When Zekeera Belton and Thérésa Obong went out for their first date, their chemistry was both instant and electric: they talked for hours at a local restaurant until the place was ready to kick them out. For their engagement shoot, the couple wanted something that would stand out from more traditional shoots and represent their personal style. Since Zekeera hails from Harlem, NYC, the couple decided on a sexy, big-city vibe: something along the lines of “Sex and the City” meets “Bonnie and Clyde.” The resulting shoot under the Whitehurst Freeway at the Washington Harbour in Georgetown turned out to be a killer display of urban chic. Decked out in leather jackets and Louboutin heels, Zekeera and Thérésa posed beside a fire-engine-red vintage 1967 Camaro. Iris Mannings Photography captured their shoot in the images below.
Zekeera and Thérésa first met at a viewing party for the TV show Scandal. Zekeera, the Senior Director of Client Services at a multicultural and millennial-geared marketing firm was mesmerized by Thérésa’s gorgeous smile and dimples. Thérésa, who worked as a data manager in psychiatric research, thought Zekeera was “a cutie.” They dated for a year to the day before getting engaged. But the proposal didn’t go quite as expected. In fact, unbeknownst to one another, both Zekeera and Thérésa were both simultaneously developing plans to propose.
Zekeera beat Thérésa to it. She invited Thérésa out to McCormick and Schmick’s for an anniversary dinner. What Thérésa didn’t realize was that Zakeera had invited friends and family to fly in from all over the country—Seattle, Atlanta, New York, Cincinnati—to witness the surprise proposal. When the waiter casually offered them an anniversary upgrade to a private room at the back of the restaurant, they were met with barrage of flashing lights and smiling family members. Zekeera got down on one knee and proposed. Thérésa was shocked—she had been finalizing plans to propose to Zekeera the very next week. Naturally, she said yes.
After the Camaro shoot the couple shifted gears and headed to the Library of Congress. Since their wedding is a formal black tie event, they wanted some elegant engagement shots as well. Zekeera wore a classic tuxedo while Thérésa dressed up in a Carmen Marc Valvo gown, and the couple strolled the halls beneath the intricate architecture of the historic building. The couple is planning to wed in August at Martin’s West in Baltimore, MD.
Hayley is an Assistant Editor at Washingtonian Bride & Groom and Washingtonian. Previously she was the the Style Editor at The Local Palate, a Southern food culture magazine based out of Charleston, South Carolina. She currently resides in Bloomingdale. You can follow her on instagram @wandertaste.
