“Maurice is very attentive to me and my needs,” says happy bride Tamika. “He is thoughtful. He is loving, and makes an effort to show me how much he cares. He is loyal, trustworthy and a confidant. I can definitely let my guard down with him and know that he won’t judge me.”
“My dress was designed by Maggie Sottero,” Tamika shares. “It actually was not the dress I thought I’d be wearing the day of my wedding. The original dress I fell in love with, was also designed by Maggie Sottero. I had found it while looking at the designer’s website. It wasn’t the shape I imagined would best suit my figure. But when I put it on, I swear it was like the angels were singing. It was definitely a defining moment.”
A custom favorites for an elegant bride.
“I wanted something a little different for my bouquet so I opted to have a brooch bouquet made,” says Tamika. “The bridesmaids bouquets consisted of calla lilies and roses.”
“Our children were in our wedding,” says the bride. “They were our flower girls. Brandy was just eleven months old and I was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to walk down the aisle…literally. She was just learning how to walk, taking small steps. On our wedding day, she proved me wrong and walked down the aisle proudly. She even lost a shoe, but she was smiling the entire time. I hear she didn’t want to stop once she reached the end.”
“Nicole Newland served as both my hairstylist and as a bridesmaid,” says Tamika. “She has been doing my hair for over 10 years. Robin Lynn of Robin Lynn Artistry did my makeup.” Cheers to the bride’s glam squad.
There were plenty of sweet candid moments like this one to go around on the couple’s big day.
Another great group shot!
The groom and groomsmen wore attire from the Men’s Warehouse. “The groom picked everything out, from the purple tie to the shoes,” the bride tells us.
“I had a slew of emotions on my wedding day,” the bride shares. “I was anxious, nervous, sad and excited. I couldn’t wait to walk down the aisle and be ‘Mrs. Jones.’”
“One of the things that I love most about Tamika is her sense of humor,” says Maurice. “One of my favorite sounds is her infectious laugh, as if an invisible person is tickling her. One of my favorite activities is laughing with her. The smile that accompanies her laugh is like sunshine on a rainy day. I love it!”
“She knows when to listen to me, when to empathize with me, when to laugh with me, when to cry with me, when to second-guess me, and even when to disagree with me,” says Maurice. “I guess the best way to describe it is that it feels like she was made specifically for me.”
“While we were dating, one of the qualities I loved most about Maurice is that he is very family orientated,” says Tamika. “And as my husband, he is the same way. There isn’t anything he won’t do for me and our girls. He makes it a point to ensure that we know that we are loved. Overall he is just a loving person.”
“My mother’s brother, my Uncle Harold walked me down the aisle,” says Tamika. “He has always been like a father figure to me and practically helped raise me into the woman I am today.”
“Music played a major role on our wedding day,” says Tamika. “Maurice and his groomsmen walked down the aisle to ‘You’ by Jesse Powell. My bridesmaids processional was ‘All of Me’ by John Legend. I walked down the aisle to ‘Dangerously In Love’ by Beyonce. Each song expressed how we felt about one another.”
“My cousin Kevin was the wedding officiate,” says Tamika. “He was one of my mother’s favorite cousin and he and I are very close to this day. He was honored to marry us and I was happy to have him do it.”
“A few times I’d remember how I always imagined that both my grandmother and my mother would be there to witness me exchange vows,” says Tamika. “I even told my mother that when I did get married, I wanted her to walk me down the aisle. Not having either of them there physically saddened me. Gradually, all that went away once I heard the music queued, the loft door to the venue opened and I saw Maurice standing there in his tux. It was almost like a fairytale. I felt like I glided down the aisle.”
“Guests were seated at their tables and remained at their tables while we walked down the aisle and exchanged our vows,” says Tamika.
