Featured in Issue 32, Rachel and Gerald’s elegant wedding celebration seamlessly blends culture, tradition, and luxury!
Rachel and Gerald’s journey began when they were 10 years old. Both being a part of their city’s African Methodist Episcopal Church, they often saw each other at various events. Gerald shares, “Later, we found out that we both thought the other was cute, but that was down the line.”
Despite seeing each other often through their younger years, they never exchanged numbers or spoke at length. As fate would have it, when Rachel and Gerald were both college-age, they ran into each other at a club in Jacksonville. They chatted for a while and exchanged numbers, however, this was before cell phones were commonly used and somehow Gerald lost the napkin Rachel wrote her phone number on.
Twenty years later, in the age of social media, Rachel and Gerald became friends on Facebook and reconnected.
Once they began chatting, their friendship bloomed and after thirty days of talking and going on their first date, they agreed on a wedding date.
Gerald shares, “A whole lot of things could have happened within that time but as fate would have it, we were both single, had never been married, and did not have any children. Rachel and I arranged to see each other and joked that we still had to like each other and fall in love first, but we had a wedding date. Rachel was so excited; I was too…”.
Two years later, Gerald officially proposed to Rachel at the same restaurant as their first date. Gerald recalls, “I can remember telling Rachel in the beginning “I love a good fairytale.” Little did we know we were going to embark on a magical fairytale of our own.”
Their wedding was a seamless blend of culture, tradition, and luxury.
To honor their ancestors and heritage, they included the tying of the knot, tasting of the elements, and pouring of libation ceremonies. During the reception entrance, African drummers drummed powerfully as the wedding party and newlyweds entered.
Rachel and Gerald chose their wedding color palette based on their sorority and fraternity’s colors, pink and cream, which were incorporated throughout the abundance of lush florals. Rachel shares, “The florals were the focal point of our overall style for our wedding. Every space felt as if it was in full bloom because it was!”
See the elegant details of their luxurious wedding celebration (Captured by Muna Coterie Membrer Stanlo Photography) below!
- Couple: Rachel & Gerald
- Wedding Location: St. Augustine, FL
- Wedding Date: July 15, 2023
How did you meet?
Rachel and I met when we were children. It had to be when we were really young, maybe 10 or 11 years old. Rachel was from Jacksonville, Florida, and I was from Gainesville, Florida. Both of us were members of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in our respective cities. We would see each other at various church events. Later, we found out that we both thought the other was cute, but that was down the line.
Rachel and I would see each other at various church conferences and conventions. We knew of each other but that was the extent of it. We never dated, never had each other’s number or anything. Some time passed and we were college-age. I happened to be in Jacksonville for the weekend with a friend and ran into Rachel at a club downtown (The Paradome).
We chatted for a bit, and I got Rachel’s number, this was before cellphones, so she had to write her number down on a napkin. I am not sure how it happened, but I lost the napkin and never got a chance to call her. Things work out how they are supposed to. I knew at that point in my life, I was not ready for anything serious. Timing is everything.
Fast forward about 20 years, now we’re in the social media age.
Both of us being on Facebook, we became Facebook friends. Around that time, I lost a friend, a high school classmate, and she gave her condolences and a week later she lost a friend, and I gave my condolences.
The next thing I knew she was messaging me in my inbox saying hey, it’s been a long time, and how sweet and cute she always thought I was. You can see I am telling this story from my perspective.
When we became reacquainted, we hit the ground running and within 30 days of talking and building our connection, we had a date. If everything went as planned, it would be our wedding date. It had been about 20 years since the last time we had seen each other face to face in that club in Jacksonville.
A whole lot of things could have happened within that time but as fate would have it, we were both single, had never been married, and did not have any children.
Rachel and I arranged to see each other and joked that we still had to like each other and fall in love first but we had a wedding date. Rachel was so excited; I was too, and we both told people and they thought we were plum crazy. Now it makes sense but then I know it raised some brows.
Tell us about the proposal.
Our first date as a couple was at GG’s Waterfront Restaurant in Hollywood, FL. We had a wonderful time watching the boats go back and forth, and seeing the sun and palm trees while we ate. It felt fitting to propose at that same restaurant of our first date, 2 years later. It could not have been any better or more sentimental, it was perfect!
Fast forward from that point to now, we are stronger, and we have learned so much about each other and the fundamentals for building a solid relationship. We have been on this road, journey, hike, sprint, and marathon of ‘Majestically Made to Mingo’ which has been so rewarding. And it is our prayer that we continue to enjoy the benefits of what we put into our relationship.
I can remember telling Rachel in the beginning “I love a good fairytale.” Little did we know we were going to embark on a magical fairytale of our own.
Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding day?
The inspiration behind our day was traditional meets opulence. Our pink color palette was inspired by my sorority and our cream color palette was inspired by Gerald’s fraternity. The monochromatic pinks and creams were the perfect melodies for our decor.
