My little brother Terrel is a rare find. He’s tall (6’3), dark and handsome. He’s compassionate and caring. He’s intelligent, well spoken and well educated, with a Master’s degree in Nursing Administration. He teaches current nursing students at his alma mater, while continuing to work with geriatric patients in nursing homes. He owns two homes, loves dogs & children, and he’s HILARIOUS. In short, he’s a catch. I’ve had friends offer to sell me their first-born children for the chance at a date with him, but he was never interested for fear of not finding “the one”.

Growing up, Terrel always faulted me for my unwavering belief in romance and fairy tale endings. “People don’t fall in love, Regina. They simply find someone that they’re compatible with and develop a partnership that’s mutually beneficial, both financially and emotionally.” Imagine mine (and my family’s) surprise when Terrel introduced us to Lindsey in April 2019.

When Terrel walked into our parents’ home with Lindsey that evening in April, we knew she was the one. First, he’d NEVER introduced us to a female before in all his 27 years. Second, there was a look to him that I’d never seen before. Terrel is a goofball and always has a smile on his face, but something was definitely different. He looked genuinely happy, complete. This was it, no doubt about it.

Fast forward to November when Terrel starts looking at engagement rings for Lindsey. As an older sister, I’m more than a little concerned that my baby brother is looking at engagement rings for a girl he’d met just six months prior. But knowing Terrel as the analytical, level-headed, “reads 100 reviews before he buys a product”, cautious person that he is, I knew this was the right choice for him. Lindsey was his better half. She was also a nurse with her Master’s degree who taught nursing students while continuing to serve her community as an ER nurse. She was witty and out-going and could handle my family’s (sometimes dark) humor. In other words, she was a perfect addition to our family.

When Terrel was ready to propose to Lindsey, he called on me and the Weddings by Regina Marie team to help create his vision. They’d just purchased their first home together in the Litchfield Hills and were taking a vacation to Mexico to celebrate. He didn’t want to propose in Mexico “because she’ll be expecting that”, so we planned to do the proposal in their new home.

Terrel got Lindsey out of the house by having her schedule her pre-vaca bikini wax for Sunday morning. All was going well with setup, until Lindsey called to say that she was on her way home from the salon and would be there shortly. We weren’t done with setup and needed more time! Terrel quickly threw on his shoes and headed out the door, telling Lindsey that he wanted to go to brunch. Lindsey insisted that she needed to go home to change, but Terrel was persistent, yelling “too late, I’m already in the car! I’ll meet you at the restaurant”. When they returned, Terrel ran upstairs to get in place and Lindsey entered, shocked to find (along with her moving boxes pushed aside) a trail of rose petals and candles leading to Terrel waiting in an upstairs bedroom while her favorite songs played on a loop in the background. He gave a heart warming speech and then brought Of course she said yes!

They’d originally planned to elope at a vineyard in Sonoma Valley and honeymoon in Bali. Then COVID-19 happened. We held onto hope before officially having to cancel their original wedding plans in mid May. Fortunately, the Hawk Ridge Winery in Watertown, CT was available for ceremonies on their original wedding date of June 20, 2020. I reached out to a few officiants and photographers for last minute availability and was lucky enough to find David Lang of Love, Honor and Cherish, and Cate Barry of Cate Barry Photography. Terrel’s college buddy Darnell Austin of Hour Twelve Media agreed to be their videographer.

The wedding day started with Lindsey and Terrel getting ready in separate suites at The Litchfield Inn. My mom, sister and I got ready with Lindsey in her room, while my brother Tyler, Terrel’s best friends Kendysha & Mike and Mike’s wife Christina hung out with Terrel. Lindsey did her own makeup, while my mom and I helped with her hair. Once they were ready, Terrel and Lindsey did a “No Look First Look” before heading off to the winery.

The ceremony was small with only 11 guests in attendance, but that was exactly what Lindsey and Terrel wanted from the beginning of wedding planning. Even if COVID hadn’t wrecked their original plans of a wine country wedding, they’d still planned on only having 10-12 guests in attendance. After the intimate ceremony, we moved to cocktail hour and enjoyed sampling wine from the vineyard. After cocktail hour and a family photo session, we headed over to Verde for dinner and closed out the night with great food, great laughs and great company.