If you would have told me back in September 2016 that #ForeverDuncan would have went as viral as it did, I would not have believed you. I figured for their fourth anniversary I’d finally write something up about my experience on that momentous day!
What is #ForeverDuncan?
#ForeverDuncan was a hashtag that was created to help capture the special moments of a love story. Alfred Duncan, surprised his then girlfriend, Sherrell Woodward, with a proposal and a wedding, all in the same day. The hashtag #ForeverDuncan, used by the “surprise wedding” attendees, ended up going viral and the rest… is history!
Engaged by noon ๐. Married by 7pm๐ฐ๐ฝ.
Wait – So, who are Sherrell and Black?
Alfred Duncan is a Grammy and Emmy nominated musical artist. Sherrell (Woodward) Duncan is a fitness trainer and motivational speaker. I started following Sherrell on social media because of her fitness story. She has been an inspiration for me for so many years, but I never had the chance to meet her in person. We kept encouraging one another over the years through social media.
A Surprise Wedding?
It all started, for me, on September 12th, 2016 when I received an Instagram Direct Message from Alfred Duncan, a.k.a. “Black”. Alfred let me know that he was planning a surprise event for Sherrell and asked if he could have my email address to send me the invite. I thanked him so much for thinking of me and including me in the festivities. At that time, I had no idea what the surprise event was.
When I received the invite and saw it was for a SURPRISE WEDDING, I was SHOCKED! You could tell from his very first email that Alfred had a plan and was sticking to it. I can’t even begin to imagine how much time it took to reach out to so many people, while keeping the surprise from Sherrell at the same time. Alfred had a team of family and friends helping him plan and keep communication flowing along the way. I RSVP’d and was so excited to be able to witness what I knew would be a beautiful and fun event.
We were to arrive at the outdoor venue by 4PM on October 1st and enjoy appetizers, drinks, and music while we waited on the bride-to-be. The one clear stipulation was to not wear the color black. After the wedding ceremony, there was to be a reception at a local lounge with food prepared by their close friend, Chef Brazil Murphy. Whenever you are dealing with the outdoors and the weather, there always has to be a Plan B; They of course had another venue solidified in case anything went awry.
In lieu of gifts, our presence was the only gift Alfred requested. If we wanted to though, he did provide us with the chance to contribute to their honeymoon fund, to help them keep the fun going!
The Hashtag
We were assured that Sherrell wouldn’t have access to her phone after 11am the day of the event. To help the happy couple relive the day, we were asked that if we shared our moments throughout our day: arriving to the event, during the event, and after the event, to include the hashtag so the couple could review all our posts after the day settled down.
She literally picked me up and spun me around in the air ๐ญ
My Commute
Before RSVPing, I did a quick map calculation to see how long it may take me to get to the venue. It would take me approximately 2.5 hours to drive from Philly, so I got on the rode at noon and plotted out some spots to hide near the venue until 4pm.
From PHILLY to MARYLAND, I mounted my Dash Cam, and I sang the WHOLE 3 hour drive ๐! I looooove driving! ๐๐ฝ
‘https://www.instagram.com/p/BLCxIWTh-zj/
When I stopped at my hiding spot, I saw I had received a message from Alfred for a change in venue! I recalculated my route and saw I had a little bit further to go, so I hopped back onto the road as quickly as possible.
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