We incorporated African wedding traditions in our day to celebrate and honor our ancestors.
During our wedding ceremony, we had the tying of the knot ceremony, which literally and figuratively connected Gerald and me in marriage. The three-cord knot represented the union of three people: us and God.
We had a tasting of the elements ceremony where we tasted four items that each have a characteristic flavor — spicy, sour, bitter, and sweet. These flavors symbolized the emotions we could expect to feel in our relationship as we navigate married life together.
We also had a pouring of the libation ceremony where liquids were poured in each of the cardinal directions while prayers and toasts were recited to connect the living to ancestral spirits.
Members of our friendship circle performed the African wedding traditions.
African drummers drummed powerfully. The sounds united our friends and family with one rhythm as our bridal party was introduced and then we made our entrance as a newly married couple.
My sorority sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and I sang our beloved sorority hymn which was followed by Gerald and his fraternity brothers serenading me with the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated sweetheart song.
Every cultural expression that was part of our special day made it extra special for us and our guests. Many who attended our wedding have expressed their appreciation for our incorporation of these wedding traditions.
Tell us about your wedding decor.
We were so blessed to have Akeem Clayton as our floral designer who transformed our waterfront venue into a breathtaking experience for us and our guests for the ceremony and the reception. Akeem and his team created all our floral designs by hand which was unbelievable.
The florals at our wedding could be described as opulent. Our wedding title was “Majestically Made to Mingo” and our florals were stately and grand yet effortlessly arranged throughout our venue. Akeem and his team strategically placed blooms everywhere from the bridal bouquets to canopied centerpieces at our reception and even adorned our whimsical wedding arch. The florals were the focal point of our overall style for our wedding. Every space felt as if it was in full bloom because it was!
How did you personalize your day?
We wanted to ensure that our guests had an experience at our wedding, so we planned our wedding from a guest’s perspective. We were fortunate to have Chef Richard Robinson of Pink Salt Restaurant create a custom menu for our guests at our sit-down dinner for our reception. The guests pre-selected their meal options to ensure they were able to enjoy a delicious meal while listening to the live band Groove Coalition who performed original and popular hits followed by celebrity DJ Demp who kept the party going by spinning hits from all genres of music. Icecapades Frozen Treats provided customized popsicles that cooled down guests who had a blast in the 360 Photobooth.
What was your favorite part of your wedding day?
Rachel: One of my favorite parts of our wedding was seeing our families meet for the first time due to the pandemic.
Gerald: My most anticipated moment was seeing my beautiful bride come down the aisle with her father. I had thoughts about how it would be, but when I saw her, I was blown away!
How was your wedding shopping experience?
At the height of the pandemic, I started researching wedding dress designers and I found Esé Azénabor. I knew after looking at her masterpieces that I wanted her to design my wedding dress. Esé and I video chatted during the pandemic to discuss my dress vision however Gerald and I had to postpone our 2021 and 2022 weddings. We wanted our guests to be able to celebrate with us when it was safe to gather again.
Fast forward to 2022, after several conversations and two visits to her atelier in Dallas, I had my dress! I wanted to look glamorous yet timeless and my dress was the perfect combination.
Eaden Myles customized Gerald’s look. We researched tuxedos and after seeing Eaden’s designs we knew that his talent was the perfect match to compliment my dress. Gerald knew that he wanted a classic look in a shade of gray. After discussing the vision for our day, Eaden was able to create a modern yet classic look for Gerald. Every detail from the black lapel to his custom fit made him the most handsome groom.
What is the best advice you can give to engaged couples?
My advice for engaged couples is to not only plan for your wedding day but also plan for your marriage. Planning for the marriage will set things in place to last a lifetime.
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Vendors:
- Photography: Stanlo Photography
- Groom and Groomsmen Tuxedos: Eaden Myles
- Wedding Dress: Esé Azénabor
- Bridal Headpiece and Earrings: SuReina Bridal
- Bridesmaid Dresses: Pantora Bridal
- Groom’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin
- Bridal Shoes: Jimmy Choo
- Venue: The River House
- Transportation: Atlantic Coach St. Augustine Limousine
- Bride and Squad Robes: Veronica Tabi
- Hair Stylist: Daniel Bailey
- MUA: Tia Codrington
- Nails: Michael Phung
- Florals: Akeem Clayton
- Bridal Suite Decor: What’s Poppin Balloon Décor
- Cinematography: Bricks Media Group
- Cocktail Hour and Reception: Chef Richard Robinson (Pink Salt Restaurant)
- Wedding Cake: Sweet Weddings
- Groom’s Cake: Crème de la Cocoa
- Toasting Flutes and Cake Sword: BodyWerk Jewels
- Harpist: Nadia Shpak
- African Drumming Ensemble: Oṣubi Craig
- DJ: DJ Demp
- Band: The Groove Coalition
- Reception Treats: Icecapade Frozen Treats
- 360 Photobooth: PhotoJunkies904
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