When Elise’s friend offered to help “set her up” with a man in her circle in 2021, she could have been skeptical and said no. Set-ups, despite people’s best intentions, can sometimes end in a big mess. However, being open-minded is what led her to Jason, a man who would become her husband.
After photos and information were shared, Elise sent the first message, an admittedly awkward text to Jason to say hello. In response, he called her, because there are still men who prefer picking up the phone over texting, and the pair ended up talking for two hours. Lengthy conversations became the norm for them until they finally went on their first date on October 1.
Sparks flew.
“While it wasn’t necessarily ‘love at first sight’ for me. I knew after our first date that I’d found a handsome gentleman who I really enjoyed talking to. I knew he was special and I wanted him in my life,” Elise tells ESSENCE.
“We both were dating with intent, and she definitely was not shy about what she wanted, which is an attractive quality,” Jason shares about a quality that stuck out to him in the early days of their relationship. “It also shows that she appreciates time, as it is, in my opinion, a precious commodity. ”
With his own understanding of the importance of time, Jason didn’t want to waste any either. So, about two years after they first connected, on September 16, 2023, he asked for her hand in marriage. He did so by turning the dessert menu at Aria in Atlanta into a timeline of their love story, which ended with him getting down on one knee and presenting her with a custom two-band marquis diamond ring.
“Immediately after I said yes, there was a roar of cheers and applause and I smiled the rest of the evening under the glow of my beautiful new ring,” she says.
Less than a year later, Elise would be all smiles under a different type of glow. Sparklers surrounded her and Jason on the day they said “I do” inside Atlanta’s Piedmont Room. It was Juneteenth weekend. The entire affair was a celebration not only of their love story, but also of Black culture and the place that Elise had called home for so long.
“Our wedding was an ode to Atlanta and the culture that it exudes,” Elise says. “It’s part of the reason we chose to get married on Juneteenth weekend. We also set out to highlight small Black business owners and artists.” She says 98 percent of their vendors, were Black.
But that’s not all. There was also a Black woman harpist, a presentation from a Black ballerina, the cutest audio guestbook for guests to offer advice and well-wishes, and a reception performance from Q of 112 fame. “The day was full of wonderful, beautiful moments,” Jason says. It really had everything a contemporary bride and groom could want, from the beginning of the day to the very end.
“I loved ending the evening with just us in the ballroom,” Elise says. “All of our guests were outside awaiting our dismissal as we took our final dance to Anthony Hamilton’s ‘The Point of It All,’ surrounded by standing sparklers. It was truly a magical evening.”
You can take a peek at all the beauty and Black love (and Black businesses) the day was filled with and learn more about Elise and Jason’s love story in this week’s Bridal Bliss.
Elise is photographed with both of her looks for her big day. The second gown, with its cape and gold embellishments, was created by designer Anthony Elle of Project Runway All-Stars and HGTV’s Rock the Block fame. He’s a friend of the bride. “One day about six years ago, while walking through my neighborhood, we were sharing our dreams and goals and I told Anthony if I ever found love and got married, I wanted him to design my gown,” she says. “Fast forward, a few months after and I got engaged, I reminded Anthony of that conversation and he proceeded to send me three sketches of three different gowns.”
How cute is the couple’s program for the day? It was made to appear like an old newspaper.
“We both decided to send tokens of love to each other,” Elise says of the gifts sent to the suites of the bride and groom by one another. In addition to an executive bag by Silver & Riley, Elise is seen tearing up over an embossed monogram journal with a sweet message inside of it. “Jason definitely has a way with words,” she shares.
The “getting ready” process before the ceremony even began is one of Jason’s favorite moments from the day. “Once I was ready, I popped open a bottle of champagne provided by my fraternity brother. Then the groomsmen, my dad, and I all toasted. That’s when the emotion started for me and I knew I was in trouble the rest of the day,” he says, laughing. “After we toasted, my dad prayed for us all and prayed over me. It’s something I’ll forever cherish.”
Elise hooked Jason up with a blue-faced, two-toned Versace watch and some classic Creed cologne as her tokens of love for him.
There wasn’t one particular moment that stands out for Jason, but rather, many moments that let him know she was the one. “There were moments when I knew,” he says. “Whether it was through conversations, the time we spent together, or Elise telling me what I needed to hear instead of what I wanted to hear.”
“Jason is truly a God-fearing man who exudes kindness, patience, and care to everyone he encounters. I didn’t know how we would fare in the dating world but I knew I wanted him in my world, even if it ended up being through friendship,” she says. “However, we continued to date and we dated with intention. It wasn’t until he went on a pre-planned trip to Dubai that I found myself sad before he even left. We had to quarantine away from each other ahead of his trip and when he returned. The time in-between felt like an eternity. That’s when I knew, I love this man. For real, for real.”
