- How did Benjamin's Ghanaian identity and your title as queen shape the vision for your wedding week?
- Which moment from the five days will stay with you longest?
- What role did family play in the planning and execution of the week?
- Walk us through your engagement ceremony looks. What did each one represent?
- Tell us about the atmosphere as you saw each other for the first time at the ceremony.
- What did it mean to receive the decorated stool and the dowry from Benjamin's family?
- Did you write your own vows?
- Tell us about Benjamin's suit. How did that collaboration come about, and what did he want it to say?
- What did it mean to stand at Osu Castle on your wedding day?
- Walk us through the vision for your reception.
- Tell us about the looks you changed into for the reception. Who designed them, and what did each one feel like to wear?
- What does this marriage represent for the next chapter of your lives?
- What do you love most about each other?
- Wedding Team
There are weddings, and then there are declarations.
Arian Simone and Benjamin Mougarbel’s 5-day royal wedding in Ghana was just was unquestionably the latter. The story of Her Majesty Queen Wa, Arian Simone Reed, and Ghanaian entrepreneur Benjamin Salah Mougarbel began on March 28, 2025, at a flower shop in Accra, where a mutual friend, Andrew Jonah, orchestrated an introduction he had long been praying for. Arian had stopped in on her way to the airport, barefaced and in sweats, ready to board a red-eye back to Atlanta. Benjamin cancelled his meetings within ten minutes. By the end of their first date at the Polo Club in Accra, something had already shifted. A weeklong trip to London followed in late April, then two months together in Accra, and by August 4, Arian walked into their suite at the St. Regis Hotel in Dubai to find a heart-shaped arrangement of rose petals on the bed, with a three-carat diamond ring at its center. It had been less than six months since they met, and nothing, she said, felt rushed.
On May 23, 2026, the two exchanged vows at Osu Castle in Accra, Ghana, a 17th-century fortress that once served as a seat of colonial power and a departure point for enslaved Africans, and later as the presidential palace of an independent Ghana. The image of the two of them standing before its ancient white walls, Arian radiant in a beaded gown draped in cowries, Benjamin commanding in a military green suit bearing an Adinkra symbol of strength and humility, is not simply a wedding portrait. It is a reclamation. Four hundred guests, half of whom traveled internationally for the occasion, bore witness to a union that was as historically resonant as it was deeply personal. From the first welcome gathering to the final Thanksgiving brunch, every detail of the week reflected the couple’s commitment to honoring their heritage, elevating their guests, and leaving a permanent mark on everyone present.
Below, the couple reflects on the week in their own words, alongside highlights from five days of celebration in Accra.
Day 1 – Welcome Party
Day 2 – Traditional Ghanaian Engagement Ceremony
Day 3 – Beach Party Vibes
Day 4 – White Wedding Celebration
Inteview with Arian Simone and Benjamin Mougarbel
How did Benjamin’s Ghanaian identity and your title as queen shape the vision for your wedding week?
Benjamin was very intentional about making sure I was honored in my title. He comes from a royal family as well, and he wanted to make sure of that. He secured every single venue, including Osu Castle, because he wanted that powerful meaning of what it would represent for us to exchange vows at the former presidential palace.
We also wanted our guests to feel like royalty. We showered them with gifts throughout the celebration: custom name bracelets, sashes, welcome boxes with golden figurines representing the Gold Coast of Ghana. We wanted them to have that feeling.
Which moment from the five days will stay with you longest?
For Benjamin, the one thing he was looking forward to the most was our vows. Every person who asked what he was looking forward to, he said our vows.
For me, it was a combination of things. The presence of God was just so evident at every event, in every experience. People were constantly issuing blessings over us, praying for us, speaking positive over our lives. That will definitely stay with me. I also love that everybody has said we gave them an experience of a lifetime that they could not have given themselves. That means a great deal.
What role did family play in the planning and execution of the week?
Family came in more during the traditional engagement ceremony. They were passing out fabric, fulfilling their roles in the traditional ceremony. My husband was given a dowry list, and the family was most active in the engagement ceremony. For the wedding itself, Benjamin and the planners took on the heavier lifting.
One thing I want to give my husband credit for: he was hands-on from an operational standpoint. The logistics, the transportation, making sure every single guest was shuttled to all the wedding events, motorcades, buses. People said they had never had a driver in a bus or a shuttle before. He wanted to make sure that if people were going to travel across the ocean, there was nothing they lacked and nothing they needed that was not at their disposal.
Walk us through your engagement ceremony looks. What did each one represent?
