Jolie met the love of her life on a dating app when she least expected to find love. For their June wedding, the couple combined their cultures — she’s from New Orleans and his family is from Puerto Rico — to tie the knot in the most magical way. Take a look!
Bride: Jolie Simone Carter, 35, Psychiatrist
Groom: Guillermo Diaz III, 40, Psychiatric Technician
The Big Day: 6/3/17
Location: West Orange, New Jersey
Style/Theme: A New Orleans Inspired Afro-Latino Garden Wedding
“Being a bride was the best feeling I’ve ever had my entire life,” said Jolie. “It was absolutely surreal. I have never felt so loved, not only by my groom, but also by my friends and family. It was truly the best feeling ever.”
Would you believe that the groom’s mother almost spolied Guillermo’s surprise proposal to Jolie?!
“On Valentine’s Day 2016, I awoke to a huge balloon, a beautiful bouquet of flowers, a heartfelt card, and life size teddy bear which were all unexpected gifts. Later in the day, we went to lunch and while driving home from the restaurant, his mother called him, and I am not sure if he realized that she was on speakerphone. She asked him when he was going to propose. Guillermo started a long speech about how he would never propose on a holiday because the holiday would not be special anymore. He ultimately told her that he would propose when the time was right. I was convinced that it would be years from now at that point. When we arrived home, Guillermo seemed obsessed with setting up a video camera to film the rest of the surprises he had in store for Valentine’s Day. Guillermo insisted that I remain dressed up in the outfit I wore to lunch. I could not figure out why I had to be dressed up, so I immediately changed into a robe and a pair of comfortable slippers. I sat on the sofa, tied a scarf on my head, looked up, and Guillermo was down on one knee proposing.”
“I felt really special knowing I was about to be married,” the groom recalled. “The feelings of being overjoyed and overwhelmed consumed me. I put a lot of thought into preparing for this special day in my life. I had no doubt in my mind that I was prepared for this experience. My dream of someday becoming a groom had come true. My family and friends made this day special. I was blown away by the unbelievable work of our wedding planner and florist when I saw the floral arrangements at our venue. She exceeded my expectations, and everything I dreamed of in a dream wedding came to fruition. Also, I felt like my suit was tailored to perfection, and my groomsmen all looked so sharp. With my brothers and sisters surrounding us in our bridal party with so much love, I could not ask for more.”
“As soon as I tried the dress on, my maid of honor and I fell in love with the gown,” said the bride of picking out her dream Pnina Tornai dress at Kleinfield Bridal. “Everyone in the store loved the gown, even family members of other brides were enamored with the gown. I really felt like a beautiful, sexy princess. I immediately said yes to the dress!”
“Our 2-year-old red poodle walked down the aisle serving as a ring bearer. We adore our poodle. He is almost like our only child, so we knew he had to be part of our ceremony,” the bride shared.
“I am so lucky to have married someone who is loving, intelligent, and ambitious,” said the groom of his bride. “I also love the fact that she loves to travel. Being with her is like an endless adventure.”
Jolie’s bouquet was a wonderful reflection of the garden theme of her wedding. “My bouquet was a hand-tied full bouquet of alabaster garden roses, peach juliet garden roses, blush peonies, white ranunculi, ivory spray roses, and sweet eskimo roses,” she shared.
“I love that Jolie is so fun to be around,” said the groom. “Ever since the first day that we met, I have enjoyed her presence. I never feel bored around her, and her personality is definitely what I love most about her. When we were in a long-distance relationship, every weekend was an adventure. When we began living together, every day was an adventure. We have always had the best of times together. “
“I always wanted a woman who values God, family, and love of her people,” said Guillermo of his wife. “Loving Jolie is so easy, and she values everything that I value. She is open-minded, entertaining, and intelligent. All of these traits are the reasons I love her so much. I value her Southern hospitality, which is something I noticed that she got from her mother. I have never felt so sure about making a decision in my life than the day I decided to make her my wife.”
