Magenta, Purple and Navy Wedding in Atlanta by Sophia Barrett Studios: LaToya and Ben

When looking for love, Ben and LaToya decided to take a leap of faith and use an online match-maker.  They met via e-Harmony and connected after hours of conversations. Luckily when they met in person, their chemistry was even stronger and their love story blossomed.  Ben knew LaToya was his greatest gift, so he decided to make her his ultimate birthday present.  He proposed to LaToya on his birthday telling her, “You are my first true love and on my birthday, all I want is you.” How sweet!  This adorable couple, had a beautiful wedding, bursting with a vibrant color scheme of pink, purple and blue hues.  Their joyous occasion was expertly planned by Eliana Baucicault of ellyB Events, and all the glamour of their elegantly modern wedding was captured by the oh-so talented Sophia Barrett Studios.

• Bride: LaToya Marc- Non-Profit Project Management
• Groom: Ben Marc- Operations Management
• Wedding Date: 08/12/2012
• Location: The DeKalb History Center, Atlanta, Georgia

How They Met

Fall 2009 our mutual friend, “Emily” Harmony (e-Harmony), decided it was time for us to connect. On New Year’s Eve 2009 (4 months later), I finally returned his message – better late than never! After a few texts and hours of “getting to know you” conversation, we wished each other a Happy New Year. We were both headed to church that evening – him in Miami, me in Atlanta – to enter into 2010 (Christian- check 1). I was excited we connected, and looked forward to hearing from him again once he got back in town. I didn’t expect to hear from him for a few days, but was pleasantly surprised when he called the next day to set up a date (confidently takes initiative – check 2). Because he was still fairly new to Atlanta, I suggested Cafe Intermezzo for coffee and dessert. I didn’t know this at the time, but on his way to meeting me for our first date, his car started to overheat and he was about to cancel – however, something told him to just pull over, throw some coolant in the radiator, and keep going. I was clueless because he still managed to beat me there. We saw each other for the first time on January 2, 2010 and I was pleased – tall, dark (sort of), and handsome (check, check, check)! Conversation was great and we seemed to have good chemistry. I was intrigued by his passion for music, commitment to family, and sense of humor. He says that I was a “beautiful, educated woman with swag” – just what he was looking for.

The Proposal 
For his birthday, we took a trip to weekend trip to Miami. Ben wanted to go on a sunset speed boat cruise – we love adventure and the tour guide promised lots of speed and sight-seeing, so I was all for it. I thought it was strange that Ben had his book bag and told him that it might fly overboard – he decided to give it to the tour guide after awhile so that he wouldn’t loose it. Afterwards, we went back to get ready for dinner. I was rambling about something – wondering why Ben wasn’t chiming in, I turned around to look for him and there he was on ONE KNEE – with my beautiful diamond ring! My mouth dropped – I screamed, “Are you serious?” He says – “ Yes, I’m very serious. You are my first true love and on my birthday, all I want is you. LaToya, will you be my wife?” My response – while jumping up and down like a child, “Seriously! Are you serious? Oh my gosh!” His response – “Will you answer the question, please?!?” Finally, my reply – “YES!!!” And then I cried, hugged him, and we said a prayer to enter into the next phase of our journey. Afterwards we went to dinner and he told me that he planned to propose as the sun was setting on the cruise, but he was concerned that the ring may fly off the boat in all of the excitement. I was full of joy – words can’t express it. He took me ring shopping in November 2010 and we went to my father’s house for Christmas 2010 – honestly, I thought it was happening then with my family. When it didn’t, I figured he was waiting for either New Year’s Eve (when we first talked), my birthday in January, or Valentine’s Day in February – but, nope! So, I just figured it wasn’t happening until the holiday season rolled around again. I was TOTALLY surprised when he proposed on HIS birthday – so sweet!

Description of the Event

Wedding planning was fun! In the beginning, I was pretty stressed out – although we are both Christians, I grew up non-denominational and Ben grew up Seventh Day Adventist. Planning the day of ceremony, time of ceremony, and menu to suite both our families’ traditions was quite challenging. I was so bogged down with some of those details, that the process wasn’t fun – that’s when I reached out to Eliana of ellyB events – LOVE HER! She’s helped everything come together so nicely – ideas I never dreamed of are now part of my wedding day – and I started having a blast! Ben was pretty involved in the details too – which was cute.