The first dress was originally going to be my only dress for the engagement ceremony, so we went all out. It was kente, which is tradition, and it had detachable arms that hit the floor. We did not want a traditional mermaid-style kente dress. My best friend Jada told me I had to come with it, and Shaped by Nelson definitely delivered on that vision.
The kente is very significant in Ghanaian tradition. You take one color from the kente to represent the groom’s family, and one color to represent the bride’s family. Those become the family cloth for each side.
The second look was giving an East African feel, with a long veil, beading, and ornate detail. As African-Americans raised in America, we carry so many countries in our bloodline. I wanted something that represented my Ivorian side and something that represented the East as well.
The third dress was my party dress. I wanted to dance. I did not want anything heavy. I wanted kente and feathers, and people said they had never seen kente with feathers before. I was so excited about that one.
Tell us about the atmosphere as you saw each other for the first time at the ceremony.
When we first saw each other, we were just happy to see each other. And then we were in awe of all the details.
I knew the concept of Benjamin’s outfit, but I did not know what the final result would look like. I did not know he was going to have an Adinkra symbol on his military suit, which I love, because the symbol he chose represents strength and humility. Even though we were in what would be called a white wedding, a Western ceremony, we were still true, even in that moment, to our African culture and our heritage. The fact that he did that on his suit, and my dress was draped in cowries, showed that even in that moment, we were going to stay true to who we are as Africans.
The details were extraordinary. There were guardsmen holding the gates. There were coachmen on horses leading me in. There were ballerinas on pointe. There was a 25-person National Symphony Orchestra and a 20-person award-winning choir. We were literally having a ceremony at Osu Castle with the ocean right behind us, during golden hour. It was breathtaking.
What did it mean to receive the decorated stool and the dowry from Benjamin’s family?
That meant everything to me, because we were upholding our traditions. I think it is so valuable to see two families come into agreement over a marriage. When a dowry is given, it is because the parents have invested so much into their daughter: her education, her upbringing, her wisdom. The dowry represents an acknowledgment of that investment and a promise that she will be well cared for as she moves from one household to the next. As a queen and a traditional leader, I am a lover of culture, of customs, of ceremonies, and holding our traditions means something to me.
Did you write your own vows?
We did not write our own vows, but we gave our officiant, Touré Roberts, everything he needed to craft them. We had a session with him going over what we wanted the vows to represent. We gave him different examples and different sentiments, and he crafted them according to everything we shared. It was important to us to say: I stand with you in prosperity. I stand with you in great health. Together, we come against poverty. Together, we come against any form of illness. The vows were traditional in structure, but with a spirit that was entirely our own.
Tell us about Benjamin’s suit. How did that collaboration come about, and what did he want it to say?
Benjamin went to boarding school at a premier institution in Ghana and was a cadet. He actually once considered the British army, but life led him to become an entrepreneur instead. He wanted his suit to represent leadership. He wanted it to represent royalty. He wanted it to stay true to his Ghanaian identity, which is reflected in the Adinkra symbol on his uniform.
The collaboration came through me, actually. I was in the Bintumani boutique and saw something similar to what he had envisioned. I told him he may want to check it out. He went up there, saw the vibe, and decided to give them a chance. He was completely hands-on in that process. The military green color was actually their suggestion, and at first he was not sure. But I told him to trust it. They really delivered. The detail, the beading, the tassels: it was the definition of refined luxury, and he achieved it.
What did it mean to stand at Osu Castle on your wedding day?
Benjamin selected that place, and we went through a great deal to secure it. He was very adamant about us being there for what it represented on so many levels.
This is a place that historically held our people in bondage. They were enslaved, and they were traded from those walls. And that was overruled. It was reclaimed. We are both admirers of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and his passion for the continent of Africa, and of the presidents who came after him who wanted to make that fortress a place of government and sovereignty, a symbol of what our people had overcome.
To stand there exchanging our vows: people who witnessed it came up to us in tears. They told us that we had stood over the dungeon where enslaved women and children were once held. Many of our guests came from families whose ancestors were directly connected to that history, to the lineage of those who reclaimed the castle from colonial rule. And they said we would not believe how powerful it was to witness that. My husband kept sharing the testimonies. The visual demonstration of that exchange of vows, in that place, moved people in ways that went far beyond the wedding.
Walk us through the vision for your reception.
The theme of our wedding was “Coming to Africa,” a play on Coming to America. When guests arrived, we wanted them to be welcomed with a full musical and dance performance in that spirit.
