Chic Blue and Purple Wedding in San Francisco by Montana Dennis Photography: Kale + Joel -Munaluchi Bride

Joel proposed to Kale on New Year’s Eve. When he got down on one knee, fireworks were going off in the background! To make the moment even more incredible, Joel secretly slipped disposable cameras to the strangers around them, and they helped capture the proposal. Fireworks are a perfect symbol for Kale and Joel’s love– bright, captivating and exciting. Photographer Montana Dennis, captured the glamour and elegance of their special day, and Kale’s wedding dress by Lazaro is a dream! Their gorgeous wedding has also been shared with our partners at Ebony!

Bride: Kale Woods
Groom: Joel McGill
Date of Wedding: 10/06/2012
Location: San Francisco Design Center United States
Wedding Gallery

How They Met

From the Bride: We met through my best friend (Nia) and Joel’s business partner (Landon) who were dating at the time. The first time we met we didn’t hit it off very well. About 6 months later, Landon invited Joel to my birthday party. Joel said he would go because he thought I would have “hot” friends. From the moment that we saw each other for the second time, we immediately connected and the rest is history.
The Proposal
We drove to watch the fireworks on the Emeryville Marina for New Years Eve. As I sat on a bench, Joel asked random stranger’s for a lighter, so he could light his own fireworks. About a minute before midnight, Joel said, “Remember when I told Nia that I was going to make you the happiest woman in the world? You have made me the happiest man in the world!” He then got on his knee and proposed. As the fireworks began I saw flashing lights. Joel had given all of the strangers disposable cameras! It was a magical night.

Description of the Event

The theme for the wedding was chic and sexy. We wanted it to make people feel an emotion. We wanted our guests to feel connected to us, while feeling relaxed and ready to party. Decor wasn’t huge for us. Our space was so large that no amount of decor could fill the room. I love white flowers. All of the flowers arrangements were white orchids. Orchids and white convey chic and sexy. The room was up lit in purple and the linens were indigo blue pintuck with purple napkins, which were our wedding colors. We had 3 different stations, which represented our favorite cuisine. We had an Asian station, because Joel and I used to frequent this great Chinese restaurant when we began to date. A Caribbean station because Joel loves Caribbean food and also had a business in the Bahamas for a while. Finally, we had a southern station because we met in Atlanta and spent most of the beginnings of our love story there. We also had Cold Stone Ice Cream, because I am not a huge cake person, but I love ice cream! Having a good time was most important to us, after our ceremony. We had an incredible band and DJ, who had everyone on the dance floor all night long. I also performed a dance for Joel with my dance team, which ended up being a lot of fun.

Incorporation of Culture
Our culture is very important to us. To celebrate our African American culture, Joel and I jumped the broom at the end of the ceremony. We also began the ceremony with a traditional African libation ceremony in order to welcome all ancestors into the room. This was imperative because both Joel’s mother and my mother passed away in 2007.

Most Memorable Part of the Day

According to the Bride: The most memorable part of the day for me is when we had all of the married couples dance with us after our first dance. It was amazing to see how many role models we have had and still have to model our relationship after. I felt a huge sense of community and love at that moment.

According to the Groom: Watching Kale walk down the aisle and having all of our friends and family in the same room at the same time. The amount of love in the room was unimaginable.