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We knew our invitation suite would be the first impression that guests would have of our wedding, so we wanted something classic and elegant with just a little pizzazz. We went with letterpress invitations from Bella Figura, foil-stamped with an image of The Foundry’s facade.
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We had so much fun getting ready. My bridesmaid created the best playlist for us to dance to as we got dressed. (Shout out to Ariana Grande and Beyoncé!)
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My best friend and man of honor doing the honors. I fell in love with this asymmetric ball gown by Viktor&Rolf, as soon as I tried it on. It’s such a fun, avant-garde spin on a classic design.
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Finishing touches.
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The elevators in our hotel were malfunctioning that morning, so we had to use the emergency exit and trek down what felt like a million flight of stairs.
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I’m not crying, you’re crying.
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Colgate, have your people call my people.
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Ibi surprised me with the date of our wedding stitched into the underside of his tuxedo collar.
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We did our first look at Fort Tryon, near the Cloisters.
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All the feels! We were both overwhelmed with so many emotions.
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The architecture at Fort Tryon takes my breath away every time. Our photographer did a great job capturing the beauty and grandeur of the stone arches.
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I wish I could freeze this moment and relive it over and over again.
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It’s just you and me, kid.
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I love how the loose stems made my bouquet look and feel so organic and light.
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Because my dress had such a long train with layer upon layer of tulle, it ended up collecting leaves, twigs, and other random objects in the underskirt. My bridesmaids had a fun scavenger hunt helping me fish things out before my walk down the aisle.
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In my fair and unbiased opinion, my husband has the best smile in all of the land.
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The walk out of the park will always be one of my favorite memories from our wedding day. We’re so grateful that we chose to do a first look and have this moment to ourselves.
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We clean up well.
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Long Island City is an industrial neighborhood, and I absolutely love it because it speaks to the minimalist in me. There is so much beauty in the barren concrete buildings and bareness.
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Hands down, my favorite picture of all time.
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I’m incredibly neurotic and type-A, but Ibi did such a good job keeping me calm and laughing by telling jokes and whispering sweet (spicy) nothings in my ear.
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The support of our wedding party meant the absolute world to us.
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I love these ladies so much! My bridesmaids wore different variations of dove-gray tulle gowns from Amsale.
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My adorable niece, Olivia, was our flower girl and completely stole the show. She wore a custom-made silk dress influenced by Princess Charlotte.
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Trying our hardest to keep straight faces.
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Snap, snap, now, pose.
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My dad seeing me for the first time and giving a fist bump of approval.
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Look at those New York City views!
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The Foundry is an industrial warehouse with so much natural beauty. We wanted to add some warmth and formality to the space, so we had crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings and draped cascading greenery off the sides of the balcony.
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Last few minutes as a Ms.
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For the processional, a string quartet played “Fields of Gold” and Pachelbel’s "Canon in D."
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I was shaking like a leaf walking down the aisle, but my dad was such a calming presence.
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My dad giving me away. I think I see someone tearing up in the background.
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Looking out into a room of the people we love the most and taking it all in.
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We wrote our own vows, which made our ceremony super personal and emotional. We were able to capture our values, exactly who we are as a couple, and our love for each other.
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I’ll never forget this moment or how we felt in it. There are literally no words to describe it.
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Sealed the deal! Officially Mr. and Mrs. Yusuf!
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Get married to the love of your life. Five out of five stars. Highly recommend!
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Guests mingling during cocktail hour in the Greenhouse.
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Our stylish wedding guests.
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As an ode to Ibi’s Nigerian culture, the dress code was black tie or formal Nigerian attire.
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Side by side, hand in hand, heart to heart. Before the reception, we had the opportunity to spend some time alone, enjoying both the view of NYC and each other.
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There were so many unique spaces throughout the venue. We used this one to showcase our guestbook and share a few of our favorite engagement photos.
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Dinner took place outside in a heated tent in the adjoining courtyard and garden.
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Our florist, Twisted Willow Flowers, did an incredible job creating beautiful, lush garlands of mixed greenery with embedded roses that spanned the full length of each table.
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In keeping with the overall theme, we wanted the table décor and place settings to be minimalistic and modern. We went with matte black dinner plates and rose gold flatware.
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As a memento, we had monogramed linen dinner napkins embroidered with our wedding date.
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Our caterer, Yen Ngo from Real Food Catering, did such an amazing job. I’m sure everyone says this, but our food was the BEST wedding food we’ve ever had.
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My mom’s speech was so beautiful and special. True to form, she had everyone laughing and crying the entire time. Something etched in my heart for the rest of time is her opening line, a quote from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 43: “[My dear daughter,] how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”
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Happiness all around!
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My brother’s keeper. A best man, a friend, a sidekick, a teammate, and one heck of an orator. They have tears to show it!
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Our simple yet elegant cake, from Sugar Lane Cake Shop, was a mixture of our favorite flavors—almond cake with passion fruit curd and cream cheese buttercream for me, and raspberry shortcake with coconut buttercream for Ibi.
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We chose “Just the Two of Us” by Grover Washington and Bill Withers for our first dance. Such a perfect song! It truly felt like it was just us in that big brick room.
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Halfway through our first dance, we switched it up and did a fun routine, choreographed by one of my best friends from college.
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Everybody clap your hands! We had the whole room turned up and dancing to the "Cha Cha Slide" by the end of the night.
