Liberian and Jamaican Wedding with Elegant Island Vibe from Karl Anderson Photography: Quellie + Nahshon

“Every heart sings a song incomplete, until another heart whispers back”. -Plato

Quellie and Nahshon’s love story will make you believe that fate can really make dreams come true. This gorgeous couple unexpectedly met at a seafood restaurant in Atlanta. Within a few seconds of seeing each other for the first time, they knew they had met their perfect match and nervously tried to not miss the opportunity. Quellie is not the kind of lady who pursues men, but there was something about Nahshon that inspired her to write her number on a napkin and pass it to him on her way out. Unbeknownst to her, Nahshon was writing his number on a napkin to give to her. Their relationship blossomed into a deeper bond that is evident in the loving chemistry seen between them. Wait until you read about Nahshon’s creative proposal, featuring a fortune cookie, a DJ, and a Panda bear costume. Quellie, from Liberia, and Nahshon, from Jamaica, decided to have their destination wedding in Jamaica and share an intimate and romantic island fusion experience with their family and friends. Quellie recalls, “There were so many memorable parts of the wedding, but If I must narrow them down, I would have to say the look on Nahshon’s face as I walked down the aisle and the undeniable love and positive energy that was in the air that day.” Inspired by the beach and good-feeling vibes in Jamaica, their wedding featured a chic and elegant theme with a peach, orange, and cream color palette. You will also be inspired by Quellie’s graceful style, from her Oleg Cassini lace wedding gown to her gorgeous dreadlocks updo. Their beautiful wedding was photographed by Karl Anderson.

How They Met & The Proposal

We met on Saturday March 13, 2010.  The day started off like a typical Saturday which consisted of shopping, lunching, and chatting with my girlfriend.  While we were shopping, my friend Liza decided that she was hungry and wanted seafood so I took her to this restaurant where they serve all you can eat crab legs. As fate would have it, Nash was craving crawfish and his friend decided to take him to the same place.  Once we were seated, I decided to get a plate of crab legs and that’s when I first saw Nash.  He was standing there with a big smile on his face with a plate full of crawfish.  As I got closer to him, the only words he could seem to find were “I like your hair” to which I responded “thanks”.  When I got back to my table, I started telling Liza about the tall, chocolate man with locs that I had run into while getting my food.  Before I could finish telling her about this mystery man, she interrupted me and asked “did you get a good look at him?  He is BEAUTIFUL”!  Right at that moment, we noticed that he was sitting directly across from us on the other side of the restaurant and I saw just how beautiful he was. In that moment, I decided that I would write my number on a napkin and drop it off by his table on our way out.  Once we were done, I picked up a napkin and nervously walked over to his table and gave him my number.  He sent me a text right away and we have been together ever since.

