How They Met
MeShanna and Stephanie have known each other for years, belonging to the same house, the House of Kourvoisier. Still, they never talked or hung out together. Fate hadn’t yet allowed them to cross paths physically. They were Facebook friends, though; every once in a while, they interacted with one another on social media.
MeShanna worked as a traveling medical lab scientist, allowing her to leave Memphis and travel the globe. She often posted pictures of the different places she traveled to, which prompted Stephanie to DM her about what she did for a living. However, the conversation did not go beyond this brief exchange.
Three years later, Stephanie DM’d MeShanna saying ‘hi again’ and asking if it was okay for her to have her number.
She slipped her the digits, and they talked every day for about two months. When it was time for MeShanna to return to her previous contract in the Virgin Islands, she invited Stephanie to spend a week with her. She showed her around her temporary home in St. Thomas, USVI, and soon, the bond that formed over the phone began to take physical shape.
MeShanna’s job then took her to Barrow, Arkansas, but she and Stephanie kept in touch by phone and video chat. The more they talked, the closer they became. The closer they became, the more they grew to know one another.
Their long-distance friendship soon turned into a long-distance relationship. They made it official on December 25, 2013; YES… Christmas Day! “We Going Steady Boo!”
The Proposal
On Valentine’s Day 2022, the couple decided to have a quiet, intimate day at home together, watching “Black Love” movies and partnering up to cook an Italian meal. Stephanie loved puzzles. So she asked MeShanna, “Can we throw in putting a puzzle together?” MeShanna hated puzzles but obliged in the spirit of Valentine’s Day.
They began their Black Love movie marathon with Love Jones and worked on their Italian meal and the puzzle. Yes, they juggled three things at the same time. “The puzzle was so difficult to put together,” said MeShanna, “it was after midnight, and we still were not done.” So they left the puzzle alone to finish the next day.
On February 15, 2022, Stephanie proposed using a puzzle, they worked on together. The image on the puzzle was easy to hide because the puzzle was created so that the solvers wouldn’t know what it was until all the pieces were put together. When they were finished, the puzzle read, ‘Will you marry me?’ To which MeShanna responded, “Yes!!!”
The Wedding
The ladies had a summer beach wedding on June 18, 2022, at the Planet Hollywood Resort in Costa Mujeres, Cancún. Where the sands are white, and the waters are clear and aquamarine.
They woke up in separate suites on their wedding day, deciding the previous night not to see each other until the ceremony. Stephanie started her prep session getting made up by their makeup artist. The bride and her Best Woman clinked champagne glasses in a toast to Stephanie’s marriage to her favorite person. Stephanie’s Best Woman helped don her ivory and plum vest tuxedo, nibbling on fruit and light snacks as they went along. After the makeup artist was done with Stephanie, she went to MeShanna’s suite to make up the second bride. Hair and makeup ran a little longer for MeShanna because she started her process about 30 minutes late. She was comforted, with the reassurance, “It’s your day. You’re never late.”
She had to rush and miss out on her getting-ready pictures but said, “The moment that mattered the most was walking down the aisle, seeing my friends and family there, and seeing my wife waiting on me.”
Rain was forecasted for the whole day, but it didn’t rain during the ceremony. MeShanna testified, “God saw fit to allow my beach ceremony to happen.” And when the officiant asked both brides if they would take the other as their lawfully wedded wife, neither hesitated to say, “I do.”
The Reception
A rooftop reception was planned, but it started raining once the ceremony ended. The newlyweds and their guests made it under the roof in the nick of time, though. The rain lasted for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, the brides and their guests danced and partied the night away.
And so, MeShanna and Stephanie started their new lives together as Mrs. MeShanna Jones and Mrs. Stephanie Wells.
The Couple’s Favorite Moments
The Flower Mane was the couple’s favorite part of their wedding. Of The Flower Mane, MeShanna said, “I had the best Flower Man! Us being from Memphis, we called him “The Flower Mane.” If you remember the movie Hustle & Flow, that’s how we say ‘man.’ He has over 11,000 views on Tik Tok for his amazing performance.” – MeShanna & Stephanie, Congratulations from Black Gay Weddings.
Full BGW Gallery
MeShanna & Stephanie’s Wedding Highlights
Vendor List
BGW Vetted “LGBTQ-Friendly” LGBTQBizList Vendors
Non-LGBTQBizList Vendors
Photographer: Vinlinda Wedding Photography
Wedding & Reception Venue: Planet Hollywood Resort, Cancun Mexico
Hair: Hair Jones 411
Makeup: MZ Makeup
