Gold, Ivory and Red Wedding by Keith Cephus Photography: Jamila and Gary

Jamila and Gary wanted their wedding day to evoke the glamour of old Hollywood.  So they decided to have a vintage inspired wedding that celebrated the importance of family. Their wedding theme was the “Legacy of Love.”  To pull it all together, the couple chose a regal color scheme of gold, ivory and bronze with red accents.  In honor of their family they had a “legacy table” at the reception, which had photos and obituaries of their deceased loved ones.  This wedding, full of luxurious design touches and red carpet allure and charm, was photographed by Keith Cephus Photography, and it has been shared with our partners at Ebony.com.

• Bride: Jamila Goodman
• Groom: Gary Goodman
• Wedding Date: 06/01/2013
• Venue: Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC

Description of Event

Our wedding theme was “Legacy of Love.” Family is the foundation of who we are so we really wanted to celebrate the bond of two families coming together in love to celebrate a new generation and a new legacy! Our website featured a family tree for each of us to show our lineage. We wanted to go for a vintage yet personal theme, but also something sexy and FUN!

The colors we incorporated into the wedding were various shades of gold, ivory, bronze; something to capture the vintage/legacy feel. We used red as an accent to capture the love aspect of the theme. We wanted the ceremony to be all white with the exception of our red carpet, while the reception was more romantic and dramatic with heavy gold and red.

Wedding Style 

As a bride I wanted no parts of a princess gown, tiara or an updo! Ironically, I did not want to look like a bride, no lace, intricate beading or pearls. I wanted a red carpet gown, and preferably gold. When shopping for my dress I imagined if I could picture the dress on the red carpet. I visited 6 bridal shops and tried on about 40 gowns, from VA to NY. I wanted to look like a sexy, vintage bride. I purchased Ethel, by Vera Wang at Saks Jandel and for a great price too! It wasn’t gold but made me feel sexy.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to change for the reception but I decided I couldn’t dance in the wedding gown the way I wanted. I ended up purchasing a gold sequin gown with an old Hollywood feel. It was sexy yet elegant. I loved everything about it.

Incorporation of Culture

We didn’t have any specific cultural aspects to our wedding but we did want to incorporate various personal elements. In place of lighting a unity candle, we watered a unity tree (white crape myrtle), which have planted in our yard as a symbol/reminder of renewal and beginnings.

We chose to participate in our cocktail hour and not spend that time taking photos. It worked out great because we were able to chat with guests, take photos with them AND enjoy the food! We also had a “legacy table” at the reception which had photos and obituaries of our deceased loved ones. It was our way of remembering and paying homage to them for allowing us to be where we are.

Most Memorable Part of the Day

The most memorable part of the day for Jamila were the vows and the dancing. It was definitely a FUN night!

The most memorable part for Gary was seeing Jamila in her dress and my dad singing to us just before the ceremony.

You Make Loving You So Easy

From the Groom…My heart. She always reminds me that she loves my heart and that I am caring and giving because I have a good heart.

From the Bride…He tries really hard…at anything he does. That’s a good quality for marriage in my book!

Vendors 

• Photography – Keith Cephus
  
• Venue & Catering – Omni Shoreham Hotel
• Gown – Vera Wang, Saks Jandel
• Suit – Tom James
• Bridesmaid Dresses – Bill Levkoff
• Groomsmen Suits – Men’s Warehouse
• Bride’s Shoes – Christian Louboutin
• Planning: Janet Bell
  
• Cake – Cakes by Linda
• Make-up – Playing In Paint
• DJ – Percy Norman
• Flowers & Decor- Da Vinci Florist and Lighting
• Ceremony Music – Howard Franklin Music