Bridal Bliss: See Why We Love Marcus and Kristin's Modern Wedding So Much

Bride: Kristin Gabrielle Kennard, 29, Redfin Transaction Coordinator
Groom: Marcus Jefferson Davis, 28, Accenture Technology Consultant
The Big Day: 8/25/17
Location: Prairie Production Studio, Chicago, IL
Style/Theme: Modern Rustic Summer

Vendors 
Photographer: Modern Wedding Solutions 
Cake: Penthouse Sweets Inc.
Hair: Shervan Mclain of Shervan Salon
Makeup: Danielle Rochon
Florist/Decor: Joyce K Grattoni AIFD Wedding Specialist
Planner: Dinai Yelverton

This couple attended the same college but it was not until their last year in school that their paths would cross and fate would lead them to jumping the broom. “We met during homecoming week of our senior year in college. A few of my girlfriends and I were hanging out at the tailgating area, chatting with a few friends, and that’s when he approached me,” revealed Kristin.

While eavesdropping on a conversation his future wife was having about a relationship gone wrong, this groom found the perfect opportunity to shoot his shot. “He caught me off guard because I was in the middle of a conversation with friends about another guy I was trying to blow off and he interrupted the conversation saying, ‘If things don’t work out with you and old dude you can always holler at me.’ Kristin continued, “I looked so confused because I had no idea who he was. I looked at him smiled said ‘who are you?’ He laughed and before he could say anything my friends pulled me away. I saw him a couple weeks later in the student center and I yelled out ‘You!’ He smiled and introduced himself. I got his twitter name and we started following each other. A couple weeks after that we went on our first date.”

Everyone in Kristin’s family knew about her proposal, but her so when the entire family came out to Thanksgiving dinner, this bride wasn’t prepared for the surprise that awaited her after dinner. “He was really adamant about us visiting my parents for Thanksgiving, and wanted to make it a priority to be with family during the holidays. We had just finished eating dinner and were having after dinner drinks and he decided he wanted to make an announcement . I was in shock and also nervous because I had no idea what he was about to say or do.”

It was more than just a holiday for Marcus, the day he proposed happened to be his late mother’s birthday. She passed away when he was fifteen years old. “He told my family that he hadn’t loved another woman like he loves me since his mother passed and that he believed he found his wife. When I looked over, my entire family had their phones out and when I turned back to him, he had a ring in his hand. He got down on one knee and said ‘Will you marry me?’ and of course I said yes!!”

“The way he believes in me, encourages me to be my authentic self and how we make each other laugh. He inspires me to be great in whatever I set my mind at doing! He truly completes me in everyway!” Kristin reveals.

“I knew he was the one when I was having trouble paying one of my student loans and this man offered to help pay it. I said to myself ‘he is going to be my husband one day,’ Kristin explained.

During the wedding intermediate family prayed over the couple and the importance of family is what Marcus was looking for in a bride. “I knew she was the one after I met her parents and sister. I understand how important family is and being close to family was one of the most important traits I sought in a woman,” he shared.

“It was en easy decision because I truly loved her. I couldn’t see or even imagine myself being with someone else. We had similar passions and goals and we both wanted to work together to achieve those goals,” he shared.

“Her smile. It’s what attracted me to her. I still compliment her on her smile and I’ve watched her smile for 6 years now.”

“Kristin is a very driven and fun person to be around. When she wants something she sets out to go get it. She’s the life of the party and very social and outgoing. I can be an introvert at times, so I consider her my better half,” shared Marcus.

They say little girls dream of marrying a man like their father, and Kristin loved how Marcus’ love was all too familiar. “Well, I always believed that there is a thing called true love but you can’t find it or rush it…it has to come to you. So when his actions reminded me of how my father cares and loves me, I knew then not to mess this up! That is when I knew I found true love!” she shared.

