“How will we tell people we met? No one will believe us.”
That’s what groom Anton said to his bride, then a perfect stranger, Joi-Marie, when they first met in 2015. They were both hand selected to be part of their friends’ bridal party—where Anton was a groomsman and Joi-Marie was a bridesmaid. The two were paired because they just so happened to be the tallest members of the crew.
So when they walked down the aisle as husband and wife on August 24, they had already made that walk before.
Article continues after video.
The heartwarming scene was captured in the bride’s critically-acclaimed memoir, The Engagement Game, which hilariously detailed her bumpy love journey before becoming engaged. So when Anton suggested they wed inside the George Peabody Library in Baltimore, Maryland—Joi-Marie’s hometown—it made perfect sense.
“Once I saw the venue, I fell in love with idea of getting married in a library,” Anton tells ESSENCE. “I love to read and Joi-Marie had just penned her first book. It was serendipitous and almost too good to be true. So I scrapped our original aesthetic [of rustic chic] and selected this as our top choice.”
It’s always exciting to see one of our own tie the knot! To see more of ESSENCE senior entertainment editor Joi-Marie and Anton’s fairytale wedding, scroll below.
Vendors:
Planning & Design: Favored by Yodit (Read her profile here!)
Photography: Kesha Lambert
Videography: Invision Media Company
Florals & Decor: My Flower Box
Catering: The Classic Catering People
Venue: George Peabody Library
Cake: Charm City Cakes
Draping & Lighting: Event Dynamics Inc.
Stationery: Made Divine (Read her profile here!)
DJ: DJ Lil Mic
Musicians: The String Queens
Cotton Candy: Fluffness
Bride’s Hair: Indique
Bride’s Hair Stylist: Aisha At Beautyful Vision
Makeup: Kiate Jones + Ashley Boyd
Bride’s Nails: Paintbox Nails
Bride’s Dress: Pnina Tornai from Kleinfeld Bridal
Groom’s Tux: Suit Supply
Want to see your wedding featured in Bridal Bliss? Send your story and a link to your wedding photos to bridalbliss@essence.com for consideration.
01
Here Comes The Groom
Joi-Marie tells ESSENCE she knew Anton was The One when she casually mentioned she was sitting in the emergency room because her beloved miniature dachshund was having back issues. “I still don’t know how he figured out which vet I was at, but he just walked in the lobby with a concerned look on his face. He was headed to dinner with a friend, but stopped by to make sure I was OK. That’s who Anton is; he’ll drop everything to make sure I’m good. You can’t teach that kind of care and compassion.”
02
A Touch Of Class
Despite rocking Gucci during the ceremony, the groom ran around his wedding weekend in Jordan 4s. “It was my first pair of Jordans that my late father bought for me,” Anton recalls.
03
His Right Hand Man
Ahead of the ceremony, the groom gifted his best man, Andrew Randall, who’s also been featured in ESSENCE’s Bridal Bliss column, a “Hand” pin from Game of Thrones.
04
You’re Invited
Black stationery designer Crystal Thomas of Made Divine created a signature look, including a custom monogram, for The Lewises. While their save-the-date was postcard style, their actual wedding invitation was a booklet that featured a quote from a poem written by the bride’s great-grandfather, the late journalist Carl J. Murphy, about his wife, Vashti Turley Murphy, in August 1915. “Beauty will fade, but not the God in me. Love that, beloved, to eternity,” it read.
05
All Eyes On Him
Anton’s 10 groomsmen were a collection of friends that he met in high school and college while matriculating in New York.
06
I’m Glad I Got My Girls
Originally, Joi-Marie thought she only wanted one bridesmaid—her sister. But when her groom wanted to celebrate their day surrounded by 10 of his friends, she chose 11 bridesmaids to share in her occasion. Her leading ladies were easy choices; her cousin along with women she’d met in middle school, dance class and in college.
07
It’s Coming Up Roses
“It was fun watching one of my oldest friends, in front of God, her family and friends, commit her life to a person she had chosen to share her life with,” maid of honor Ashlee Tuck tells ESSENCE. “It’s a moment we’ve talked about since childhood so to actually see her marital dreams come true, was a dream realized for me too.”
08
A Mother’s Love
“I hadn’t done a lot of self-care in the six weeks after delivering our son. So the idea of getting glamorous for our wedding day took emotional leaps,” the bride wrote in an Instagram caption. “Not to mention, I was determined to breastfeed and needed to pump thanks to his growth spurt (and my spilling three ounces in the hotel room. I almost cried!). So thank you to my glam squad and bridesmaids for being patient with me and him.”
09
Bride’s Little Helper
“It was really special to share the day with my goddaughter and niece, Gracie, who was my little helper all day. I can’t wait to return the favor when she gets married one day. We’re not in a rush though!” the bride joked.
10
Generational Blessings
“My mother, Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, has earned a reputation for pulling off the best surprises in our family, and she didn’t disappoint on my wedding day,” Joi-Marie recalls. “For my ‘something blue,’ she pulled out my great-grandmother, Vashti Turley Murphy’s sapphire ring. It was gifted to her by her husband, who said that Black people always looked great in blue. It meant the world to me to have my foremothers there with me in spirit.”
11
Something Blue
Joi-Marie’s great-grandmother, Vashti Turley Murphy, was one of the founders of the largest sorority for Black college-educated women in the world, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
12
The Dress
The bride wrote in her memoir, The Engagement Game, how she had become obsessed with watching Say Yes To The Dress. So it was only right that she chose her dress from Kleinfeld Bridal in New York City. “The entire experience was amazing and I even saw some people from the show,” she recalls. “Too bad, I didn’t spot [designer] Randy [Fenoli]!”
