Marissa and Corey's Classic and Elegant Golf Club Wedding in Maryland -Munaluchi Bride

Marissa and Corey’s love story began at the cookout of a mutual connection; Corey’s stepmother, who is also Marissa’s sorority sister. She had been telling Marissa about Corey for quite some time. After their initial introduction they exchanged numbers, and within a month’s time the sparks began to fly and they’ve never looked back!

Read all about Marissa & Corey’s love story, surprise proposal, and experiences in their classic and elegant golf club wedding in Maryland – beautifully captured by MunaLuchi Coterie members Livingston Lee Photography, and Kenny Clapp.

Bride & Groom: Marissa & Corey
Occupations: Legal Administrative Specialist & Pharmaceutical Program Team Coordinator
Wedding date: 07/22/2017
Wedding location: Mountain Branch Golf Course Joppa, Maryland

Tell us how you met and all about the proposal. We met on May 4, 2013 and were introduced by Corey’s stepmother. She is a sorority sister of mine and had been telling me about him for quite some time. We were finally able to be introduced at a cookout she had at her house. Corey swears I gave him a wink from across the room but I don’t remember that. However, knowing me, I probably did! After being around each other for a little while, she finally pulled us both to the side and introduced us. He asked me for my phone number and we talked for the next week and then stopped speaking. A month went by and I randomly saw his name in my phone and decided to text him. I texted him “hey” and the rest was history…

After about 3 years of dating, Corey proposed on April 16,2016 at my father’s surprise 60th birthday party that I planned. We always talked about what we wanted for the proposal and who we wanted there. We both knew that we wanted our families to be there to witness it because we both value family so much. So Corey knew that this was the perfect time. It was really a surprise to me because I was so distracted by the party that I didn’t really think about it too much although usually I was always on edge waiting for the proposal. At the party, my brothers, my mother, and I all shared our reflections of my father. After my mother was finished reflecting on her husband, she said “there’s one more person that would like to speak.” Since I was the one who planned that party, I was completely caught off guard. So Corey got up and began to reflect on the influence my father has had in his life and how that relationship has brought him to this moment and then finally he asked if I would “take this next step with him and join him in marriage?” Of course, I will thrilled and so happy, and of course I gave him my yes!

What was wedding shopping like for you? My wedding dress was a trumpet style with a lace applique bodice. It was absolutely perfect for me and what I was always wanted. Since I’m very petite, I knew I needed something that was very form fitting and wouldn’t take too much attention away from me. I went wedding dress shopping with only my mother. I wanted the experience to be intimate and very calming and I knew she’d be the perfect person to take on this task with. Plus, my mom is my best friend. We went to one store and one store only. We walked in, I told the consultant what I wanted, and probably tried on about 5 dresses. It just happened to be a trunk show that day for Essence of Australia so the consultant chose mostly dresses from that designer. The dress I chose was the first one I tried on and that was it. It was quick and simple and I absolutely loved it! Wedding shopping was pretty painless. The hardest thing is staying in budget! We wanted to keep everything simply elegant but actually found that it was quite hard to do. You always think you know what you want until you see that you actually want something else. There’s always an idea that you see on pinterest or Instagram that you feel you have to have. So you end up reworking the budget to make that idea fit. The most difficult thing was trying to find our vendors. We were super picky about what we wanted and it took us a while to find who we thought could execute our vision within our budget.

Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding? We didn’t really incorporate any culture into our wedding. We tried our best to keep everything simple and traditional. That’s really all we wanted.

Bridesmaids/Groomsmen gifts: Our groomsmen received personalized whiskey glasses and a “Bar in a Jar” (mason jar filled with miniatures). Our bridesmaids received a custom embroidered robe from The Bridehive, as well as their jewelry for the day from Tracey Lynn Jewelry.
Favorite item on the menu: Our main course was Chicken Chesapeake. It was
chicken breast with lump crab meat on top. It was excellent! The hors d’oeuvres were
excellent as well.
First dance song: “Ribbon In the Sky” by Stevie Wonder

What is your best memory from the wedding?
Corey: My best memory was the exchanging of the rings and vows. That moment
when we made that covenant with God to love each other and be each other’s best
friend. I felt something that I’ve never felt before. Every day when I glance at my ring, it’s a consistent reminder of our love for one another and our marriage and the covenant we have with God.
Marissa: I actually have two. The first was the entrance into the ceremony. Seeing the man that God chose to be my husband standing there waiting for me as our song “This Is Why I Love You” by MAJOR. was being sung was the best experience of it all. He smiled at me as he fought through his emotions and I felt so much joy knowing that this was real and I’m finally about to spend the rest of my life with the man of my dreams. My second favorite memory was our entrance into the reception and our first dance. We came into the instrumental “Show Me What You Got” by Jay-Z and we danced! The day had been so hectic with having to change our wedding from outside to inside and my family had been through so much in the two months prior to our wedding with two unexpected deaths a month a part. So when we entered and were able to let loose and dance, it felt so good! We were finally able to celebrate something and have fun! Then I finally got to hold my husband close as we danced to one of our favorites, “A Ribbon in the Sky” by Stevie Wonder. The words “we can’t lose with God on our side/We’ll find strength in each tear we cry/From now on, it will be you and I, and a ribbon in the sky for our love,” were so true for us – it was perfect!

What is the best wedding advice you can give to engaged couples?
Corey: The best advice I could give to an engaged couple is communication. No matter what the situation is or whose feelings may get hurt, open communication is the key, never allow anything or nobody to come between your marriage.
Marissa: The best wedding advice I can give to another engaged couple is remember
that prayerfully you will only do this ONCE so remember to make it what YOU want
within reason. So many people will give their opinions and try to tell you what THEY
want but if it’s not what you want, then don’t do it. Have what you want but don’t go
broke doing it. The wedding is for a day, the marriage is for a lifetime. Make sure you
have enough afterwards to live your life. Secondly, talk to your partner in love about any and everything. I say IN LOVE because often times when we disagree we tend to get defensive and lose our love language so no one is actually being heard. Communicate in love and come to common understanding about how you can compromise. Communication and compromise is KEY.