Andrew Jonah, the mutual friend who introduced us, gave the only toast. He was given a special and dignified place in that moment. We had clergy from both America and Africa in attendance. We had politicians from both sides. We took a picture with about 20 politicians and about 15 clergy members. Celebrities, business people, millionaires, billionaires: they were all there. US Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett was there. Attorney Benjamin Crump was there. Bishop William Murphy was there. We had footballers, artists, African royals. On both sides, the notables gathered in one place. For me, that was a bridging of worlds.
The food was meaningful too. We served traditional dishes, and of course Benjamin’s hot chocolate was in the building. My husband has been a chocolate manufacturer for 16 years, and BHC Drinks was part of the celebration.
After the reception, we moved to an after-party at a club in Ghana, and everyone showed up in black tie. They had a wonderful time.
Tell us about the looks you changed into for the reception. Who designed them, and what did each one feel like to wear?
Brides by Nona designed my reception and after-party dress, and it felt like everything. It felt like I was stepping into an additional chapter of the celebration.
Benjamin did not change for the reception, but underneath his suit he had layers to match me and my other looks. He told me, “I’m not changing, but I’ve got layers.” And it was immaculate: the tassels, the beading, the detail. He achieved what he set out to do.
What does this marriage represent for the next chapter of your lives?
Individually and together, this represents a new dimension in our lives, a new level of elevation. When two become one, there is so much more that can be accomplished together for the assignments we carry here on earth. Benjamin and I are very intentional, very purpose-driven people. We know that being partners together means our purpose in this world will expand.
Professionally, Benjamin’s mission is to create employment for the youth on the continent. My mission is to create more access to capital for women on the continent. We have these large, global visions, and Africa is central to both of them.
What do you love most about each other?
What I love most about Benjamin is his faith in God, and his consideration and attention toward me. He is so mindful. There could be something empty in the house that he knows I use often, and I will come back one day and find it full, just because he noticed. Our second date was a week in London, and all I had to do was show up. He had everything planned: every single day, every activity, every dinner. His desire and intention to be not just a financial provider, but a provider of emotional security, that is what I noticed from the very beginning.
What Benjamin loves about me, he would say, is my faith in God and my belief in him. He loves that he has a teammate. If he wakes up with an idea, I am on board immediately. He also loves that we are traditional in the ways that matter: I cook for my husband. I am attentive to him. And we are both in service to each other.
Wedding Team
Traditional Wedding
Blessings
@archbishopnick | @jamalhbryant | @mzkarribaby | @williammurphyiii | @iamdaniellemurphy
Planning, Coordination & Production
@whitechalk_global
Décor
@tinatheplanner_
Photography & Videography
Pre-Wedding Photography: @thetribephotography
Photography: @thehbuc | @thetribephotography
Videography: @thehbuc
Hair & Makeup
Hair: @studio7clinicandmedspa
Makeup: @makeupbyzulky
Bridal Fashion
Bride’s First Look: @shapes_by_nelson
Bride’s Second Look: @bintumaniboutique
Bride’s Third Look: @lempochecouture
Groom & Groomsmen: @mrgodisthereason
Stylist: @kelvincentgh
Entertainment
MC: @mysterpratt
DJ & Music: @Djchanges_events
Cultural Troupe: @great_africa_heritage_dance
Catering & Beverage
Catering: @leeyaskitchen
Drinks & Chilling Service: @abeeschillbox
Cocktails: @laboratorycocktail
Protocol & Logistics
Ushers & Dowry Bearers: @melange_management
Waitstaff: @ep_usheringagency
Security: @goldmaxx_security
White Wedding
Planning & Coordination
Planner: @precioustheplanner
Coordinator: @iamnenedem
Officiant
@toureroberts
Photography & Videography
Photography: @thehbuc | @thetribephotography
Videography: @thehbuc
Content Creator: @live_weddings_with_kwaku
Hair & Makeup
Hair: @studio7clinicandmedspa
Makeup: @makeupbyzulky
Bridal Fashion
Bridal Gown: @eliekuameunivers
Bridal Stylist: @kelvincentgh
Groom’s Attire: @bintunamiboutique
After Party Attire: @bridesbynona
Entertainment
MC: @mysterpratt
DJ & Music: @Djchanges_events
Cultural Troupe: @bambuheritageproduction (Mansa Musah World Wide)
Ballet: @balletghana
Orchestra: National Symphony Orchestra of Ghana
Choir: @dynamicchoir
Guardsmen: @sambaghana
Horses: @5_starstables
Rolls Royce: @be_happy_limo_luxury_ghana
Catering & Beverage
Catering: @leeyaskitchen
Chilling Service: @ramdel_planningservice
Cocktails: @laboratorycocktail
Protocol & Logistics
Ushers: @melange_management
Waitstaff: @ep_usheringagency
Security: National Security
Generator: @phevents
