Dream Winter Wedding in Washington D.C.: Kaisha + Quinton

Kaisha and Quinton were winners of the Arena Stage Win a Wedding Contest last year, the $80,000 dream wedding planned by Simply Breathe Events and Bella Notte Events. To win, couples had to submit videos and photos of their own love story. Kaisha and Quinton sent in their own hilarious and heartfelt video showing why they are “the perfect match,” the theme coinciding with the Arena Stage’s performance of the matchmaking musical, “Fiddler on the Roof.” As they sing in the beloved musical, Now I have everything.

Wedding Date: January 2, 2105
Wedding Location: Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater – Washington, D.C.
First Dance Song: “Forever” by Chris Brown + “You and I” by John Legend
Favorite Item on the Menu: Salmon and Short Rib were definitely a favorite, however, the entire dessert bar came in for a close second!
Bridesmaids/Groomsmen Gifts: The bridesmaids received jewelry and the groomsmen received watches.

Tell us about how you met and all about the proposal!

Kaisha and Quinton have been friends since their first day of college in 2008 at Mount St. Mary’s University. They have been together for the past six years. When Kaisha received Michael Jackson gifts for Christmas, she had no idea a theme was starting for her soon to be proposal. Kaisha and Quinton were engaged just months later on March 22, 2014. Quinton took Kaisha out to dinner before heading to the Michael Jackson Cirque Du Soleil show at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA. The plan was for them to exit the show and have Kaisha surrounded by family and friends. Once outside, Quinton was nervous as he didn’t see any familiar faces right away. But as they walked farther out, they spotted his grandfather with two signs, the first saying, “Merry Christmas Kai” and the second sign saying, “But We Forgot One Gift.” When Kaisha looked back at Quinton, he was down on one knee.

Wedding Style

Wedding dress shopping happened so quickly! I decided on my dress within two weeks of winning the wedding contest from Arena Stage since my wedding was being planned in 90 short days. The third shop I went to, Global Bridal Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia, had my dress and it was the very first dress I tried on. After I tried on that dress, no other dress could compare. I really felt like a queen in my sparkly ball gown!

Culture

To our knowledge, we are the first in our family (at least of recent years) to jump the broom. We felt it was important to incorporate this tradition because it holds so much meaning. Jumping the broom signifies leaping into a new chapter of life, yet honoring and celebrating the past in a way that pays tribute to our ancestors.

Memories

One of our best memories from our wedding day was our first dance. Before we danced to a slow song, we did a dance routine to “Forever” by Chris Brown. In one part of the routine, Quinton did the moonwalk and The Matrix moves and our guests screamed in excitement! It was pretty epic. No one saw it coming!

Help a bride-to-be out!

The best wedding advice I can give to engaged couples is to seek pre-marital counseling and study. This piece of the puzzle is just as significant, if not more significant than organizing your vendors and planning your wedding. Your wedding is just one day, however, your marriage will last a lifetime. I’m glad that my husband and I took a pre-marital course, had pre-marital counseling and went on a pre-marital retreat experience together. These experiences encouraged us to delve deeper and understand one another in the areas of faith, values, finances, how we want to raise our children and more! Of course, we discussed those things prior to engagement, however, these experiences took those conversations to a deeper level. Once you get married, you’ll be a forever student of your spouse. Studying your partner beforehand gives you an advantage because you will be more prepared for the tests you will experience. Marriage really is such a beautiful thing!

Vendors:

Photography: Jane Pilkerton, Photography by Steve and Jane
Videography: In Depth Photo & Video
Event Planning: Bella Notte and Simply Breathe Events
Venue: Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater
Catering + Wedding Cake: RSVP Catering
Décor: Foundry Crew
Music and Lighting: Bruce Pike Productions
Floral Design: Edge Flowers
Dance Floor + Draping: Fabrication Events
Linens: Party Rental LTD
Valet Parking: MJ Valet
Bridal Suite: Mandarin Oriental, Washington D.C.
Makeup: Shaune Hayes
Hair: Shaundra Jenkins
Photo Booth: Poshbooth
Custom Wedding Hanger: Wedding Hanger Shop