“I had seen her several times in passing, whenever she saw me she would always be so nice and almost excited, she’d have this big smile on her face and wave to me at work in the pharmacy at Wal-Mart,” Jonathan shares. “I thought it was weird at first but I came to really like seeing her around campus and at work,” he admitted. He formally met Magali at an event being held for their pharmacy ball. They had mutual friends and ended up spending the night in each other’s company. That night at Cafe Du Monde they got to see the playful sides of one another when they engaged in a spontaneous powdered sugar fight; later inspiring their final engagement photos.
The beautiful couple said “I do” in a romantic pink wedding at The Chicory venue in New Orleans. The exposed brick of the venue paired with the soft candles and rose petals lining the aisle, gave the space a romantic and rustic feel. Composed of peonies and roses, Magali’s bridal bouquet was the perfect bunch for the lovely day. Take a look at their romantic pink wedding at The Chicory and read the rest of their love story below.
Quick Facts
Favorite item on the wedding menu: Duck Empanadas & Boudin Stuffed Pork Loin
Bridesmaids/groomsmen gifts: Each bridesmaid received a personalized hanger with their names and also their makeup services.
First dance song: “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran
Bride: Magali Lee
Groom: Jonathan Lee
Wedding date: 05/16/2015
Wedding location: The Chicory – New Orleans, Louisiana
Tell us all about the proposal!
I had planned the proposal by myself and I was so nervous. So first we went ring shopping months before the proposal to see what kind of styles and settings she liked in a ring. We probably went to about 3 or 4 stores but I knew which one she liked. I could just tell, her face lit up and she was so excited. The other stores we went to were just distractions so she wouldn’t know which ring I would choose for her. I was hoping with all that time passing she would have forgotten or at least that it would not be on her mind as much. After getting everything with the ring together I planned a trip to Cancun, Mexico with my family so she wouldn’t suspect anything. But that was no easy task because all her friends were telling her “your going to be engaged when you come back” and “I bet he’s going to propose.” Omg! I thought this is getting harder and harder to surprise her. So the day before we leave from Cancun I convinced Magali to get up at 5:45 am to see the sunrise and I get my sister to come along with us as planned just to take pictures of us as I proposed. My sister stays and relaxes at one spot of the beach as Magali and I walked together. I start to get nervous and all the words I planned to say just leave my mind I stop her and I’m blank so I convince her to turn around and look at my sister. In that split second I was down on one knee, the ring box was out, and the only words I could muster up were “will you marry me?” As she begins to cry I knew she was surprised and so happy. It was truly one of the best moments in my life!
Describe your wedding dress. How was your shopping experience?
My wedding dress was literally my dream gown! I knew I wanted a ballgown but wanted something elegant and sweet. I wore a Nardos Imam bespoke ballgown with elegant shirring and an intricate beaded belt that was sewn into the dress. I had already gone to a few dress shops before arriving at Nardos Imam but after seeing her designs online I just knew I had to go and take a look at her dresses in person! She was so sweet in helping me she picked out 5 dresses for me and the dress I ended up getting was the first I tried on. It was perfect, the bodice was elegant and not too flashy and really complimented my waist. Every dress I tried on after that just was not the same I could not get my original dress off of my mind. Before even trying the last dress on I asked Nardos if we could go back to the first dress and thats when I knew I had found my gown! We spoke about a few customizations and changes and then I said YES!
How was culture incorporated in your wedding?
Magali’s family are from Belgium and the Seychelles and so we wanted to make sure that they would be able to take as much from the wedding as everyone else. We had our invitations printed in both french and english. Her grandmother absolutely loved them especially since she doesn’t speak very much english.
Although neither one of us is from New Orleans we both fell in love not only with each other but also with the city itself in the 7+ years we were there. We decided to have a traditional New Orleans Second Line at the end our reception. it was the best decision we could have made, definitely one of the highlights of the night!
What are your favorite memories of your wedding day?
Jonathan – The ceremony was my best memory from our wedding. To have all of our family there not only from the US but also from Belgium, Seychelles, and England was just so amazing. We could feel the love and support coming from them. We also wrote our own vows which just made everything so intimate for us. I had written about 5 versions of my vows to Magali and somehow just decided to go from the heart. Seeing Magali walk down the isle was the highlight of the ceremony, she was so beautiful and happy and I just couldn’t contain my joy that I was about to marry her.
Magali – The second line! The second line! That was the highlight of my night! I wasn’t sure how it was going to go with most of our family being from out of town and not knowing what a second line was. I had made sure to have a brief description printed to go with our handkerchiefs for our guest. Towards the end of the night the band came into the venue and most of our guests thought that this is where we would end. Nope! The band had us follow them outside onto the streets and our police escort rolled up and we were on our way around the neighborhood in the streets of New Orleans having our own wedding parade! Jonathan LOVES New Orleans brass bands and so I knew this would be perfect for him. We both had such an amazing time our families were singing along to the songs and there were even people at the bars and venues we paraded past that joined in with us. It was so much fun and such an enjoyable moment and overall just the perfect surprise sendoff.
What advice do you have for engaged couples?
Don’t stress too much. There will be hiccups along the way but don’t let them get in the way of what is truly important; your marriage to your love. Have fun planning together, you would be surprised how much fun you can have planning invitation suites to decor to cake with your man! Trust your vendors! Our photographers and coordinators had backup plans for not-so-friendly wedding day weather.
Vendors
Wedding dress Designer/Salon – Nardos Imam
Bridesmaids Dresses – Jim Hjelm
Hair – Jo Taylor Salon – Ashley
Makeup – Tamara Soublet
Shoes – Jimmy Choo
Ceremony/Reception Location – The Chicory
Photography – Arte De Vie – Doug & CheyAnne
Wedding Planner/Event Designer – Sapphire Events
Florist – Kim Starr Wise
Cake – Melissas Fine Pastries
Stationery – The Bees Knees
Wedding Rings – Aucoin Hart
Second Line Band – Young Kinfolk
DJ – Mobile DJ NOLA
Photo Booth – Envog Photo Booth
Decor/Lighting – Luminous Events
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