“I didn’t have any expectations on when I’d find true love, so when it happened I assumed it was meant to be. I know most people plan their lives out and expect to find love and be married by a certain age, but for me, I just wanted to enjoy life until I found the right woman,” Marcus revealed.

Many brides opt for a bare space to transform into their dream wedding. “Our wedding planner Dinai Yelverton showed us a few venues and we decided to go with a whitespace which enabled us to transform the space how we would like!” Kristin shared.

These newlyweds found inspiration for their wedding on Pinterest. “We didn’t have a set wedding in mind; we both knew we wanted it to be modern and fun with a rustic summer look. With the help of Pinterest, it was easy to put together our look for our beautiful day!” the bride revealed.

“I gave our wedding planner, Dinai Yelverton, the ideas of what I wanted and she did the planning and pulled everything together for us. She provided our venue and the service providers I used for my makeup, DJ and catering as well!”

The reception was held in the same location as the ceremony with 125 guests. “The ceremony was traditional with a pastor ordaining our ceremony,” the bride detailed. “The champagne alter drapes swung down from the ceiling and served as a beautiful backdrop to the alter. In the aisle, we placed tube vases filled with water and floating candles to provide an elegant look. On each table, we decorated with champagne and rose gold flowers and wooden table markers to give it a rustic summer look.”

“I was too nervous to cry. I was too focused on not falling while walking down the aisle and not messing up during the reading of our vows. I didn’t see him cry, but I definitely saw him holding back tears. We were both happy and the emotions were running high.”

The couple were engaged for two years so the anticipation for the big moment was at an all time high. “I had been waiting so long for this moment and when it finally got here my emotions were all over the place. She looked gorgeous and I couldn’t wait to say ‘I Do’,” Marcus shared.

“In 2012 Marcus put a picture of a cake topper on his Instagram with a caption that said he wanted one similar for his wedding day. I knew it would showcase both of our personalities. I went on Esty and found someone to do it and sent him the Instagram post and pictures of us for him to make the cake topper. Our cake was made by Penthouse Sweets Inc. We had a five-tier buttercream wedding cake. The cake was all gold buttercream airbrushed spray with leaves and greenery around the cake. The cake was the talk of the wedding.“

“I found my dress at Nordstrom’s Wedding Suite. I just knew I chose Nordstrom because of their high-end customer service and I knew they would provide the service I wanted when looking for my special dress! I knew this dress was the one when I put on the dress and my eye lit up with joy! I tried on another dress after and I didn’t have the same reaction at all! So I knew I had to go back and get that dress! “

“My dress came with a long veil that I wore and my shoes were Christian Louboutins. I chose to wear stud pearls with a matching pearl neckless for my jewelry. I was going for a subtle classic look with my dress and it came out perfect!”

“I decided to wear my natural hair with an up-do! I knew that I would be dancing and outside and back inside and I didn’t want hair on my neck so I had to do an up-do! I also knew I wanted my hair to be in its natural state because that’s when I feel the most beautiful!”

After spending a couple of days in Cabo San Lucas for the bachelorette party, the bridesmaids were excited to reunite with their bride.

We went with champangne and rose for our summer theme so I found the perfect dress for my bridesmaid at Bella Bridesmaid’s Boutique located in Dallas, TX.

Marcus and his friends from high school and college enjoyed a bachelor weekend at ESSENCE Fest this year.

“I wanted my groomsmen to have some spazaz with our outfits. I choose the socks for them based off of their personalities. I selected socks with the DC Comics vs. Marvel comic theme and gave them to my groomsmen. For example, my friend Jon got Batman socks because his Kappa line name was Bruce Wayne and I wore the Punisher socks with my black shoes,” Marcus explained.

The bride walked down the aisle to Musiq Soulchild’s Don’t Change, but the couple turned up the heat with WizKid’s Sweet Love for their first dance.

When their big day was all said and done, the bride and groom were the first to admit it was simply wonderful–all in the name of love!