Audrey and Stewart's Ethereal Multicultural Wedding at the Swan House, Atlanta History Center

In this article

Quick Facts:
How did you meet?
Tell us about the proposal.
Describe your wedding attire.
What was the wedding shopping experience like for you?
Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding?
What is your best wedding day memory?
What is the best wedding advice you can give to engaged couples?
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Audrey and Stewart's ethereal multicultural wedding weekend featuring a live ballerina and elegant venue is featured in Issue 33!

Audrey and Stewart’s ethereal multicultural wedding at The Atlanta History Center is featured in Issue 33!

Some things are just meant to be…

Audrey and Stewart’s journey started before they even knew it began. They first met while attending University and often had brief but pleasant interactions. In 2010, Audrey had an internship in New York City. At the same time, Stewart was working and attending graduate school in the city. On Thursday night, Stewart and Audrey bumped into each other at a bar they both frequented, along with other college acquaintances. Audrey shares, “As we made our way to the train, Stew and I started a conversation. We chatted about places to go and things to do in the city. When Stew left to catch his train, I thought, “Oh, Stew is kind of cute.”

Fast forward to 2021, Audrey was living in Atlanta. For years, Audrey and Stewart had limited interactions through social media, until Stewart moved to Atlanta and suddenly became a part of Audrey’s world, proving some things are meant to be. Audrey reminisces, “We ran into each other at a friend’s birthday party, and just like that random night in 2010, we picked up right where we left off as if no time had passed. Before the night ended, I turned to Stew, looked him in the eyes, and said, ‘You should take me out on a date.’”

Popping the question…

Surrounded by family and friends, Stewart proposed to Audrey during what she thought was a party to celebrate her earning her Master of Public Health Degree. He got down on one knee and presented a beautiful engagement ring along with the customer punch card they received on their first date at a local Atlanta restaurant.

A weekend-long wedding celebration…

Audrey and Stewart’s weekend-long wedding celebration focused on blending Stewart’s Ghanaian culture with their American heritage. On Saturday, they honored Stewart’s family with a traditional Ghanaian ceremony. They wore beautiful blue kente outfits to signify the throat chakra and its connection to healthy communication. The day was filled with rich cultural traditions, along with dancing, music, and blessings from their elders. On Sunday, they hosted their Western-style black-tie wedding at the Atlanta History Center, with their ceremony at the Swan House and their reception in the Grand Ballroom.

Their outdoor ceremony was the epitome of elegance, with a ballerina gracefully dancing down the aisle before the big moment. They focused on bridging the gap between cultures and generations, honoring both their African and Christian spiritual beliefs. For the reception, Audrey and Stewart changed into orange kente outfits, which signified the sacral chakra, the center of fertility, creativity, and intimacy.

Wise words from the bride…

For engaged couples, Audrey advises, “Enter your marriage being completely honest about who you are, what you want, and what you expect.”

See the ethereal details of their weekend-long ethereal multicultural wedding below!

*Pre-order a copy of Issue 33 on our Muna Shop.

Couple: Audrey & Stewart
Occupations: Audrey works in Health Communications and Policy at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is also the owner of Level 3 Yoga in Atlanta, Georgia. Stewart is an Advertising Executive for the entertainment and lifestyle streaming company Philo. Together, they lead Trap Yoga in the Park, a seasonal community yoga class based at Westside Park.
Wedding dates: The Ghanaian Wedding was on Saturday, May 25, 2024, and the American Wedding was on Sunday, May 26, 2024.
Wedding locations: The Ghanaian wedding is traditionally held at the bride’s parents’ house in their backyard, but we had ours at my mentor’s house. Our American wedding took place at The Atlanta History Center, with the ceremony at the Swan House and the reception in the grand ballroom.

Quick Facts:

What gifts did you give to your bridesmaids and groomsmen:
- Bridesmaids: Saturday and Sunday accessories, jewelry, and a garment bag. I also covered the expenses for their hair and makeup services.
- Groomsmen: I gifted my groomsmen the Ghanaian outfits they wore on Saturday at the Ghanaian wedding and personal care products for the weekend.
Ceremony entrance song: ‘All My Life’ by KC & Jojo
First dance song: ‘Prototype’ by OutKast

How did you meet?

Stewart and I first met at Morehouse and Spelman College. We were always polite and kind during our brief interactions. In 2010, I completed an internship in New York, where Stew worked, and attended graduate school. On Thursday nights, the #NYCrew often hung out at a West Village bar called Off the Wagon. On a very random Thursday, I decided to join the group.

After heading to the next spot, the group walked to the subway together to head home. As we made our way to the train, Stew and I started a conversation. We chatted about places to go and things to do in the city. When Stew left to catch his train, I thought, “Oh, Stew is kind of cute.”

