Page 123 - South Mississippi Living - February, 2025

ber which was why she had received the winning call on Newman’s behalf.
Still not convinced, Newman decided the whole con- test was a scam, and no one should attend.
Not one for defeat, Sandreal Turner called South Mississippi Living to create a new plan. A surreptitious scenario with South Mississippi Living Editor Kelsey Sun- derman-Foster reaching out to Newman and confirming she had in fact won dinner and a photoshoot.
“She was awesome,” Newman said of Foster. “She definitely convinced me. She spoke very professionally, and I knew she called from the business line, and I was like this is legit. This is real.”
Newman arrived at the dinner dressed, ready, and a lit- tle nervous for the photography shoot. “I still didn’t un- derstand why anyone wanted to put me in a magazine,” she said, adding her brother met her in the parking lot and escorted her inside the restaurant.
“When they opened the door, there were 20 of my family members lined up with yellow roses on both sides of an aisle,” Newman said. “Everyone handed me roses as I walked down the aisle and since sunflowers are my favorite flower, there were sunflowers too. The photog- rapher was there, and it started to make sense. Every- one did an awesome job pulling it off. I was definitely surprised.”
Newman said she and her future husband started making plans the very next day and are shooting for a summer 2026 wedding.
As it turns out, South Mississippi Living magazine is the perfect proposal wingman, and in the end, there really was a story and a photographer – just not for the reason Newman originally was told! And to the happy couple, our entire South Mississippi Living team wishes you a long and healthy life together overflowing with happiness.
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