Ayo and Idris met over 21 years ago, and dated for 10 years before their marriage. Needless to say, everyone was overjoyed about their wedding, and Idris professed his excitement over their union by serenading Ayo during the ceremony. This fun loving couple had an elegant outdoor wedding that centered on celebrating their family traditions. To honor their heritage, Ayo’s grandfather presided over the Ho’ Okipa the Hawaiian wedding exchange of lei ceremony, a family tradition. Following the ceremony Ayo and Idris “Jumped the Broom” into their new life as a married couple.
The handsome couple enhanced the already breathtaking natural scenery of their venue with an upscale black and ivory color scheme that their designer and coordinator Aaliyah Rajasingam with B3 Events pulled together perfectly. Custom black sequined and ivory textured linens were used throughout the reception, and were complimented by modern pearlized black crocodile chargers. Magnificent floral arrangements of white lilies adorned the tables creating a chic and fragrant atmosphere. For a modern touch, Rajasingam projected the couple’s seating chart as opposed to using place cards, and guest were greeted by hostess with I Pads directing them to their seats. As if their night couldn’t get any better, the bride and groom were treated to a surprise Brazilian Carnival dance and drum performance. Following dinner guests were invited to the “Lovers Lounge” a ballroom turned night club, and they danced the night away. This very special couple brought family and friends together for an evening that was a chic yet heartwarming celebration of love, family, and tradition, and Photography by Helene captured every moment. To good to keep to ourselves this lovely wedding has been shared with our friends at Ebony.com.
- Bride: Ayodele Davis
- Groom: Idris Jones
- Wedding Date: 09/23/2012
- Wedding Location: La Costa Resort and Spa, Carlsbad, CA
Description of Event
Our theme was modern elegance, and Aalyah Rajasingam from B3 Events helped bring our vision to life. The first order of business was finding a venue that would work for our selected wedding date, which was six months out. We spent several weekends looking at various wedding venues. The moment I saw the La Costa Resort and Spa I feel in love. The resort was absolutely amazing, the back drop was simple, elegant with a Spanish influence which worked well for my vision. Most importantly, La Costa had my wedding dates available!
We wanted our wedding to be classic and reflect of our style. We requested that the Seaside strings play contemporary music as wedding party came down the aisle.
Wedding Style
We wanted a modern elegant black and ivory themed wedding and I chose Saks in Beverly Hills to begin my search for the perfect wedding dress. The consultants were amazing to work with, especially David the manager. Aaliyah from B3 Events showed the bridal consultant pictures of La Costa resort and Spa and they began pulling dresses to fit my theme. Believe it or not, my wedding dress was in the first set pulled. The moment I tried it on the dress I knew it was perfect me. The dress was designed by Ulla Maija and it was a beautiful ivory dress with an Italian lace overlay. I thought finding my dress on the first day was too good to be true, so I went searching another weekend and compared every dress to the Ulla Maija dress at Saks. Ladies stick to your heart and first mind when searching for dresses.
Incorporation of Culture
We were fortunate enough to have my grandpa Gunn perform a Ho’ Okipa, which is a traditional Hawaiian wedding exchange of lei ceremony and a family tradition. After exchanging our vows we also participated in the African American tradition of jumping the broom. Our broom was custom designed by Etsy’s C3 Girls.
Most Memorable Moment
The most memorable part of the wedding day was the first moment that Idris and I looked out on to the terrace of our reception, it took my breath away. The beautiful details of our tablescapes were more than we could have ever imagined. All of the ivory and white floral arrangements of varied heights included hydrangeas, orchids, casablancas, tulips, calla lilies and roses. The arrangements looked heavenly as the hanging Swarovski crystals glistened against the soft candle light. Our monogram along with seating arrangements were projected on to the terrace wall, this was an amazing site! The melodic sounds of the soulful jazz trio complimented our romantic and elegant vision making this a perfect evening reception. Our guest said their most memorable moment was when the Energia Dance Company Brazilian Samba Dancers and Drummers opened the “Lovers Lounge” with a surprise performance.
Another memorable moment was when my grandmother gifted me a family heirloom the Walter P. Schmitter bracelet which was made in 1860. This was my something borrowed. We could never express our appreciation and gratitude for everyone who helped us realize our dream.
Loving You Is Easy
From the Groom…Her spirit.
From the Bride…His heart.
Vendors:
- Event Design & Coordination – Aaliyah Rajasingam with B3 Events
- Photography – Helene Cornell with Photography by Helene
- Floral Design – Tam Ashworth with Isari Flower Studio
- Custom Designed Cake – Briarmist Cakes
- Linen – La Tavola
- Chargers – BBJ Linens
- Lighting Design & ” Lovers Lounge” – Nicholas with San Deigo Party Rentals
- Invitations, Programs, & Menu’s – La Artista
- Bridal Hair – Jackie Brown
- Bridal Make Up – Katrina Baxter
- Officiant – Rev. Terry Tapley
- Bridal Gown – Ulla Maija Couture
- Grooms Custom Tux – Elite Tux of Beverly Hills
- Groom’s Shoes – Hugo Boss
- Groom’s Custom Engraved Cufflinks – Kathy Lorocks Keepsake
- Custom Designed Wedding Broom & Favors – Etsy’s C3 Girls
- Custom Wedding Rings & Bands – Bridal Rings Company
- Guest Book, Program Box, & Card Box – Lacey Claire Designs
- Bamboo Streamers – Romancing Juliet
- String Quartet – Seaside Strings
- Jazz Trio – Milan Majeed Trip featuring Reggie Vision
- Celebrity D.J. – DJ MoDave
- Brazilian Samba Show – Energia Dance Company
- Lounge Decor – Designs by Lily
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B3 Events is a member of The Coterie, Munaluchi’s exclusive wedding collective. Click here to view her portfolio. To learn more about The Coterie, click here.
[…] Black and white will always be a classic color combination. When I think of black and white, I always go back to my childhood and the black and white TV. So many things in our history, such as television shows and photographs, started out as black and white images and I have very fond memories of the “old days”. I’ve done posts on black and white wedding inspiration, but today I wanted to focus on white being the primary color with pops of black. Either way, it’s very elegant and will always be classy. Enjoy! […]