A native of New Orleans with the distinct, delightful accent, from the moment Heather arrived on the campus of Clark Atlanta University in the post-Hurricane Katrina era, people were drawn to her. According to her, classmates were fascinated by all the students coming in from The Big Easy.
“Everyone on campus was intrigued by our strength, adaptability, and our accents,” she tells ESSENCE for Bridal Bliss, “so I definitely led with ‘I’m from New Orleans’ all the time and it helped with every single conversation in any capacity.”
But Heather would eventually be the one drawn to someone else, their own accent as alluring as her own.
When she first noticed Drew on campus, a Brooklyn native, she used her charisma and confidence to spark an unexpected, bold conversation. “I walked up to him and complimented him on his amazing eyes and told him that I wanted my kids to have those eyes,” she recalls. “His response was ‘When are we getting started?’ From then on we were connected. He matched my New Orleans wittiness with his Brooklyn charm.”
But maintaining that connection would require them to overcome some hurdles. When the couple graduated from college, she returned to New Orleans, Drew to Brooklyn. The two would split because of the distance. However, when a post-collegiate internship brought Heather the opportunity of a lifetime to move to New York City, they had another chance. While she pursued her dreams, he was reminded of how important it was to pursue her.
“Her being in my city only strengthened our connection and watching her take on and thrive gave me a greater appreciation and love for Heather,” he says. “Our love story hasn’t been perfect, mostly myself to blame for that, but Heather has been loving, loyal and patient throughout.”
The two would withstand the breakups to makeups, always finding their way back to each other. About 10 years after they met, in 2021, Drew decided to ask for Heather’s hand in marriage. He proposed to her the day before Valentine’s Day, a “A true Brooklyn proposal” that included a lot of snow, bar-hopping in Bed-Stuy and dinner at their favorite romantic Italian restaurant.
Wedding planning wasn’t as sweet, as the couple tried to lock down plans in New Orleans from New York City. But the big day, on April 22, 2022, was everything the pair could have wanted and more — for themselves and their guests.
“Having our wedding in NOLA during festival season was intentional to bring our families and friends to the BEST CITY in the U.S., during one of the best times of the year,” she says. “We wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
Heather also threw a huge party after the wedding, and provided activities that ran from Thursday through Sunday.
“I am a self-proclaimed New Orleans ambassador so I had to make sure all of my guests had a lot of activities to choose from,” she says. “I called all of my promoter friends in the city to make sure that our wedding party had the VIP treatment all weekend long. Over the wedding weekend we visited Vandal, CIAO, Treehouse, French Quarter Fest, and Pressure, and we had a great time at every place. We also had a Welcome to New Orleans cookout hosted by my family with all of my favorite New Orleans dishes, and sounds by DJ Captain Charles. We had a ball, and our friends can’t wait to do it all over again for ESSENCE Fest!”
What a weekend! The fun that was had with 175 family and friends, all dressed in black for the big day, was evident in the gorgeous images shot by Dark Roux Photography. See how they pulled off one of the biggest parties in town and learn more about the love story that inspired it.
“I knew Drew was husband material when he used to compliment me on the little things like the way I always thought of others, he always noticed that I had my nails done, and the way I carried myself, and stood up for myself. He paid attention and commented on the details and I’ve never experienced that before in a relationship,” Heather says. “He always told me he wanted his future daughter to be like me, and right then and there I knew I wanted my future son to be just like him as well. Drew is a great person, he balances me out, and he’s easy to love. When you can look at a person, and truly understand who they are, what their morals and values are and align with them, that’s when you know you’ve found the one.”
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How the Groom Knew He’d Found the One
“I was in denial for a while but I knew Heather was the one early in our relationship; even prior to her moving to NYC,” Drew says. “However, her being in my city only strengthened our connection and watching her take on and thrive in my city gave me a greater appreciation and love for Heather. Our love story hasn’t been perfect, mostly myself to blame for that but Heather has been loving, loyal and patient throughout.”