Our venue was perfect – The DeKalb History Center. I love the moldings and big windows that let in so much natural light. It definitely allowed our day to feel elegant, even though we had a daytime ceremony and reception (one of the things I was kind of worried about).

Our decor was AMAZING – Toni McDaniel of Floral Couture captured my theme of “Modern Elegance” so well. We had an assortment of centerpieces, pulled in various shades of pinks, purples, and blues, geometric shapes and lines – I could go on and on. We received so many compliments and she truly took my breath away – I never dreamed that our wedding would look so beautiful – especially on our modest budget. I really wanted everything to feel modern and bold, yet elegant and I feel like Eliana and Toni made sure that happened.

Our cakes were to die for – both beautiful and quite tasty! Couture Cakes was fabulous – the groom cake looks exactly like the 2012 Championship hat. I loved how my cake wasn’t traditional and was more modern (square shape) and incorporated bold colors and style.

Lastly, I wanted our bridal party to look very fly. I had my girls get navy dresses, knee length, in any style that suited their body types. I wanted them to look and feel their best, and everyone doesn’t look good in the same dress – so this worked out well. I found the perfect pink and blue bow ties for the grooms men – paired with a dark grey tux – they were quite daper!

Wedding Style

I wanted Modern Elegance – and that is what I looked for in a dress. Knowing my asset, I was looking for a dress with a beautiful v-neckline – sexy and classy. I found the perfect Maggie Sottero dress – Adorae Louise! I found my dress while shopping with my mom and aunt at Kleinfeld’s in NYC (I did not purchase it that day and actually found it online through private sale from a girl who never wore it – she had 2 dresses – so I got it at a deep discount). I knew that I didn’t want a strapless dress because of my shoulders and heavier bust, and when they brought me Adorae Louise we all just cried – it was love at first sight! Being curvy, I knew I wanted to show off my curves, but I also wanted to “hide” some of the areas that are less flattering. The deep v-neck, corset, and rouching were perfect for my body type. I recommend that brides embrace their bodies and choose the dress that compliments them and their figure to a “T”. For my shoes, I wanted something blue so I found a pair of navy peep toes that were classic and then glittered the bottoms with hot pink glitter – a technique and detail that Eliana suggested and they turned out so cute! I initially thought I wanted a birdcage veil, but I borrowed a beautiful flower headpiece that my best friend wore on her wedding day and had a classic veil for the ceremony – it was perfect!

Incorporation of Culture

Ben’s family is Haitian and Seventh Day Adventist and it was important to him that aspects of his heritage be incorporated into our day. We were married on a Sunday to respect the Sabbath and our first act as a married couple was taking Communion together during the ceremony. A Haitian celebration drink is Cremasse and we had that featured during our cocktail hour for our guests to enjoy – Ben’s aunt made it and it was a hit! It’s kind of like rum spiked egg nog – at least that’s what my family said (we’re just straight up small-town southern black folk).

The Most Memorable Moment

Ben sang his vows to me – hands down the highlight of our day. He wrote and produced a song and pre-recorded it and it was delivered to me in a music box while I was getting ready. He then sang the song to me during the ceremony – the title of the song is “This is My Vow.” Ryan Rodinis did a great job capturing our wedding through cinematography and the background music is the song that Ben wrote and sang to me during the ceremony. This is something I will truly cherish forever. You can see the video here.

Vendors

• Wedding Dress Designer – Maggie Sottero
• Bridesmaids Dresses – David’s Bridal
• Hair – Latrice Johnson of Capauls International Salon (http://www.capaulsinternationalsalon.com/#!latrice)
• Make-Up – Nisha Hayes
• Ceremony & Reception – The DeKalb History Center (http://www.dekalbhistory.org/dekalb_history_center_facility-rental.htm)
• Photography – Sophia Barrett Studios (http://www.sophia-barrett.com/)
• Cinematography – Rodinis Films (http://rodinisfilms.com/)
• Wedding Planner – Eliana of ellyB Events (http://ellybevents.com/)
• Floral & Decor – Toni McDaniel of Floral Couture (http://www.floralcoutureatlanta.com/)
• Cakes – Couture Cakes (http://couturecakesinc.com/)
• Stationery – Khadine of ellyB Events (http://ellybevents.com/)
• Bridal Suite & First Look – The Renaissance Atlanta Midtown