The bride and groom first met at a house party, but the sparks between them really began to fly months later when they locked eyes at brunch. Take a look at their beautiful Florida wedding!
Bride: Angelina Elizabeth Darrisaw, 30, Owner of Career Coaching Business, C-Suite Coach
Groom: Maurice Edward Cheeks, 30, Broker
The Big Day: 2/18/18
Location: Panama City Beach, Florida / Sheraton Bay Point
Style/Theme: Beach Chic
Vendors
Venue: Sheraton Bay Point Resort
Cake: Jessica Sirten
Wedding Planner: Sherri Kuhn
Photo Booth: Epic Photo
DJ: DJ Vladi
Décor: Events by Nouveau
Fireworks: Pyro Shows
Photography: Michael Kuhn
Hair: Megan Wages
MUA: Ashley Jackson
Invitations: Debra Cartwright
Wedding Programs & Welcome Bags: Clifton Muhammad of 4identitees
Dress Alterations & Cleaning: Hallak the Couture Cleaner
The bride carried a stunning, loose yet round bouquet featuring creamy ivory, white, and soft peach florals, with pops of coral and orange. Her bouquet included beautiful peonies, ranunculus, stock, garden roses, complete with according greenery of Italian ruscus and dusty miller. The stems were exposed and wrapped in a classic ivory silk ribbon.
“It was magical,” said Angelina of being a bride. “Having so many people I love in one place meant the world to me. Everyone getting along and dancing and having fun together was one of the most special things I’ve felt.”
“I’ve had a stationery fetish since my mom made me write handwritten thank you notes for Christmas gifts as soon as I learned how to write,” the bride shared. “I want to invest in a stationery business one day. Mo knows this and knew I needed invitations that were unique and special. He suggested I ask this artist I am obsessed with. Her name is Debra Cartwright and she is now an artist in-house at ESSENCE. We met her once on a ski trip. Working on invites with her set the whole tone of our wedding to be something uniquely us. What’s crazy is that she painted it without seeing my dress or our venue and it was so on the money!”
“Being a groom was an amazing experience and it exceeded all of my expectations,” said proud husband Maurice. “I am not a person who likes the spotlight but seeing all of my family and friends share in our day was truly unbelievable. I had way more fun than I thought I would. We put a lot of time and effort into making it special and seeing it all come together was great.”
“My dress was by Lazaro. I went shopping in sample sales and sent pictures to my mom who was vacationing in Puerto Rico,” said Angelina. “When she saw me in ‘the dress’ she just said, ‘that’s the one.’ It was a little more than we wanted to spend but it was definitely the one, so we went for it.”
“Angelina is very strong-willed and driven at everything she does,” said Maurice of his lovely bride. “She also has a very good sense of family values and kindness.”
“At my last family reunion, he handed out plates to all of the elders and was bussing tables in his dressy clothes,” said the bride of her groom. “He volunteers with me and joins organizations that matter to us. He has endless pranks that make my blood boil, but also make me laugh. He’s a good person.”
“My Uncle Gregory walked me down the aisle,” shared the bride. “I planned to walk alone, because you know, I’m an independent woman, but I realized I needed help. So I picked the best helper and most loving soul I know.”
“It felt great. I had a huge smile on my face looking at her walking down the aisle,” said the groom. “She looked beautiful and it was great to see her so happy.”
“I think I always thought I would find true love, but I didn’t think it would happen as soon as it did,” said Maurice of finding the love of his life in Angelina. “But you can’t pass up on a good thing when you see it!” Agreed!
“After our first couple dates and when I realized how down to earth she was,” answered Maurice when we asked when he knew his bride was the one. “She got even more beautiful every time I saw her.”
“I said yes because we are different in a way that makes me better,” said the bride. “He is my best friend and confidante and we have fun together.”
“I love that she has a strong connection to family, and appreciates all generations,” said the groom of his bride. “She talks to almost three generations of women on a weekly basis from her great-grandmother to her mom and I hope she can pass that along to our children. Also, I love that she is very driven and passionate about her work and she has a very strong sense of purpose.”
Angelina and her bridesmaids are absolutely gorgeous and we just loved their big day glow.
“We had a three tier cake with coastal details. We wanted it to feel beachy but beautiful as our wedding. We had champagne cake with buttercream filling for one layer. The others were chocolate cake with cream cheese filling. We chose the flavors because they were delicious!”
Here’s to a lifetime of happiness for the bride and groom! Want to see your wedding in Bridal Bliss? Email us now.