Musa tried to keep his composure as his beautiful bride, Norka, walked down the aisle, but he couldn’t hold back his tears.
Norka, smiling from ear to ear, was a showstopper — a true vision of love and femininity as she dazzled in her form-fitting mermaid gown by MunaLuchi Coterie member Brides by Nona. After a romantic surprise proposal in front of family and friends, and over a year of meticulous planning, Musa and Norka were finally about to pledge their eternal love and fidelity to each other. While they couldn’t be happier with their opulent, classic cream and gold decor and trendsetting wedding style, they were most excited to celebrate their love and heritage with family and friends. Read all about their love story and stunning wedding officiated by MunaLuchi Coterie member Married by Roxy and coordinated perfectly by member Utterly Elegant Events.
- Bride & Groom: Musa & Norka
- Wedding Location: The Venetian – Garfield, NJ
- Wedding Date: 7/18/2019
Quick Facts
- Ceremony entrance song: “Another level” – Patoranking & “Fall for You ” – Leela James
- First dance song: “Mesi” – Harmonik
- Bridesmaids Gift: My bridesmaids received a custom box with their names on it, a champagne flute, and custom shirts. All belongings inside were individually picked and had our wedding date on it. We placed the boxes inside custom made tote bags to finish it off.
- Groomsmen Gift: The groomsmen received a custom duffle bag with their names for travel and gym purposes. Inside were custom water bottles and shirts with our wedding date on it.
A Musical Proposal!
On July 28th, 2017 Norka held an all-white yacht party to celebrate her 25th birthday. Overlooking the beautiful river views in Philadelphia, PA, she partied the night away. As the party came to a joyous end, the mood on the dance floor changed. There are two songs that Norka always wanted to be proposed to. The first song, “Mama” by Kiss Daniel, came on. Norka started getting into it, dancing her life away. The second song, “Beautiful Onyinye” by P Square feat. Rick Ross, followed.
At this moment, Norka started looking around for Musa, so they could turn the dance floor up! By the time Norka found him, he was holding a microphone. It all happened so fast. Norka’s little brother, Wilens, approached her and said: “sit down sister”. Before she could sit down, her little sister came and handed her a bouquet of three dozen fresh red roses. By this time, Norka was thinking “man I really hope I got that Range Rover I’ve been asking for.”
Next, Norka’s mother approached and placed a hefty all gold diamond crown on her head. Norka said to herself, “Nope, this isn’t my range rover.” Norka’s father exchanged boxes with Musa and Norka said, “OKAY! IT IS MY RANGE ROVER AFTER ALL!!!” But to Norka’s surprise, Musa got on one knee and uttered the most thoughtful words while Norka’s cousins surrounded them with red rose petals in a circle. The big question came. After just purchasing their first home (which closed a week after this event), Norka undoubtedly did not expect this. Emotions flew high and the party ended when the sun came up!
Wedding Attire
I like something edgy with a bit of class. I like to be dramatic. I need you to know I am a woman with power when I walk in the room. I tried shopping for my wedding dress at boutiques, but I realized I needed a dress to fit me and my personality. So, I decided to go with custom designers. I took my time with Brides By Nona, and we came up with the PERFECT design for my custom wedding dress. The design was based on a foundation from Pnina Tornai that I saw while shopping at Kleinfield in NY. The men’s suits had a unique color that I do not see men wear much in weddings, emerald green. With the help of Danielle at Enzo Customs on Walnut St. in Philadelphia, PA – we designed suits that were truly envisioned for our men!
When it came down to our bridesmaids, I just knew their dresses had to be made custom. I did not even bother searching because I already sketched out their dresses in my head. A seamstress, “Ms. Pat,” from our local church took my sketch and made it come to life.
Incorporation of Culture
Musa is from Makeni, Sierra Leone, Africa, so having African music playing during our wedding was a must. Five out of our seven wedding party pairs came out jamming to sweet African music! My family is from Port-Au-Prince & Jacmel, Haiti. In order to make sure all was balanced, one pair came out to Haitian music and the first dance was to a Haitian song. We also made our grand entrance to a mix that included my county’s native language – Creole. Both flags were present at our wedding and the wedding favors certainly topped off the inclusivity.
Best Wedding Memory
Our best memory is the ceremony. Musa was so filled with emotion that he honestly could not contain himself. My favorite memory was the entire ceremony. Everyone was standing up waiting for me to come through the same double doors. Instead, I made my entrance down very beautiful stairs from up above. When Musa read his vows, it sealed the deal.
Wedding Advice
Remember to keep your beliefs first. Fast and remember to love each other throughout the process. Planning a wedding might try and consume your time but believe in balance. Make it a must to achieve balance. When you’re married, remember to see each other in a brighter light. That is now your wife, that is now your husband. Love each other more now than ever. Do not get comfortable and always build each other up. Believe it or not, praise your partner out loud for the little things including the dishes or taking out the trash. If your man is on the roof cleaning those gutters for you, have a hot cup of tea and a change of clothes ready when he’s done! It is now a partnership. Your partner needs you just as much as you need them. Remember love!
Vendors
- Photographer: Jide with Alakija Studios
- Videographer: Maxwell Jennings
- Wedding Designer: Lily V Events
- Wedding Officiant: Married by Roxy
- Wedding Dress Designer: Brides By Nona
- Bridal Hair: @ijskendoll
- Bridesmaids Hair: @rhmhair
- Makeup: Makeup by Sayani
- Ceremony Location: The Venetian (Garfield, NJ)
- Wedding Day-of Coordinator: Utterly Elegant Events
- Wedding Cake: Palermo’s Bakery
- Groomsmen Attire: Enzo Customs
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