Jazmine Henderson and Shantel Woods attended the same middle school and high school, but their romance didn’t begin until after they had graduated. The Austin-based duo reconnected through social media and soon became inseparable.
After dating for more than two years, Henderson surprised Woods with a proposal while on a day trip to Johnson City in December 2017. When in front of the PEC Holiday Lights display, Henderson told Woods that she got her a blanket.
“I said, ‘I don’t need a blanket. It’s not that cold, and I have on a jacket,’” Woods recalls. “Then I turn around, see this blanket, and start crying.” The blanket had photos of them as well as the words, “Will you marry me?” on it.
“You could hear people on a hay ride screaming, ‘Say yes!,'" she says. "I was just telling my sister that this would be a nice place to get proposed to — and it happened to me."
The couple initially planned their wedding for 2019, but felt it was too long to wait. Following a nine month engagement, Henderson and Woods got married on September 9 at the Zilker Clubhouse in an outdoor ceremony with gorgeous views of the downtown skyline.
Wanting a more intimate celebration, the couple invited 45 guests to attend their wedding. The theme was classy vintage with a darker fall color scheme of burgundy, white, navy blue, and gold.
During the vow exchange, their nerves got the best of them and they both said “I do” too soon. “Everyone laughed at us,” Woods says. “We had a really fun ceremony, full of a lot of laughter and a lot of emotion.”
The celebration — and laughter — moved indoors for the reception where there was buffet-style catering from Trudy’s Tex-Mex, which included nacho tinga bites, Caesar salad, smoked chicken suiza enchiladas, and fettuccine salsa fresca. Their wedding cake was a two-tier almond cake with strawberry filling and butter cream frosting.
When it was time for Henderson to take Woods’ garter off in the traditional wedding garter toss, the DJ unexpectedly put on “Pony” by Ginuwine and told her to "Magic Mike” Woods.
“I took a step back, put my hands over my head, and was like, ‘Oh my god. I can’t do this.’ But then I finally got some guts and started dancing for her,” Henderson says. “It was embarrassing. It was hilarious.”
Remembering the wedding day, Woods says: “All in all, it came down to being the perfect night.”
Wedding planner: Everlasting Elopements
Venue:Zilker Clubhouse
Catering: Trudy’s
Tex-Mex
Cake:D’sabor Cakes
Photographer: Gypc Girl PhotographyV
Following a classic Austin meal from Trudy's the couple cut the cake.
