How did you all meet?
Alfred and I met during Welcome Week at Baylor University! I was an incoming freshman, and he was a graduating senior. He was performing at a multicultural showcase with his fraternity, and I knew that I had to meet him. After a couple of pep talks by my friends, I decided to get his attention at a party that weekend. He came over to me at the party, and after a quick dance, he asked for my number. We started officially dating about 2 months later

Alfred proposed nearly 4 years later at my college graduation party. We were surrounded by friends and family, and I could not have been more surprised or excited when he got down on one knee in the middle of a heart made of rose petals

Anything super unique about the big day?
We did a lot of outfit changes and had a couple dance routines. My mom and I did an old school mix for our dance. Then, Alfred and I changed to our gold sequin outfits for our surprise dance that ended with a few of members of our sorority and fraternity joining us on the dance floor. We ended the night in all white with matching “Just Married” jean jackets. We used this outfit change to toss a bouquet and garter off of the balcony before making our big exit.

Where did you all go on your honeymoon?
We went to beautiful Puerto Rico for our honeymoon!

Any tips you would share with other couples getting married? Create a budget before you start planning anything and don’t forget to enjoy every moment of the big day!

What was your planning experience like?
With our long engagement, Alfred and I were able to plan the majority of our wedding on our own. We decided to hire a day-of coordinator two months before the wedding to help ensure the day flowed seamlessly.

The Fashion
Tell us about the wedding dress!
I didn’t really have a specific style in mind for my wedding day, but I knew I wanted to look and feel like my most glamorous self! I went with an ivory/champagne under-toned, mermaid style Morilee gown with beaded straps and a full layered train. The dress was mostly lace with tulle layers for the train. My hair was side swooped into a low pin up style, and for my make up, I went full glam with a gold glitter cut crease.

Describe the Groom’s and Groomsmen look
My husband has a very specific style when he steps out. I would call it subtle flash. He wore an ivory – piece suit and embellished it with a custom black bowtie, a black and gold lapel pin with his initials, and black studded loafers. His groomsmen rocked a simple black suit and white shirt with matching velvet bowties and black statement loafers. Your Wedding Style

What inspired your theme/style? What was your color palette? Why was it important to you?
The theme for our wedding day was “The Black Effect”. We wanted our wedding to embrace our vibrant black culture, so we made it a point to support black-owned business with our team of vendors. We sought to redefine the negative stigma of the color black. Black is often related to darkness and death, but with love, we painted our story black as an expression of excellence, endearment, and to serve as a reminder of who we are in the purest form. Everyone in attendance was required to wear black to the event.

Ceremony & Reception
Tell us about your ceremony décor.
The chapel space for our ceremony was already beautifully simply and elegant, so we used the space to highlight our amazing florals. We had a custom black aisle runner with a “R” at the top. The aisle was lined with clear vases on the floor large floral arrangements on both sides. Our altar was centered by a simple gold ring with greenery and flowers.

What inspired your reception style?
Our reception style was elegant glam! We had a show-stopping sweetheart setup on stage with 4 gold mirrored estate tables for family and the bridal party. Alfred had the vision for design, and he worked directly with the decorator/florist for the design of the bigger centerpieces.

What menu items did you serve?
We entrusted our cater with the direction, and he came through with a delicious menu! We served a variety of hors d’oeuvres that included shrimp and grits, fried mac and cheese, and mini chicken and waffles. For dinner we had fresh salad with chicken and steak with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Describe your cake.
Our cake was nothing short of amazing! We decided to stay on theme and do a non-traditional black and gold wedding cake with a variety of flavors. It was a 5 tiered cake with 4 layers of faux and a real bottom tier for us to cut. Each layer had a different embellishment including our wedding date in Roman numerals and our initials.

How did you come up with your wedding day playlist?
Ceremony entrance song:
Alfred walked in to “International Players Anthem- OutKast” (performed live by a violinist), and I walked in to “My Song- H.E.R” (sung live by a close college friend)
First dance song:
So High- John Legend
Reception Entrance song:
Halle Berry- Hurricane Chris
Our DJ/Emcee made sure to keep the party live and our friends and family on the dance floor with a mix of old school and new school music. Favors?
We did small clear acrylic boxes with a sticker of our initials. We added in black, white and gold gumballs to get our guest a small token of our appreciation.