“When I think about my husband, I always smile,” the bride began as she described her groom. “I am just crazy about Guillermo. He has a truly amazing heart — one that puts God, family, and people first. Something that I noticed immediately about Guillermo is how he is able to make light out of every situation. Guillermo is so much fun, and he makes me laugh constantly. He is always up for anything, whether it is going to a festival together, dancing to 80s R&B all night, cooking soul food at midnight, or taking a random hike when it is very cold outside.”
“I love that I never get enough Guillermo,” said Jolie. “He is the only person that I have ever met my entire life whom I always want to be around. I have wanted to be with him since our first conversation. After that one conversation, we have never gone a single day without talking to each other. I love that I never want him to go to the gym. I love that I actually get sad inside when he has to go to work. I love that a part of me always hates the weekends when he has to work. I love that when I go on vacation alone, I always wish he was there too. I never get tired of being around him.”
“My brother walked me down the aisle because he is the one man who has been by my side since the day he was born. He was always my partner-in-crime growing up, and my love for him is beyond measure.”
“Guillermo cried,” the bride recalled. “He broke down into tears when I was walking down the aisle. I wanted to reach out and hug him, but I couldn’t. He regained his composure and cried again when reciting his vows.”
Don’t you just love how happy the bride and groom look!
“I felt like I was filled with love all over and blessed to have found my soul mate, best friend, lover, and partner,” said Jolie of looking at the groom while they were at the altar. “I honestly felt like I was living inside of a great love story. I couldn’t believe that God had blessed me with someone whom I loved so much. His emotions were so palpable that I also couldn’t believe someone could love me as much as Guillermo does.”
“So many emotions ran through me,” said the groom of being at the altar with his bride. “Love was the first emotion. All of the good times we had suddenly flashed through my mind. I was overwhelmed with joy and happiness. My father passed away 5 years ago and one of his final wishes for me was that I get married someday. My father was there in spirit, and I could truly feel his blessings the moment I looked into her eyes. I can truly say that I felt nothing but unconditional love that day.”
Don’t these ladies just look divine! Jolie chose some very special ladies to stand by her side as she married the love of her life on her big day.
“I never knew you could meet someone who makes you even more of who you are,” said Jolie. “Guillermo makes my life what it is supposed to be. His sister once told me that being married is like spending the rest of your life with your best friend. I felt incredibly blessed and excited about the possibility of spending every day for the rest of my life with my best friend. Saying yes came very natural to me.”
Guillermo and his groomsmen look so dapper!
“From the day I met Jolie, I felt that she was so beautiful, smart, and thoughtful,” said the groom of knowing his bride was the one. “I knew that I wanted her in my life forever very early, approximately 3 or 4 months after meeting her. It was an amazing feeling. From that day forward, I knew I had something special. She was constantly on my mind and in my heart. I noticed early that our characters create the perfect balance in our lives, and I feel that this balance drew us much closer. “
“Someone once told me that “when you meet the right person, you’ll know.” Well, I just knew,” said Jolie of Guillermo. “Over the course of the 3 months when we were communicating with each other prior to actually meeting each other, we connected on values, life outlook, and faith in a way that left me feeling complete and whole. I knew he was ‘The One’ even before I met him.”
“Being born and raised in New Orleans myself, I knew that no wedding with a bride or groom from New Orleans would ever be complete without a Second Line parade. I really wanted to include some New Orleans character in my wedding, but I did not know how I would be able to living in New York City. After weeks of research, I found a great brass band locally, High & Mighty Brass Band. For our receiving line, they played traditional New Orleans music as we did a Second Line dance into the reception hall. As I twirled my parasol, I was surprised to see Guillermo, my now husband and native New Yorker, really getting into the Second Line. I later found out that he had been watching YouTube videos for months in an effort to prepare for this day. The band really impressed our wedding guests and kick started our reception causing our dance floor to be filled with guests from beginning to end.”
“I am addicted to Prince, so we had to dance to “Adore” by Prince,” said the bride. “This song has always been one of my favorite love songs, and I always dreamed of dancing to this song at my wedding.”
This 5-tier buttercream frosted cake looks simply amazing!
Cheers to the happy couple!
