realized that i’d never be as happy with anyone else as I was with him. He really set the bar high when it came to how attentive he was to me and our relationship.
Credit: Iris Mannings of Iris Mannings Photography
How did he propose?: We’re a blended family; Panama has a 9 year old daughter. His daughter spends Christmas with her mother and the day after with us, so we have Christmas all over when she comes over to open gifts. I was helping her gather and open her gifts, but there was one gift Panama insisted we keep for last that she should open. I was a bit confused because the biggest gift we got her was an iPad, so I couldn’t figure out what other gift would be ‘more special’ than the iPad, especially one that I didn’t know of! When it finally came time to open ‘The Gift’, she handed it to me. Assuming, she needed help opening it the box, I started unwrapping, looked up and realized she was smiling and he had his camera ready. It suddenly dawned on me what was happening. He got on one knee, said he wanted to ask an important question in front of the most important people to us – our children – and asked me to marry him! Of course, I said yes!
Credit: Iris Mannings of Iris Mannings Photography
How did you come up with your engagement shoot concept?: I’ve always loved the Georgetown neighborhood in DC, and if there’s one thing Georgetown has on lock, it’s gorgeous scenery. Between Cady’s Alley, C&O Canal and the Graffiti Cliffs, I knew those areas would make for a romantic, hidden and classy backdrop for these intimate moments. I wanted our pictures to capture our relationship – marching to the beat of our own drum – hence the formal look on a graffiti backdrop! We also wanted our pictures to be fun and celebratory, so we threw the champagne prop in there 🙂
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