1 of 37
During my rehearsal dinner we all took a moment to get photos together. This photo with my parents, sister, brother-in-law and nephew is one of my favorites!
2 of 37
I am not your traditional bride, so I decided to wear black for my rehearsal dinner. I told my bridesmaids and friends to all wear black because we were going to mourn my last night as a single girl. I told them black but to make it a funeral. We had such a fun time with it. I had worn so much white, I needed a break!
3 of 37
We didn’t want a lot of random speeches during the reception, so we asked for everyone to speak during the rehearsal dinner. I have never laughed and cried so much. Almost every person in the room got up to speak. It was such a beautiful way to end the first night together.
4 of 37
My best friend Arielle was the first to speak, and she made me cry right away! Her speech was so beautiful when she spoke about our friendship and how the love Robbie and I share is inspiring. It definitely set the tone for the night. We both got to hear so many stories about one another. Our family and friends truly made us feel so loved and thankful to have all of them along this journey.
5 of 37
My mother came up with the table and the napkin in the shape of a bow tie to represent Robbie’s tie for the next day. I picked the menu for the rehearsal to be light since we all had dresses to fit into!
6 of 37
In every bridesmaid's room, they had a welcome bag, robe, wine, and an itinerary card for the weekend. The groomsmen had Robbie’s favorite IPA. We just wanted to give them a little thank you for dealing with us and showing up for such a big moment in our lives.
7 of 37
At this moment I started to have a little panic attack. Thankfully, I hired my friend Sam to do my makeup. She talked me through it, calmed me down, and even made me laugh. I was so grateful to her because she knew exactly what I needed.
8 of 37
One of my bridesmaids, Alexa , was the content queen! She made sure she documented everything that happened and kept us all on schedule as best she could.
9 of 37
My beautiful bridal party that dealt with me through this entire process. This was our last moment together before getting dressed and walking down the aisle. We were also running an hour behind, and I think I threatened all of them to get one good shot.
10 of 37
Looking at my dress still gives me butterflies. The vibe I wanted was simple and elegant, Meghan Markle but less conservative. The bow in the back was the theme of the wedding. I found Kate Spade shoes that had a bow on the front. My mom thought I should have done extravagant shoes since my dress was so plain. These were perfect and so comfortable. I didn't take them off until the night was over.
11 of 37
I am one of the most sarcastic people. I do not like taking things too seriously. At the same time, I can get very emotional easily. I knew seeing my dad for a first look would make me a wreck. This gift to my dad was meant to be sweet but silly so that we did not start to cry and I wouldn't ruin my makeup!
12 of 37
While I was hiding in the room, waiting to walk down the aisle, my friend Colin came to check on me and show me his outfit! This moment holds a special place in my heart because Colin was with me from the beginning. I remember after I got engaged, we sat in a coffee shop for probably 5 hours, making an excel spread for my entire wedding start to finish. He helped set up the entire reception, and I barely got to see him the morning of. So when came in to see me, I was excited because he was there with me in the beginning before I even knew what I wanted this day to be.
13 of 37
My photographer and maid of honor suggested we get this shot before guests arrived. I am so glad we did it. It was calming to look out to the lake and see empty seats that I knew would quickly be filled with friends and family.
14 of 37
Robbie with his childhood friend Chris who has the most contagious laugh! I have no idea why they are laughing, but it makes me smile.
15 of 37
Jarvis - Robbie’s younger brother and Best Man helping him get dressed. I love this photo because when I met Robbie, his brother was a sophomore in high school. To see them together and Jarvis as this young man I have watched grow up holds a special place in my heart.
16 of 37
The boys enjoying themselves. I can promise you the ladies were doing the total opposite! These guys drove me crazy all weekend in the best way possible. They are so much fun and joke 24/7 (even when they should not be...)
17 of 37
Robbie with his groomsmen. If you only knew how hard it was to get these guys to order their tuxedos! I felt like I was a mother of eight, constantly reminding them to order their tux on time.
18 of 37
Our first look. I have been with Robbie for almost 10 years, and I was so nervous at this moment. I was shaking, waiting for him to turn around, and once he did, I got butterflies like I did the first time I saw him in 2012.
19 of 37
Robbie and I lived with my parents, while we searched for a house. Of course that ended up taking us into COVID. The four of us, stuck in the house together, really created such a special bond. My parents look at Robbie as if he is their son. Sometimes I think they like him better than me!
20 of 37
The first time I saw this view of this venue was on Instagram, and I knew this was the place I would get married. While we got ready that morning, I kept peeking out the window to watch them set-up. It was everything I wanted and more.
21 of 37
I am the baby in my family, and I am treated as such. While we waited to walk down, my dad told the staff, “ I am losing my little girl today.” I love this shot because it is the moment my dad had to hand me over. He was beaming, but I know a little piece of him wanted to throw me over his shoulder and run away.