“In an odd way, looking into his eyes at the altar was a liberating feeling,” says Tamika. “My Grandmother was a pastor, and I grew up in the church. Living with someone before marriage, or having a child before marriage isn’t exactly smiled upon. At that moment I didn’t feel ashamed of the choices I had made anymore. It all led to me marrying the man of my dreams.”
“We chose to recite the traditional vows,” says the bride.
Of course the lovely couple couldn’t wait to jump the broom.
Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Jones!
“I find myself giving her a title I’d previously never believed in — soul mate,” says Maurice. “She’s the Eve to my Adam.”
“It was shortly after my mother passed away that I knew he was the one,” says Tamika. “Months in advance, Maurice had planned to go away on a vacation with his brothers. He was excited to go, but just days before he was supposed to board the plane, he mysteriously couldn’t find his passport. Maurice spent that Sunday looking for it to no avail. I had just come from seeing my mom at the hospital and I knew she probably wouldn’t make it through the night. To take my mind off of things, I asked if I could come by his place. It was at his apartment that I received the call that my mother had passed away. At that moment, he made my needs the most important thing. He never did find his passport and ultimately he missed his trip, but we spent every day together that week.”
Tamika found these chic (and totally re-wearable) gowns for her bridesmaids at David’s Bridal.
“I didn’t think I would find true love how or when I did,” shares the lovely bride. “For a long time, I focused on taking care of my Grandmother and then eventually my Mother. Love was always on the back burner for me. And of all people, I would’ve never thought I’d fall for Maurice Jones from high school. It just goes to show that sometimes love really is right in front of you. You just may not see it until the time is right.”
The couple honored the ones they loved who couldn’t be with them on their special day with this lovely memoriam mirror.
“Overall our theme was black and white with splashes of purple,” says Tamika. “This was the perfect union between his favorite color and mine.”
Tamika and Maurice’s tablescapes gave us instant decorgasms!
We adore Tamika and Maurice’s purple, black, white and damask wedding decor style.
For their first dance they chose “Always” by Atlantic Starr.
“On our wedding day, there was a magical feeling in the air,” says the bride. “I can honestly say that I had fun at my wedding. It felt like a party as well as a wedding.”
“Before that day, I never really anticipated how I would feel on the day of the wedding,” says Tamika. “I was too busy feeling eager for the day to come.”
“Tamika looked absolutely gorgeous!” boasts Maurice. “I have always believed that one can not improve upon perfection, but I was proven completely wrong on our wedding day.”
The newlyweds were surrounded by love on their big day.
The New York based couple got creative when it came to their escort cards. They used a design to mimic the New York City Metro subway cards.
The couple’s sweetheart table was sweeter than sweet.
“Walking into the space, I immediately knew that was the 1 for me,” says Tamika. “It was almost like I envisioned my wedding day the moment I stepped into the venue. We did our due diligence and looked at other places, but nothing ever compared to it. I loved the rustic, industrial feel with the exposed brick, wooden beams, natural light and the view of Manhattan was to die for.”
“My cake was designed to mimic my wedding dress,” the bride recalls. “It was three tiered and red velvet. We didn’t want the traditional vanilla cake. We wanted something a little different. We also had a surprise groom cake that was made in the shape of a Hennessey bottle, Maurice’s favorite libation.”
Romantic lighting effects helped to create the mood for elegance and celebration at the couple’s wedding reception.
“At the wedding, we had a deejay,” says Tamika. “People raved about his musical choices. One highlight was that he played jazzy renditions of current hip hop songs which had guests playing name that tune at their table.”
“Sitting down with my planner who happened to be my best friend (Camille Plummer), we started out by saying all of the things that we knew we wanted,” says Tamika. “For me, I knew that I wanted our wedding to be different, creative and reflect our personalities. I knew that I didn’t want it to be your typical, run of the mill, cookie cutter type of affair.”
Join us in congratulating Tamika and Maurice on their nuptials. Leave the happy couple a little comment love below. Want to see your wedding featured in Bridal Bliss? Email us now!