Over the years, we had very limited interactions through social media, but as fate would have it, Stew moved to Atlanta in 2021. That became his chance to show up in my world completely unannounced. We ran into each other at a friend’s birthday party, and just like that random night in 2010, we picked up right where we left off as if no time had passed. Before the night ended, I turned to Stew, looked him in the eyes, and said, “You should take me out on a date.” We went out on that Saturday and have been together since that day.

Tell us about the proposal.

The proposal took place at our home. I thought we were having a party to celebrate earning my Master of Public Health degree, but later, Stew got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Along with the beautiful engagement ring, Stew handed me the customer punch card we received during our first date at a local restaurant. He had kept that card for three years.

Describe your wedding attire.

Ghanaian Wedding

For the Ghanaian wedding, we needed to honor Stew’s family with a traditional ceremony, so Stew’s family designed and bought our attire from Ghana. Stew and I chose a primary blue kente fabric for our attire to represent the throat chakra, a symbol of communication. Communication is one of our greatest strengths as a couple. We chose fabric and then sent photos of our outfits to Stew’s aunt and uncle. They made our Saturday outfits. I knew the Saturday wedding would last less time than the Sunday wedding, so I only wanted to wear one dress that day and I wanted the dress to be the boldest of the three dresses I would wear that weekend. I chose a dramatic one-shoulder style with hand beading throughout the corset and bottom. It was my favorite dress of the weekend. For the ceremony, all the guests and our bridal party wore white. Stew’s aunt bought blue hats and fans from Ghana for the bridesmaids. Stew’s uncle also designed with a seamstress in Ghana the groomsmen’s custom kaftans with blue kente stole to match the bridesmaids.

American Wedding

For our American wedding, we went with a Black Tie theme. I wore a simple yet elegant, one-shoulder ivory wedding gown for the ceremony. The Ghanaian dresses were traditional and covered up, so I knew I wanted my Sunday dress to have a split and show my leg. I wanted to feel like a grown woman. I think it fits my personality: sweet with a sprinkle of sexy. The groom wore an ivory double-breasted tuxedo with black velvet loafers. The bridesmaids wore long, gold silk dresses in various styles. The groomsmen wore a black shawl collar tuxedo.

Stew’s mom designed our reception outfits. We chose a primarily orange kente fabric because orange represents the sacral chakra, the center of fertility, creativity, and intimacy. It is a color of warmth and transformation. It felt like the best choice for how we wanted to walk into our next chapter as husband and wife. Stew ended up wearing all white the entire weekend, which I loved because mostly all the clothes he wears are black. I loved seeing him in a different color scheme than he typically wears. He looked regal.

The bridesmaids wore long gold silk dresses, each in a different style, to match our reception dresses. The dresses glowed in the light during our sunset ceremony, which was everything I imagined.

What was the wedding shopping experience like for you?

Instead of traditional shopping, we worked with Stew’s stepmom, aunt, and uncle to design and create our Ghanaian ceremony outfits, the groomsmen’s kaftans, bridesmaids’ accessories, American reception outfits, and wedding party favor fans, all made in Ghana. We chose designs from the photos they shared. His family worked closely with designers and seamstresses in Ghana to bring our vision to life.

I only needed to visit one store for the American wedding to find my ceremony dress. Once I found one with a split and fell in love with the fabric, I knew I had found the one. It was simple, quick, and perfect!

Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding?

Yes! On Saturday, we had a traditional Ghanaian wedding hosted by Stew’s family. The wedding was filled with rich cultural traditions. His family performed a “knocking” ceremony to ask the bride’s family for her hand in marriage. Stew and I wore beautiful kente outfits. There was a formal presentation of wedding gifts to my family. The day was full of dancing, music, and blessings from the elders, making us feel like royalty. The money spray was abundant, adding to the joy and celebration!

On Sunday, we celebrated our American Wedding at the Atlanta History Center. Our vision was to blend our cultural traditions, focusing on “bridging cultures and generations.” For the American ceremony, we combined our Christian and African spiritual beliefs into one service that highlighted our commitment to each other. We prayed, held a libation ceremony to honor our ancestors, and jumped the broom.

What is your best wedding day memory?

One of the best moments from the reception was when I and my former college dance team, Mahogany N Motion, performed a dance for Stew. We wanted to recreate a “Beyoncé at Coachella” vibe and make the guests feel like they were at a Morehouse College Band halftime show. We delivered, and the energy was incredible!

What is the best wedding advice you can give to engaged couples?

Do premarital counseling and put EVERYTHING out on the table. We talked about everything we could think of in premarital counseling. Enter your marriage being completely honest about who you are, what you want, and what you expect.