13
Princess Bride
Anton said he leaned on his faith to recognize Joi-Marie was The One. “I felt God was speaking to me. He was preserving me and telling me, ‘This is it.’ And I just decided to trust that.There were just some strange things that were falling into place. And I knew this wasn’t even me, this was something else. And I would tell my friends, ‘Yo, that’s not me. That’s gotta be God.'”
14
Ladies In Red
Every member of Joi-Marie’s bride tribe was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
15
Mirror, Mirror On The Wall
“I had 11 bridesmaids and honestly I could’ve had more. I’m so blessed to have an overflow of amazing women in my life, who have supported me and my dreams—including my dream of becoming a wife,” the bride tells ESSENCE.
16
Officiant Of Honor
The bride’s sister, Vashti-Jasmine Saint-Jean, served as the couple’s officiant and the bride’s matron of honor. Saint-Jean says of the moment, “I have been a close witness to every major milestone in my sister’s life, but never did I think that she—and more importantly her fiancé—would choose me to marry them. I was truly honored to not only be a witness, but to be the conduit through which they would start their married lives together and announce for the first time that they were husband and wife! It doesn’t get any better than that for a big sister.”
17
Final Steps As A Single Man
Anton said he was thinking two things while walking down the aisle: “Be strong and don’t cry!”
18
Bridal Party
“My favorite moment of the wedding was the processional. Each person that came down the aisle represented an indispensable part of my life,” the groom says.
19
Not Your Average Flower Girl
The venue wouldn’t allow the flower girl, Gracie, to throw petals. Instead, she adorably screamed, “Here comes the bride!” while waving her magic wand, the bride tells us.
20
A Real Smile
“Seeing her walk down the aisle with her father was so special to me and a memory I will cherish forever,” the groom says.
21
Holding It All In
“My wife had just delivered our son, who was seated in the pews, six weeks earlier. I thought about her strength to walk down that aisle and look so graceful doing it that thought almost moved me to tears,” the groom says, before adding, “almost.”
22
Eyes For Him
The couple’s 140 guests were told that the attire for their wedding was Black excellence; and the guests delivered.
23
Exchanging Vows
The couple both wrote their own vows, which moved many to tears.
24
Circle Of Love
When designing Joi-Marie’s engagement ring, Anton chose a white gold band with a rose gold setting. It’s because the bride’s favorite is rose gold. Anton chose a matching Cartier wedding band to complement.
25
Family First
The couple chose yellow flowers to honor their late grandparents. “It was an ode to those not there,” the groom adds.
26
Not A Dry Eye
“Working with Joi-Marie and Anton was really a dream!” wedding designer and planner Yodit Gebreyes tells ESSENCE. “They completely trusted my team and I with their vision, picking out the right vendors to execute everything perfectly and were open to let me lead them through the creative process. From the jump I was super excited to plan my second wedding at the George Peabody Library. It made the most sense since they both love to read books, but also since Joi-Marie is an author! It’s always nice when couples have a connection with their wedding venue and can use that throughout the wedding theme like we did for #LewisInLove.”
27
The First Kiss
The bride’s godparents, Bishop John Bryant and his wife Cecelia Williams Bryant, along with the groom’s cousin, Akil County, participated in the family-centric ceremony.
28
Jumping The Broom
The couple jumped the same broom the bride’s parents jumped 51 years before.
29
“I Do”
After jumping the broom, the couple walked down the aisle as husband and wife to Jeezy’s “I Do.”
30
Carried Away
George Peabody Library provided the perfect backdrop for the couple’s portraits.
31
Black Love
The bridal party stopped traffic—literally—to get this gorgeous shot.
32
The Lewises
The couple plans to honeymoon in Egypt and Greece in 2020.
33
Ultralight Beam
The couple loved working with photographer Kesha Lambert, who literally got on the floor to get the perfect shots.
34
Surrounded By Love Stories
After the ceremony, a cocktail hour featured three Black violinists dubbed The String Queens. Then, the library was transformed into a reception space.
35
A Night In The Stacks
The couple sat at a head table, alongside their best man and their matron of honor.
36
A Golden Touch
Each table at the reception was named after a Black author the couple loved, including Jason Reynolds, Brit Bennett, bell hooks and the groom’s uncle Selwyn Cudjoe.
37
Her Only Son
The groom saved a special dance for his proud mother as the two danced to “A Song For Mama” by Boyz II Men.
38
A Sweet Ending
The couple’s three-tiered cake, created by Charm City Cakes, was carrot cake; their favorite.
39
“Your Joy”
The bride and her father, former NBA player Stan McKenzie, danced to Chrisette Michele’s “Your Joy.” The lyrics read, “You’ll always be my father/And I’ll always be your joy.”
40
Cheers To The Couple
The couple said one of the best speeches during the reception was given by the best man, Randall, pictured here.
41
A Sister Circle
One of the bride’s favorite moments was listening to her sisters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated serenade her with the Sweetheart Song.
42
It’s A Party!
The caterer told the bride it was one of the few weddings where guests never wanted to leave the dance floor—not even for dessert!
43
Let’s Get It Started
DJ Lil Mic kept the guests on the dance floor with his set, which included Soca—a nod to the groom’s birth country, Trinidad—Reggae, Baltimore Club Music, Go Go and of course, hip hop.
44
Ay!
This is what happens when the deejay played JW & Blaze’s “Palance.”
45
I Swag, Then I Surf
One of the groom’s favorite songs on the dance floor was when DJ Lil Mic played “Swag Surf.” He adds, “That song is the cornerstone of every Black party, but often times it might be you and maybe a few close friends doing the dance together. It hits differently when it’s 140 of your closest friends moving together to the beat. That community of family and friends played a huge role in getting us to the altar, and seeing everyone come together arm in arm celebrating us that night was special to me.”