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The Proposal
“It’s hard to surprise Heather, but I tried,” Drew jokes. “She always said that she wanted our proposal to be private, but I wanted to include her family in some shape or form. Heather is very fashionable but I knew she would kill me if I didn’t give her a heads up to get cute for pictures, so we were in the house and I told her to ‘get cute.’”
As for Heather, she could see it coming. “I knew I was getting engaged,” she says confidently. “As Drew mentioned, it’s very hard to surprise me, so once he randomly told me to ‘get cute tomorrow’ I knew 2/13/21 would be the day. It was one of the coldest days of the year. I was freezing! All I kept thinking was yes this is my Brown Sugar/Sex in the City dream come true but can we go inside please? [laughs]”
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Wedding Planning
“Wedding planning was very stressful,” Heather admits. “Honestly, living in NYC the past 11 years has taught me a sense of urgency and a level of professionalism that you really don’t get down south. I had to be reminded that people and vendors in New Orleans will move at their own pace. I also had to remind myself that no one will care about the small details as much as you do. It was a learning experience and I recommend all of my future married couples to hire the FULL wedding planner. It will be worth it in the long run.”
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The Groom’s Favorite Moment
“My favorite part was the first look,” Drew recalls. “That moment was very special when I turned around to see my wife in her dress and how beautiful she looked. I will always remember that moment, I shed a few tears but I’m happy that I got the nerves out of my system and after that it was ready to just have fun and be present in the moment and enjoy the rest of the day.”
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The Bride’s Favorite Moment
Private moments before the wedding touched Heather the most — that and the first look. “My favorite moment from the day was getting ready with my mom, mother-in-law and all of my friends stopping by to help out and run last minute errands for me. I was so anxious the hours leading up to the wedding, but everything came together with the help of my tribe.”
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A Live Entrance
Who said the groom can’t come in like the bride? Drew made a big entrance, with tunes playing from Fabolous, Jay-Z and Young Jeezy.
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The Bridal March
Heather certainly made an unforgettable entrance.
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Let Them Eat Cake?
Instead of a traditional cake, Heather and Drew went for the versatile, delicious petit four dessert. “I decided to have petit fours which is my favorite New Orleans pastry stacked like a cake,” she says.
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Personal Touches
“Our wedding was a non-traditional Catholic ceremony. It was non-traditional because the ceremony didn’t take place in a Catholic church and I had to get approval from the Archdiocese to have our wedding in the venue that we selected,” Heather says. “Drew and I also decided on an all black dress code because it’s simple, elegant, a color that most people have in their closet. And an all black dress code also makes your pictures look amazing and cohesive.”
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Shall We Dance?
Photos of the reception prove that the dance floor was always full of energy and good vibes. “Our first dance included a medley of four songs, two NYC classics and two NOLA favorites,” Heather says.
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Bouquet Toss
The ladies, like the rest of the guests, all dressed in black, were ready to leap for Heather’s bouquet during the reception.
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Outfit Number Two
Heather kept the fashions coming all night long!
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Tried and True Traditions
The couple broke out the umbrellas for a secondline dance to signify the start of their new life together. And to turn up, of course.
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Prom Pose
You didn’t have to be the bride and groom to enjoy a photo shoot.
“We also had a prom style photo booth with a photographer to take portraits since neither Drew nor I went to prom,” Heather says.
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A Beautiful Exit
The couple wrapped up the night with help from their guests, who sent them on their way with sparklers.
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What Drew Looks Forward to About Married Life
“We have so much fun all the time,” he says. “So first and foremost I am looking forward to continuing to have the same fun that we’ve always had and just continuing to grow in our relationship with each other and God, building our family, leaving our legacy and taking over the world.”
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What Heather Looks Forward to About Married Life
“I want to go on couples trips!” she says. “Like a ‘Why Did I Get Married?’ type of trip! I’ve always dreamed of going on trips with my husband so I’m excited to travel the world with Drew, and to work on building a family and creating a legacy and always keeping God first as we navigate this next chapter.”
