On Love: Kyle Arrington and VaShonda Murphy

VaShonda Murphy & Kyle Arrington

VaShonda Murphy, 25, is a computer security analyst. Kyle Arrington, 25, is a cornerback for the New England Patriots. They live in Prince George’s County.

(Laura Luís) - Kyle Arrington and VaShonda Murphy before their wedding reception at the Crystal City Marriott in Arlington, Va., on March 17, 2012.

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Wedding date: March 17

Location: Marriott Crystal City

Guests: 220

How they met: They didn’t really know each other during their days at Gwynn Park High School in Brandywine, but they found themselves hanging out with the same group of friends after graduating from college in 2008. Arrington had started his NFL career and visits home were rare, so it wasn’t until 2010 that he asked Murphy out on a date. They went to see “From Paris With Love;” both kept their ticket stubs.

The proposal: Arrington knew that Murphy didn’t want a splashy public proposal. So on Oct. 29, 2010, as they relaxed on the couch in Arrington’s Boston apartment, he got down on bended knee. He presented her with a custom-made ring as he told her that he wanted to be with her forever. Murphy asked whether he had gotten her father’s blessing. When he said he had, she said yes.

The wedding: To honor Murphy’s deceased grandfather, they scheduled the wedding on his birthday. Patriots teammate Devin McCourty was a groomsman, and a handful of NFL players were among the guests, including Redskins defensive end Stephen Bowen, who played with Arrington at Hofstra University. Instead of traditional favors, guests took home bags of bonbons from the candy buffet, which matched the couple’s color scheme of purple, silver and white with touches of green.

The honeymoon: They vacationed on St. Lucia, where Murphy went horseback riding on the beach and snorkeled while Arrington, not a fan of the water, took photos. In the evenings they enjoyed eating out and dancing to Caribbean music.

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