Inside Natural: Nakyia Whitty Davis on Her Proposal
It’s been a month since Nakyia Whitty Davis and her husband Javonte “Jay” Davis tied the knot during their destination wedding in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and the photos from that day, which went viral soon after their release, are still giving all of us #SquadGoals and #HairGoals as they continue to make the rounds on the internet.
Nakyia, who works in finance and Jay, a microbiologist, met each other as students where they attended Texas Southern University together.
On the wedding proposal:
Jay proposed to me on the evening of February 13th. He told me we were going out to dinner. We were getting dressed at home and he presented me with a fine jewelry store box. I thought he was proposing! I had been mentioning it to him. I open the box and it was pearl earrings. They were nice but I thought he was proposing!!! lol!
Then we hit the road to head to dinner, is what I thought. Instead, he took me to a penthouse suite in Downtown Houston’s Hotel Icon and said it would be our room for the weekend, but we didn’t stay. We had a glass of wine and left for dinner. The suite was beautiful… But I was calculating costs in my head. Pearls, this lavish suite, and dinner. He could’ve put a down payment on me a ring!! lol!
At dinner I’m thinking maybe he’ll propose here. haha! Nope, we eat and just talk. So I breakdown. I tell him about these expenses and if he REALLY wanted to be with me he would’ve saved all of this money for our future!
He calms me down. We pray together at the table and I’m good. We just enjoy the evening…. We head back to the hotel and go to the room. I walk down the entrance hallway of the room and see a red heart made of rose petals in the middle of the floor… Keep walking in and I see my sisters and friends. I’m dead tired at this point. I’ve eaten good, I want to crash, so my mind didn’t register quick enough I felt an attitude, I felt surprise, I felt confusion. What are these people doing here?! I turn around to Jay and he’s on the floor in the middle of the heart on one knee….. blank. Mind blank. Memory blank. He proposed!
What led to you deciding on a destination beach wedding?
Frustrations of family influences, opinions, and just too much going on led us to take a break from our normal planning and eventually pick back up and say we’re doing it our way. Everyone who really wants to make it will be there and that’s whats most important.
Were you already wearing your hair naturally when you started dating Javonte?
I wasn’t wearing it naturally when we first met. I started shortly after just by not getting relaxers. So it was a slow transition. My hair was stunted in growth and I had continuous breakage. I told him what I was doing and asked him how he felt…. He was so helpful. We learned my hair together. After I finally big chopped and I would twist my hair every night for bed he would say I looked like Coolio and Chief Keef but the results were bomb. So whatever!
Were you always planning to wear your hair naturally for your wedding? Was it in the plans to have your bridesmaids wear theirs naturally as well? Did you pick your bridesmaids with having a natural hair wedding vision in mind?
Yes. Yes and yes. This was always the plan in my head. I wasn’t set on a style but I knew I wanted loose natural hair. Yes.
How important was it to you to have a supportive partner when transitioning to natural? What would you have done if he wasn’t supportive?
It was important. It was hard. My hair was all new to me. It was untrained. So I REALLY appreciate having him during that time. If I didn’t have him I had some friends and sisters that had and were going natural. So I would definitely get a support system going with friends and family around me. Even those support forums on social media or YouTube. I would recommend finding something or someone to take the journey with.
What would Javonte say to men who are hesitant of their women “going” natural?
Jay says, “Just let her do it. It’s for the best. It’s different, but you get used to it. Eventually it’ll get to the point where you look back on old pictures and appreciate her journey and her natural self.”
Was your family supportive of your decision to go against “social norms” and wear your hair naturally for your wedding? After seeing the public’s response to your wedding photos have their thoughts/feelings changed regarding your decision?
Most of my family didn’t have an opinion. I was told once that it should be straightened for a more classic and natural look. My thoughts haven’t changed. I was just being myself. That’s all I was doing. I’m just glad that it put the issue on the table. To make people think twice about their opinions of our hair or even make someone more confident in their own natural hair. It is beautiful for all occasions. Be yourself ALWAYS. There is no on and off switch to being you. Embrace your beauty and don’t let anyone make you feel there are limits to your natural hair! I have received some apologies. It really wasn’t necessary but I appreciate it.
What do your bridesmaids think of your wedding photos going viral?
They are just as shocked as I am. It was my wedding. Everyone is just enjoying the beauty of what’s happening in the moment. The very thing we’ve all been planning for. The wedding was beautiful in every way, literally, from natural love and happiness and then that happens. I’d think we’d like to call it more than a notion…The response has been encouraging. A lot of good feedback. So many people inspired and that makes me happy!
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