Beautiful Bay-Side Wedding in Pasadena, Maryland

“Little did I know I was shaking the hand of my future husband,” Krystal fondly recalls of the first time she met David.

With both their best friends dating, they invited Krystal and David to dinner, opening the first chapter of their love story, and creating a bond that would carry them to the altar over ten years later. David and Krystal were pronounced husband and wife during a beautiful bay-side wedding in Pasadena, Maryland. Read all about their love story, surprise birthday proposal, and wedding experiences!

Bride & Groom: Krystal & David
Occupations: Business Manager & Property Manager
Wedding Date: September 8, 2019
Wedding Location: Pasadena, Maryland

How did you meet? It all started because David’s best friend was dating my best friend. One day she asked me to go to dinner with her, her boo and his friend. I agreed. We met at a restaurant called Bugaboo Creek in Largo, Md. My first impression of David was “this guy is weird” because when he introduced himself he got up from the table and shook my hand. I was 17 at the time so guys I usually met greeted me with a goofy nod and a “wassup.” At this time David was 20. Little did I know I was shaking the hand of my future husband.

Tell us about the proposal! I surprised David with a 30th birthday party with all of his friends. It took weeks for me to plan and I struggled with keeping it a secret. He’s my best friend so it was hard keeping something from him. The night of the party, which was on December 17, 2016, his actual birthday, he thought I was just taking him to dinner. I took him to a spot in dc called Eighteenth Street Lounge. When we arrived we went up to the third floor and entered “The Gold Room.” When the curtain flew back we were greeted with a loud “Surprise!” from all his friends. He was dumbfounded. He had no idea. As the night went on his best friend grabbed the microphone to thank everyone for coming and to thank me for putting the party together. “My man about to take that next big step!” his best friend blurted out accidentally. My eyes instantly got big. Dave then grabbed the microphone and asked me to join him on stage. I was freaking out at this point. Breathing heavy, pacing and trying not to pass out. Next thing I know he grabbed a white box out of his pocket and dropped to one knee. The room went crazy. There was screaming, yelling and a lot of crying. He said, “Krystal, we already said this is forever… so would you do me the honor? Will you marry me?” And I responded with “of course!” I was shocked. I immediately looked around the room and starting pointing at all my friends screaming “omg you knew! I can’t believe you guys knew!” And they all had the same response, “Girl we didn’t know a thing! He didn’t tell any of us!” That’s when I found out that he decided to propose the moment he walked in and saw all of our family and friends there. This wasn’t something he pre-planned. He bought the ring five months before his birthday and never decided when he would pop the question. He said that moment just felt like the right one so he told his best friend that this was the night. Needless to say, I’m glad he did it.

What was the wedding shopping experience like for you? I wore a beautiful white mermaid gown by Tony Ward. It was a dream. It had an illusion sweetheart neckline with a transparent lace to match my complexion perfectly. It had a train super long with small lace patches to highlight the detail of the top of the dress. It was beautiful. I got my dress from Kleinfeld Bridal in New York. Believe it or not, this was the only bridal boutique I went to and on my first time going I found my dream dress. When I went to Kleinfeld they paired me with a Bridal consultant named Candace who was amazing. I told her the look I was going for and she immediately brought me five amazing mermaid cut dresses. I remember slipping into the Tony Ward gown and her saying “he is actually here today for his trunk show. Maybe you might meet him!” When I walked out to my group with the dress on I knew from the looks on my family’s face that this was the dress. They all were speechless. My best friend brought signs for everyone that said “say yes to the dress!” or “next!” When I stood on the pedestal to model the dress all the “say yes to the dress!” signs shot up in the air. “Krystal this is it!” my friends said. This was only the second dress I had tried on so I was hesitant to say yes without seeing the other choices on that Candace pulled for me. While my family and friends gushed over this dress on me, my bridal consultant walked over to me and said, “Krystal this is Mr. Ward the designer of this dress!” We shook hands and I told him how amazing his work is. He told me “this is your dress, I can’t mold anything else to look better on you than this!” After spending about four hours in Kleinfeld I finally decided to say yes to that very dress and never walked into another bridal boutique again. I paired the dress with a beautiful veil, also from Kleinfeld, with lace detail around the end that stretched longer than the train of my dress. For shoes, I wore a chunky clear heel sandal by Schutz which was super comfortable and beautiful. The groom wore a Ryan Seacrest Suit in the color of eggplant. We actually did some searching and ended up finding this suit online at Macy’s. I loved how bold the color was and how it made him stand out. One of my bridesmaids is a designer and she so kindly tailored David’s suit to fit him perfectly. She hemmed his pants and took in his arms and back to show off his form. Once that happened he immediately felt confident in it and looked amazing the day of our wedding. He also paired his suit with patent leather loafers from Zara. Everything turned out perfectly.

Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding? My parents are both from Grenada, an island in the Caribbean. Soca is a genre of music that originated in the Caribbean that we listen to often. It’s an energetic fast beat that makes you want to dance, specifically whine your waist. I always said I didn’t want my father/daughter dance to be slow because I didn’t want to cry. I’m a daddy’s girl so I knew this would definitely happen if I didn’t choose the song wisely. I wanted something upbeat that would get everyone excited and soca definitely does the trick at any party. I and my father danced to Krosfyah’s 1994 hit “Pump Me Up” which is a classic oldie but goldie. This song always reminds me of the family functions we attended in Flatbush with drinks, a dance floor and some of my favorite Caribbean food. When I told my dad the song we were dancing to he was like “oh this is a good song!” This was one of my funniest memories from the wedding and it was special to me to have this moment with my dad.

Wedding Party Gifts: Groomsmen gifts- personalized flasks. Bridesmaid gifts- satin robes, fuzzy slippers, name necklaces inscribed “Bridesmaid,” shot glasses, champagne glasses, wedding jewelry, champagne, nail polish, personalized makeup bags, personalized hangers, frame with photos of us from the engagement in it.
Ceremony Entrance Song: “I Can’t Stop Loving You” by Kem
First Dance Song: “Happily Ever After” by Case

What is your best memory from your wedding? The moment I and my husband made eye contact when I was approaching the aisle was the best memory for both of us. All of the stress and frustration went away when we saw each other. It was a sense of calmness that came over me when I saw him. We didn’t do a first look so it was beautiful to share that first moment of seeing each other with our family and friends.

What is the best wedding advice you can give to engaged couples? This wedding will only last for a few hours so remember to enjoy every minute of it. Eat, drink and dance! Things will go wrong. Don’t sweat it, just go with the flow and remember this is your day.