Lakeisha and Kenneth’s Beautiful Beachfront Wedding in New Rochelle

Introduced by mutual friends during college, Lakeisha and Kenneth have enjoyed many years of friendship from which to build a foundation of trust and support. Having experienced their ups & downs during that period, when the time came to give dating a chance they were more than emotionally prepared to allow their hearts to lead the way – and lead they did. In Kenneth’s words, “It was one of the best decisions we’d made.” And wouldn’t be long before he began planning their perfect proposal…

Read all about Lakeisha & Kenneth’s love story, proposal, and experiences in their beautiful beachfront wedding in New Rochelle – featuring photography by MunaLuchi Coterie member TimeFrozen Photography, videography by MunaLuchi Coterie member Yamean Studios Films, and makeup artistry by MunaLuchi Coterie member Juicy Looks by Abby.

Bride & Groom: Lakeisha & Kenneth
Wedding date: September 21st 2017
Wedding location: New Rochelle, NY
Wedding venue: The Surf Club on the Sound

Tell us how you met and all about the proposal. We met in college at the University of Albany through mutual friends. We were friends for a long time before we decided to date. It’s funny because there was a phase when we couldn’t even stand to be around each other. But we decided to give it a shot. It was one of the best decisions we’d made.
With the help from Keisha’s sister (Nicolette) and her friend (Alissa), I planned to propose to Lakeisha with her family and close friends present. I knew it was important to her to have them there. So we planned to go out to dinner. It would be a triple date at Allegria hotel in Long Beach, NY. As we ate dinner, I had coordinated with her sister to get all her close fam and friends into the hotel’s piano room undetected. That was the easy part. The hard part was calming my nerves before I got on one knee to propose. After dinner – the ladies (Lakeisha, Alissa, Jessica) went to the restroom. I went to the piano room with the guys and greeted and thanked everyone for coming. Lakeisha walks into the room ten minutes later. Fully surprised with tears running down her face. I, myself, nervous and excited, proposed. One of my best decisions ever!

How did you know they were “the one”? Kenneth: “I knew Lakeisha was the one when I would reach out to her close friends and ‘casually’ place myself at events they would attend. I would call her friends and confess my love for Lakeisha. I would drunk call and text her from time to time and she would always dismiss me. But my persistence paid off in late 2011…”

Lakeisha: “I knew Ken was the one when I saw how persistent he was on getting my love. I saw a different Ken after those months of me ignoring his tactics. I was playing hard to get. Although we weren’t together at the time, I would constantly think about Ken. I would listen to R&B songs and just imagining our future. He of course had no idea that I was feeling this way. Ken had and still has such a big heart. I felt loved without him even telling me ‘I love you’ yet…we grew to love each other more and more everyday.”

Describe your wedding attire. Lakeisha wore a gown designed by Tony Ward. It was a white mermaid dress in crepe and lace. The details on the dress encompassed flower appliques and a Chapel Train. The veil was chapel length with sparkle detail. Prior to finding the perfect dress, Lakeisha tried on almost 30 different bridal gowns. The experience is one she will never forget. Her family and friends made the shopping experience fun. We shared so many laughs and tears of joy when she said “yes to the dress.” It honestly felt like girls day out every time the hunt was on for the perfect dress. One thing that made Lakeisha know this was the dress was the trying on of the veil. Lakeisha did not try on any veils until she tried on the Tony Ward dress. Her consultant then handed her boutique and Lakeisha began to cry. As Lakeisha looked in the mirror, she pictured herself walking down the aisle, feeling beautiful and ready to marry the man of her life.

My suit was from J. Crew, the Ludlow Shop at 50. They specialize in tuxedos and suits for men. Tuxedo shirt and accessories were from Bloomingdales. Velvet bow tie by Eton. Shoes from Christian Louboutin Horatio. Shopping for me was difficult. There were way too many styles and combinations of components to take into account. In the end, it all came together. For example, should I go with tuxedo shoes? But I really wanted loafers. And it wasn’t a traditional wedding in the sense that it was an outdoors ceremony for the wedding. After thinking it through, I just went with my gut and decided to dress how I wanted to look on my wedding day AND to look best for my soon-to-be wife.

Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding? We did incorporate Jumping of the Broom. The history behind it captured us. This African tradition that dates back to the 1800s has so much history. We read upon a few significants behind this practice. One that really captivated us was finding out Jumping the Broom signifies our entrance into new life and the creation of a new family by symbolically “sweeping away” our former single lives, former problems and concerns. It was very important to practice this culture in our wedding. My mom added some nice floral details to the broom. We even had a broom beater which was my older brother. Our photographers captured that beautiful moment of us mid-air jumping the broom. That picture shows us entering into a new life that was going to be about “us,” starting a family, focusing on our finances to build a new house, and keeping GOD close to our hearts.

Wedding party gifts: Lakeisha gave her bridal party Tiffany & Co Jewelry- handpicked to fit each girls personalities, bridesmaids robe and hanger, slippers, tote bag and a personalized thank you card. Ken gave his groomsmen Beats by Dre wireless headphones, custom socks and accessories.
Favorite item on the menu: Lakeisha has a custom plate. Our bridal manager told Lakeisha that he was one of her favorite brides, so he asked what do you want? Lakeisha said “shrimp scampi , baked potatoes and veggies.” The day of the wedding, that’s exactly what she received and it was delicious! Kens favorite was the steak. He was so shocked of the tenderness of the steak. This was a venue, not a Steakhouse, but it sure tasted like it came from one! Two thumbs up for our meals!
First dance song: “1+1” by Beyonce

What is your best memory from your wedding? Although we had many great memories, one that we will always remember is that moment we signed our marriage certificate. The ceremony was over, we jumped the broom and walked down the aisle with smiles from ear to ear. We were directed to make a left turn to go through the corridor. They moved a table to the side and we both sat down with so much excitement. Our pastor came to us, pulled out the certificate and we planted our signatures. We still can re-live that moment. We again, smiled from ear to ear and said to each other, “we did it!”

What is the best wedding advice you can give to engaged couples? The best wedding advice we can give to engaged couples is focus on preparing for marriage. We encourage couples to do marriage counseling. Prior to getting married, counseling will help prepare for your future. You both have to be on the same page and communicate! Counseling will help to smooth out any gaps in your relationship. Our pastor touched on topics that really impacted our relationship – in a good way of course. Even though we were together for almost four years and knew each other for ten, we learned more about each other just from those sessions. It helped us greatly and we never regretted taking those sessions. So engaged couples, definitely enjoy wedding planning but remember you have to plan for a marriage as well!

Vendors:
Photography: Time Frozen Photography
Venue: The Surf Club on the Sound
Videography: Yamean Studios Films
Makeup Artistry: Juicy Looks by Abby
DJ: DJ Sixx Figgaz
Event Planner: Sheena Burke
Dress Store: Kleinfeld Bridal
Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas
Florals: Westchester Floral
Groomsmen Attire: J Crew
Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Photobooth: Strikeaposefotobooth
Dress Store: Chantilly Place