Good morning my lovely LBBers! We’ve got a little wedding film to start your week right. Every wedding I’ve seen come out of The Peachtree Club in Atlanta has been phenomenal. One part glam, one part luxe, and ten parts love, they have all been extraordinary. So when ellyB Events coordinated a wedding, that Milanes Photography photographed, and Three Ring Media captured on film, I knew we’d have something special. And when I saw the sweet and sassy couple at the center of the affair, I knew we’d have one for the books. So take in the gallery, and then spend a little time with Three Ring Media’s wedding trailer!
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Justin and I went to brother/sister colleges. He attended Morehouse and I attended Spelman. Justin grew up in Los Angeles and my aunt also lived in LA. My aunt happened to be friends with Justin’s aunt and knew his family very well. When our aunts discovered that their niece and nephew were going to brother/sister colleges in Atlanta they arranged for us and our families to meet. So on August 18, 1998 Justin and his entire family (mom, dad, brother) and my entire family (mom, dad, sister) met on campus. However, I didn’t work out. I don’t recall the exact reason but swear that I had a mandatory dorm meeting and not that I just wasn’t interested in meeting “some guy”. Luckily we met a few days later through a mutual friend.
We didn’t start dating until December 2009 when Justin came to visit me in New York on a whim. We have been together ever since. Justin is very laid back, has a great sense of humor, and gives me enough room to be just me. I am sweet and sassy and likes to have a good time and knows what want. Justin calms me down. I can be very Type A and Justin makes me slow down and enjoy life. I mean he got me to move from New York to LA!
Justin and I live in Los Angeles so that made finding a wedding venue challenging. Thank goodness my sister pounded the pavement and researched and checked out venues. She found the Peachtree Club and sent us tons of pictures during her visit to check it out. We fell in love with the intimate setting and amazing views. We booked the venue sight unseen.
I LOVE flowers and they were a huge part of the inspiration for our wedding. We wanted to achieve an effortless beautiful and overall ease and comfort for our special day. The majority of our guests traveled great distances to be with us so we wanted to create an intimate yet social atmosphere. We didn’t want our wedding to be too stuffy. We wanted our guest to get up and move around from room to room reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones. The multiple rooms, food stations, and photo booth helped achieve the social vibe.
Our wedding date marked my parents 40th wedding anniversary and the 13th year anniversary of the day that Justin and I moved into the dorm and were suppose to meet. While there are were no special traditions incorporated into our ceremony, we did have gospel music played throughout the ceremony by a pianist and saxophone player. We both are Christians and since we weren’t getting married in a church, we still wanted to have a Christian ceremony. Our first act after stating our wedding vows was taking communion together. We were also married by my cousin, an ordained Minister who is also a member of Justins’ fraternity. We also had my two little cousins run down the aisle ringing bells and screaming “the bride is coming, the bride is coming” and that was a huge hit!
Overall, we tried to incorporate close family into the ceremony. Justin is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and he and his fraternity brother surrounded me to sang the Omega hymn. It is a fraternity tradition and very special. Later the fraternity brothers “hop” which is something that I have not seen Justin do since college!
Wedding Planner: Doriann of ellyB Events and Bride / Photographer: Milanes Photography / Cinematography: Three Ring Media / Hair: Kristie Kimble Makeup, Denise Tunnell / Floral & Lighting: The Savage Garden / Linens: Connie Duglin Specialty Linens / Venue: The Peachtree Club / Cake: Couture Cakes / DJ: William March Photobooth, Shutter Booth / Ceremony Musicians: Mike Jones Groove Centric / Invitations: Papered Wonders