22 of 37
During my vows, a cicada landed on my face, and I swear I lost ten years off my life. We laughed and teared up during the vows. I am a wordsmith and talk a mile a minute. Robbie on the other hand is more reserved. To say I was shocked by his vows would be an understatement. They were so beautiful and funny. At that moment everyone got to see the guy I see everyday.
23 of 37
We had a huge issue with Robbie’s ring. He picked it up two weeks before the wedding, and it did not fit on his finger at all. Thankfully they resized it, and I picked it up two days before the wedding. I made him try it on at home, and it fit, I swear! I don’t know what happened or what he ate in those two days, but I could not get it on his finger during the ceremony. I recall asking him in front of everyone if he put too much salt on his eggs this morning.
24 of 37
Jumping the broom is a tradition for African American weddings. After you exchange your vows, the two of you hold hands and jump over a broom to seal the union. The history is that enslaved people would jump over the broom to marry one another since it was legal for them in their time. I was not sure I wanted to do this when my parents first mentioned it to me, but they did it at their wedding. It is now a tradition I want to stay in our family forever.
25 of 37
My parents worked so hard to make sure we had the wedding of our dreams. My mother is such a detailed person. I trusted her with everything, and she did above and beyond. I joked all weekend when anyone asked me a question and told them to hold on, I had to ask the bride. She truly did everything and never gave up when we were hit with different COVID restrictions. I am so thankful and blessed for both of my parents.
26 of 37
Since my dress was plain I knew I needed something to pop. I am a huge Gossip Girl fan and have always loved Blair Waldorf, so I wanted a headband. I searched for months and could not find anything that I loved. While on my Bachelorette trip in Palm Springs, we walked around and found a cute thrift store. They had this by the register, and I fell in love with it. Plus, it was the perfect size. Before my first look with Robbie, I asked the photographer to hand it to me and when I put it on his exact words were, “You look like a goddess,” and I felt like one.
27 of 37
We did not want to miss any part of our reception, so I had these thank you cards at everyone’s place setting. Instead of doing the traditional walk around and thanking everyone, I thought this was much easier and would not cut into our eating and dancing time.
28 of 37
Since most of the wedding can feel so much about the bride, I wanted to make sure little details about Robbie were a part of the day. This day is just as much about him as it is about me. Every guest went home with a bottle of Cayman Jack’s Mojito. It is Robbie’s favorite drink and his go-to drink on vacation. It also helped that the top was yellow and went perfect with the colors of the wedding!
29 of 37
It was hard to pick a song that we would walk into since musically, we do not have the same taste. One night we were just joking around, and Robbie said, “Wouldn’t it be funny if we walked into 'Started from the Bottom' by Drake?” It was perfect since the first way we communicated after meeting was through Facebook messenger, before sliding into DMs was even a thing.
30 of 37
Our first dance was special because we randomly dance together at night while I am making dinner or just in the kitchen joking around. Even though we were surrounded by all our friends and family, it felt like we were the only two in the room. Bells were on everyone's table to ring if they wanted us to kiss... This was definitely a bell ringing moment.
31 of 37
Brittany, my Maid of Honor, has been my best friend for over twenty years now, and she knows every secret and story. Thankfully she didn’t air that in her speech! She was amazing during this process. She was there for me every step of the way. I could not have done any of this without her by my side.
32 of 37
Robbie and his mother dancing together. It was such a beautiful moment to watch.
33 of 37
My dad is my biggest supporter and one of my favorite people in the world. When choosing a song for us to dance to I decided to go with the same song we danced to at my Sweet 16. "Blessed" by Christina Aguilera is one of my favorite songs, and it's truly the relationship my father and I have together.
34 of 37
The night went by so fast, but I remember every second of it! My bridal party walked into "Before I Let Go" by Beyonce, and from that moment on, the party never stopped! We all danced together all night long - it was such a beautiful night to be in the room with people that you have not gotten to see because of the pandemic. I think because of the year we all had it made this weekend more special to be together. Tomorrow is not promised and we have to enjoy the big and small moments we have in life.
35 of 37
My nephew Jayce is my family's heart and soul. He stole the show! He walked down the aisle waving at everyone. I think he had the best time of all. He danced non-stop and looked like a mini version of my dad.
36 of 37
Fun fact: I bought this jumpsuit in 2018 right after I got engaged! I got it to wear for my engagement party, but it ended up not working out. I loved it and knew I would wear it for one of the wedding events I had. I did not want to change for my wedding because I changed three times for my Sweet 16 and have regretted it ever since. The jumpsuit just wouldn't work for any other event, so I changed after we cut the cake as fast I could in the bathroom. Looking back I am so glad I did. It was so comfortable, and I got to show off my dancing skills even more.
37 of 37
Another thing I did not want to do. The sparkler send off. I just thought it was kind of played out and that everyone does it. But my mother was not giving that up. I am actually glad she pushed on this because the photo is gorgeous and definitely one I will be hanging in our house. It was such a fun way to end such a special night that we will never forget.
