Derrick Louis first spotted Cyndi Mathis at a mutual friend’s wedding, although she didn’t see him at the time. Shortly after, Derrick reached out to Cyndi on social media and the two began chatting all day, every day before finally agreeing to go on an official date.
“Our first date was filled with good food and good conversation,” says Cyndi, “but I wasn’t looking for anything more than a friendship.
We continued to date, and Derrick continued to be persistent. But I told my daughter and best friend that there was no way that anything could ever work between us – we were too different. At their urging, I kept talking to him and as time went on, he completely swept me off my feet. We became a couple about three months after that initial Facebook conversation and never looked back.”
“DERRICK CHANGED MY NEVER INTO A MAYBE, MY MAYBE INTO A POSSIBILITY, AND A POSSIBILITY INTO MY REALITY.”
Cyndi and Derrick had been discussing marriage for awhile and even picked out an engagement ring when Derrick and his kids joined Cyndi and her family on a trip to Hilton Head Island. “While we were away, I received a call from our jeweler saying that the ring of my dreams had been sold,” Cyndi shares. “I was crushed but didn’t want Derrick to know that I had spoken with her.
That evening, we had scheduled to take family portraits on the beach. It was during the last set of photos in front of his kids and mine that he dropped to one knee, pulled out THE ring, and asked me to marry him. I was both surprised and overjoyed.”
A wedding date was quickly set, and the 11-month-long wedding planning process passed smoothly. Cyndi and her daughter, the Matron of Honor, planned out most of the details including a color scheme of pinks and purples, and a city view.
“My wedding day was filled with romance and love,” the bride recalls. “As I walked down the aisle on the arm of my son-in-law, the only thought running through my mind was how lucky I was to have this amazing man find me and give me a second chance at forever. My first husband died eight years prior and I was adamant that I would never give my heart to anyone, let alone marry again.
As my daughter said in her toast, Derrick changed my never into a maybe, my maybe into a possibility, and a possibility into my reality. Derrick surprised me with a honeymoon in St. Lucia; and in our suite at Jade Mountain Resort, it felt like we were the only two people in the world.”
WEDDING TALENT
Photography: Milanes Photography, Atlanta, GA: Floral and Event Design: Edge Design Group, Atlanta, GA