“I was born in downtown Atlanta and raised in suburban Marietta. I wanted to stay close to my roots and make it convenient for all of Jason‘s family and our respective friends who would be traveling in town for the ceremony. We didn’t want to get married in a church, have people travel to different venues between the ceremony and reception, or get married at a hotel. After what seemed like an exhaustive search, Jason discovered The Piedmont Room which is located right off of Piedmont Park. It was a perfect venue in a historic location that played into the theme of our wedding and ceremony, which was an ode to Atlanta,” says the bride.
“We both love music and love to dance. Since our wedding was a classy black-tie affair, we decided to surprise our guests with a number of ‘Easter eggs’ throughout the evening,” Elise says. “Ashley McKoy is a trained dancer from the Atlanta Ballet. Once we saw her perform, we knew she would be an excellent fit for our ceremony. We also knew that when people heard the harpist play Etta James’ ‘At Last,’ they would think it was time for the bride’s entrance. They were shocked to see a Black ballerina instead.”
“We decided not to do a first look or first touch. Weeks leading up to the wedding, she mentioned that she was going to surprise me with the song she would walk down the aisle to. So when it was time and I started to hear the intro to the song, I knew that our moment, what we have planned for, was finally here,” Jason says of watching Elise walk down the aisle. “‘I’m Going to Make You My Wife’ by the Whispers will be an unforgettable song. The moment I heard it, my immediate thought was how beautiful she is and how God has blessed me. It brought a couple of tears to my eyes and all I could think is, Thank you God.”
The couple hold hands, standing side by side during their ceremony.
And just like that, they were Mr. and Mrs. Robinson!
The ladies (including the flower girl) looked serene in green while the fellas did not lack in black.
“I will never forget the look on my groom’s face as I walked down the aisle,” Elise says when recalling her favorite moments. “Everything and everyone else was a blur. And I loved every single word of his hand-written vows.”
With Atlanta’s Piedmont Park and its more than 200 acres as their backdrop, the couple and their crew had some fun with the wedding photos.
Before the party started, the couple were photographed in the space in The Piedmont Room that was decked out for the reception.
“Our wedding coordinator suggested this and she just happened to have a few of these phones that she rents out for parties,” the bride says. “It was nice to hear our guests in their own words giving us well-wishes on our big day.”
Inside the Piedmont Room, as the reception came to life, it was adorned with some gorgeous decor, including florals from On Occasions Of Atlanta, and custom signage by Design by Faith Co.
The cake, a literal top-tier work of art, was created in delicious fashion by La’Meeka Edwards of Cakes by La’Meeka.
As the reception began, Jason made it clear during the couple’s introduction that he was going to turn the party out. You love to see it.
The Robinsons share a kiss during the reception, just as the sun began to set for the evening.
Elise changed into her second look for the day, which was that custom Anthony Elle design. You can tell it garnered plenty of oohs and aaahs from guests. Jason also switched it up in a charming ivory tuxedo jacket from Miguel Wilson Collection.
The couple took pictures with all of their guests, including Elise’s reception gown designer, Anthony Elle, who she’s known for years. Her request for a gown brought him out of semi-retirement. “Not only did he hand sew my gown adding beautiful crystals, a cape and surprised me with a handmade headpiece; he also flew from LA to Atlanta to do the fitting and returned to not only attend the wedding but style me for the day,” Elise says. “He was a vital part of our wedding day and I am eternally grateful for his expertise, his craftsmanship but more importantly, his friendship.”
Not only did Elise pull Anthony Elle out of semi-retirement, but she was also able to get Q from 112 to sing at their reception. Sis has the juice! “Atlanta is a big-old small town,” she says. “I ran into R.L. from Next at the nail salon in our neighborhood several months ago. We partnered on another project but kept in touch. I called him about my Atlanta-themed wedding and he told me Q would be a perfect fit. He gave Q my number and he called immediately. We talked a number of times before the ceremony. One time, Q just called to say what’s up and ask if we were ready! He truly is the coolest dude ever and is now a friend.”
As you can see, a time was had! Our guess is that they were all dancing to “Stanky Legg” here or “Swag Surfin’.” What do you think?
Jason, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and his fellow Nupes put on an extra special stroll for the bride.
There’s no better way for a man to say “It’s you and me forever” than getting the details of the wedding day emblazoned on his tuxedo jacket.
When guests were escorted outside to prepare for the bride and groom’s big exit, Elise and Jason were able to spend some last moments alone in the ballroom, dancing to “The Point of It All” by Anthony Hamilton as sparklers went off. How romantic!
The couple capped a “truly magical evening” by exiting with the assistance of their guests, who sent them off, and into married life, with personal sparklers.
Vendors
Photography: Afolabi Sogunro
Videography: Tony Pombo of Iris Films ATL
Venue: The Piedmont Room
Florals: On Occasions of Atlanta
Custom signage: Design by Faith Co.
Harpist: Lyrika Holmes
Ballerina: Ashley McKoy
Wedding Cake: La’Meeka Edwards
Cigar Station: Honor Cigars
DJ/Photobooth: Exquisite Sounds Entertainment
Reception Gown Designer: Anthony Elle
Groom’s Tuxedos: Miguel Wilson