Often in the search for love we find the person we’re supposed to be with prematurely. It may not yet be the right moment to come together. Time may be needed to develop an understanding of what we truly need in life, and to be able to recognize our soul’s mate within another. For high school sweethearts Cherese and Christopher, theirs would be a love reunited, or as Cherese puts it, “God saw fit to bring us back together for a second chance.”
Read all about Cherese & Christopher and their fun and glamorous New Year’s Eve wedding celebration in Atlanta – beautifully captured by MunaLuchi Coterie member and Cinematographer Thomas Vision Films.
Bride & Groom: Cherese & Christopher
Occupations: Bride is founding law partner of Clark Lowery & Lumpkin Law Firm. Also, co-owner of Crimson Kisses Events. Groom is chemical operator of Lubrizol Corporation
Wedding date: December 31, 2016
Wedding location: Le Bam Studio in Atlanta, Georgia.
Tell us how you met and all about the proposal. We first dated in high school and God saw fit to bring us back together for a second chance.
Chris took me to Jared for Valentine’s Day and said “pick your gift.” I scouered the cases searching for the perfect necklace or bracelet only to turn around and find him on one knee. With a little box in hand and a room full of applause and cheers I could only hear him asking me to be his wife.
Describe your wedding dress. Ivory mermaid dress with silver and pearl bodice to the thigh. The mermaid flare was finished Ivory tulle with the train. Cotour.
What was wedding shopping like for you? I went to Anya Bridal with a specific dress in mind called “Piper.” My matron of honor/ best friend, Millicent, accompanied me, and told me that she thought I should try a gown with a beaded bodice. I knew that I wanted a mermaid dress and had Piper on my mind, but I obliged and had her pick one for me to try. I tried her choice on first (secretly to get it out of the way to say I tried it), and it was PERFECT! Hats off to the matron for her great eye!
Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding? Instead of a unity candle, we opted to have a braiding ceremony. I handmade the three strand cord, a symbol of God’s design for marriage. One cord represents man (Chris), woman (Cherese), and God and the braiding represents the joining of all three. It was a unique and powerful demonstration of how marriage takes three components and without the third strand (God) the braid does not manifest because God is no longer the center our union as husband and wife.
What is your best memory from your wedding? This is a tough question- especially to pick just one. I loved the contrast between the ceremony, cocktail hour, and the reception. It was a gradual progression and nothing was traditional about our wedding, from the date, having indoor snow, to the details of the night. Our ceremony was romantic and intimate. We wrote our own vows and even wrote vows to our children.
We did not have a traditional first dance, rather we performed our rendition of the Brady Bunch called “the Wilson Merge” to celebrate our blended family. We recorded voice overs to the Brady Bunch theme song and then followed it up with raps that we wrote to the tune of “Juju on the Beat” in light up sneakers and matching tennis shoes. We wanted the night to be an experience for us as well as our guests, so cocktail hour was filled with indoor snow, ice sculpture, and activities for our guests. The single ladies picked keys and tried their luck at unlocking the box containing the brooch toss bouquet we created while the single guys received pins to pop balloons to find the garder (we called it “Garder Drop”).
Bride & Groom gifts: The Groom received from the Bride a Movado Sapphire Silver Mirror Watch, a personalized bound book titled ” Reasons Why I Love you” cutomized by the bride on lovebookonline.com, and a personal boudior photo look-book for his eyes only. The bride received a book written by the Groom titled, “Reasons Why I Want to Marry You,” an upgrade to the Bride’s wedding band during the ceremony and a surprise honeymoon getaway to Aruba. She didn’t know the location until she landed on the island.
Favorite item on the menu: Lemon pepper skewers.
First dance song: the bride and groom performed their rendition of The Brady Bunch but instead called it the Wilson merge. The bride and groom are a blended family and included the children in their first dance as they all had individual versus and wraps to Juju on the beat that was mixed in with the Brady Bunch theme music.
What is the best wedding advice you can give to engaged couples? Take time to think about what you all want for your wedding. Think outside the box and execute exactly what it is that you want for your day. Plan early and have a blast- the night will fly by.
Vendors:
Cinematography/Videography: ThomasVisionFilms
Photography: Taun Henderson
Wedding Venue: Le Bam Studio
Hotel: W Atlanta Buckhead
Wedding gown: Anya Bridal
Makeup: Marlissa Cunningham with Nique Makeup Artistry, LLC.
Brooch Bouquets, boutonnieres Kama flower girl basket, glitter champagne bottles, corsages, Toss Bouquet and Reception activities, Welcome Bags, Unity Rope: Crimson Kisses Events, Colita Mayes and Friends
Wedding Planning: Crimson Kisses Events
Bridal Hair: Michelle McClure with Signature Styles in Paducah Kentucky
Bridal Robe and Hankerchief Embroidery: R R
Embroidery Design. Content provided by Bride and groom
Wedding Cake: Confection Perfection
Groom Cake: Confection Perfection
Ice Sculpture: Ice Sculptures Unlimited
Indoor Snow: Atlanta Special FX
Tux: Michele Brown at Savvi formerly in Stonecrest Mall in Lithonia, Georgia.
“Cotour?” What is going on with the editing?