The Proposal came as a total surprise to me.  It happened on Saturday February 4, 2012.  The Thursday before he proposed, Nash flew back to Miami to get the rest of his things as he was in the process of relocating to Atlanta.  While he was gone, my girlfriend Liza (the same one I was with when I first met Nash) decided that we would just have a girl’s weekend.  So that Saturday morning, she came and picked me up and we went to our dance class.  After class, we were hungry so she suggested having lunch at the same restaurant Nash and I had first met.  Completely oblivious to what was going on I went along. Once we were done eating, our fortune cookies were brought to the table and I proceeded to read mine aloud. It said “grin and bear it and all your dreams will come true”.  I remember thinking to myself that’s a weird fortune but, oh well.  After lunch we went our separate ways to get ready for the evening.  That evening, Liza and I went to the roof top at the Glenn Hotel for drinks (one of Nash’s and mine favorite places in the city).  Upon arrival, there was someone dressed in a Panda bear costume with a pink bow around the neck which I thought was a little strange but I still had not put two and two together.  I continued on to the bar to say hi to another girlfriend of mine who works the bar and she “explained” why the bear was there. While I was doing that, Liza found us seats right next to the DJ.  As we sat and sipped our cocktails, the DJ started playing all my favorite songs.  I remember thinking to myself …man this DJ is good!  After playing a few of songs, he changed it up a bit and started playing Moves like Jagger (which was Nash’s favorite song at the time).  At that time, I noticed the Panda bear dancing and I turned to Liza and said “if I did not know for a fact that my boyfriend was in Miami, I would swear he was in that suit”. She responded… “your boyfriend dances like a bear?”  And of course I was like “NO! It’s just the person in the suit is dancing like Nash”.  After that song ended,  the DJ started playing Forever by R. Kelly ( if you’ve never heard the song, he repeats the lyrics marry me several times as the song is coming to an end).  I was so caught up in my own world dancing and singing that I was unaware of what was going on around me.  Right as the song was ending, I just happened to look up and there was my Nash standing there with a huge smile on his face.  At that moment, I finally realized what was about to happen and started screaming OH MY GOODNESS!!! That’s when my baby sister (Nykita) who had been hiding the entire time jumped out and she and Keyatta (the bartender) helped Nash out of the bear costume.  Once out of the costume, he stood there looking very dapper if I must say so myself – in a tailored three-piece suit.  After that, the DJ introduced Nash and handed him the mic. By this time I was so excited and emotional; I honestly don’t remember everything Nash said.  All I remember is he got down on one knee and started to ask me if I would make him the happiest man alive and spend the rest of my life with him.  According to my sister, I didn’t even let him finish asking. I jumped out of my seat and shouted “YES !!!”

Now I know you are all a little curious about that weird fortune cookie and how he got back to Atlanta without me knowing.  Well, let me put an end to your curiosity.  He ordered the fortune cookies online and had them delivered to Liza’s house so she would have them when we went out to lunch.  As for him getting to Atlanta, he rented a car and drove 12 hours from Miami back to Atlanta to surprise me.  This was and still is the BEST surprise of my life!

The Wedding

Our wedding was at the Paradise Cannon Villas, which is located in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The planning process was overall an enjoyable one. We went into it determined not to stress ourselves out or allow anyone else to stress us out. With that being said, we made a conscious decision not to silicate advice from anyone other than our wedding coordinator and we must say that was the best decision we could have ever made. At times, it was a bit challenging but simply because it was a destination wedding and majority of the planning was done via phone and email.

As far as a theme for our wedding, we can’t say we really had one. We knew we wanted it to be on the beach and we knew we wanted it to be intimate as well as fun (a big party to celebrate our union with our closest friends and family) which is why we chose the Villas as our venue instead of a resort.

If I had to describe my wedding day style, it would have to say it was chic yet elegant. Before I went dress shopping, I did what every good bride does. I looked through several wedding magazines and websites to get ideas so that I would be prepared once I decided to go looking for a dress. The day I went, I took my Mom and my youngest sister. David’s Bridal was our first stop. The minute we walked in, the bridal consultant took one look at me and said “I have the perfect dress for you”. In the back of my mind I was thinking… she probably says this to every bride but in this case it was true. Once we started looking at dresses, she pulled the dress she had previously mentioned. It was a strapless lace dress designed by Oleg Cassini. At first glance, I must say it was not love at first sight but I decided I would try it on anyway. After trying on the 12th dress, I was tired and ready to go home when my sister said “we are already here so you might as well try the dress on”. As I was putting the dress on, my feelings slowly began to change and by the time I was in the dress and standing in front of the mirror, I was in LOVE and in tears. I immediately envisioned myself walking down the aisle and getting married in the dress.

My husband is from Jamaica and I am from Liberia and since the wedding was in Jamaica, we wanted our guests to walk away with a true island experience and we did that through the food and the music. During the cocktail hour, our guests nibbled on island infused hors d’oeuvres such as tender pork medallion skewers with plantain. During dinner, Karl Hart continued with the island fusion. The menu included items such as Breadfruit croquette in a coconut reduction, Chicken Callaloo Kiev, curry goat and of course rice and peas. Once dinner was over, the party started and we danced the night away to the DJ playing both Jamaican and African tunes.

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