My wedding dress was an A-line design by Essence of Australia. The cap sleeves were covered in rhinestones, pearls, and jewels. The dress had a lace and pearl bodice with a beautiful bedazzled piece that went around the bodice. It was the perfect dress for my style of simple elegance. And the veil had pearls and rhinestones throughout to match.

I searched and searched for the perfect wedding shoes. It seemed like I was never going to find them. Then I ran across an Etsy post where you could customize your wedding shoes. So, I had my wedding shoes customized just for me! I picked out the style I wanted, the perfect pearl and rhinestone embellishment for the top, and had them dyed the perfect silver to match. They were perfect! Thank you, Arbie Goodfellow!!! As far as my jewelry goes, my silver bracelet was borrowed from one of my bridesmaids, my silver and pearl earrings were a Valentine’s Day gift from my now-husband, and my heart pendant was an old pendant that was given to me by my mom. A simple but elegant look.

THE PROPOSAL The proposal was a circumstance of pure inspiration. She had no idea that I had ordered the ring, so the odds were in my favor that she would be surprised. As she is very close to her parents, I wanted them involved in the proposal. I have to give props to her mother for not only did she help with the organization, but she totally kept it a secret. I decided on Saturday, November 4th, since it was conveniently placed between she and her mother’s birthday, and Clemson football was playing a worthy opponent, making it a good excuse to have a weekend outing with the family. Reah’s mom made dinner reservations at Fleming’s Steakhouse for the birthday celebrations; however, I contacted the restaurant to make them aware of the true purpose for the visit. As the weekend approached, with God’s aid, I managed to tackle multiple delays and obstacles on my way to get the ring. As the Saturday of the proposal arrived, I made my way to the restaurant to set up the game plan. With the restaurant staff briefed on the plan, I went to Reah’s house to watch the football game. That afternoon proved to be the longest of my life. Eventually, the game was finished and we made our way to the restaurant. We proceeded to get seated and ordered our appetizers. After a few minutes, the manager came to the table and informed Reah and me that our appetizer wasn’t available, but that he thought she may be interested in something else, something much better. He held a small dish in his hand and uncovered what appeared to be a small fuzzy item. She wasn’t sure what it was but assumed it was some type of chocolate, possibly a chocolate cake. She realized her mistake when he handed the dish to me and I took the ring box off of the dish and opened it to reveal her ring. I said some things which neither of us can remember. All I remember her saying is, “What are you doing?” But time slowed to a crawl when I got on my knee and asked her to marry me. At that point, she realized this was for real, and SHE SAID YES! 

We wanted a venue where we could have the ceremony and venue at the same location. I was set on an outdoor ceremony with a beautiful backdrop and excellent locations for photos. With stone being one of the bride’s favorite decor items, the venue was beautiful and a perfect fit because of its stone building. The beautiful golf course added to the ambiance, while the price and amenities closed the deal. It was the perfect place for our simple but elegant affair.

Simple Elegance

My bridesmaids were my biggest support system with each of them coming into my life at different points in time. From my college best friend to former co-workers turned friends, to my “sister” who came all the way from Kenya, each of them has a special place in my heart. I chose them because of the impact they’ve had on my life and because the friendship we have is second to none. I am forever grateful for them and for the fact that they were by my side for my special day!

His groomsmen were all men who held a special place in his life from his longest friend (the best man) to his brother, to a line brother, they all held a special place in his life. He even included my brother!

My favorite image from the wedding day was the one of Correai and me by the bridge with my veil flying in the air. It is pure art to me, it shows the detail and beauty of my veil while showcasing our love and happiness. It’s a beautiful photo that shows a very artistic eye by the photographer. And it would make a beautiful canvas!

The favorite part of our wedding day was seeing the many months of planning all come to fruition. Seeing all of the hard work take shape and being able to see our dream wedding come to life was the favorite part of our wedding. Not to mention, the time spent with our bridal party beforehand and getting to make long-lasting memories with them.

Donnell Perry Photography was great to work with throughout the whole planning process. They were very professional and very easy to get along with and extremely responsive. On our wedding day, they provided everything that was promised, arrived early, and captured even more photos than we thought possible. The photos were breathtaking! We had such a hard time narrowing down our photos for the album because they were all so good. They captured everything from that day that we can relive the entire day every time we look at our photos. Some of the artistic shots were beautiful! It was a wonderful experience and we are so happy with our choice to hire Donnell Perry Photography to capture our wedding!

Our beautiful suspended ake was created by The Cake Spot by the hands of Mrs. Tenika White. We had a five-tiered cake that included two white tiers, two navy blue tiers with a quilted pattern, and a sequined silver tier. A few peach roses were placed among the tiers. The cake set on a bed of peach and ivory roses.

Carmen’s Cuban Cafe; We ate dinner and got to know each other through conversation.

No matter how much planning you do, something will always go wrong, but more often than not, you will not even know it. By the time your day comes, just relax and take it all in. Be in the moment and enjoy the time with your ladies! At that point, you’ve done all that you can do, just be present in the moment and enjoy it. The day goes by so fast and then all you have are memories. Oh, and a videographer is well worth the money!

Be there for your bride. Help support the process because she needs you. Always be available to assist when needed. Be well-rested and ready to go on the big day.