Multicultural Wedding Celebration in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Leah and Rodney held a weekend-long multicultural wedding celebration in Milwaukee, Wisconsin!

Leah and Rodney met in Nairobi while Rodney was visiting the city for work. They went out every night until Rodney had to return to his home.

Following their whirlwind romance, Rodney planned an elegant and thoughtful proposal while they were in Nakuru, Kenya. He even prepared two rings just in case he didn’t get the sapphire color right!

The couple’s weekend-long multicultural wedding celebration included West African and Nigerian customs and traditions, in addition to a white wedding. Their beloved guests traveled from all around the world to celebrate the monumental moment with them.

The feeling in the crowd was electric and at one point I looked back and saw everyone from across the world just vibing… this memory will forever stay in my mind! Words can’t describe the energy!

Leah

Learn more about their love story and see the beautiful details from their multicultural wedding celebration below!

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• Couple: Leah & Rodney
• Occupations: Corporate Philanthropy (Bride); Impact Investor (Groom)
• Wedding date: July 2 (Trad); July 3 (White wedding)
• Wedding location: Greater Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Quick Facts

• Gifts for Bridesmaids: Asoebi (16) received a made-in-Kenya goodie bag (details above) placed in monogrammed bags with cosmetics inside (eye patches, face mask, makeup wipes, lip balm). And for the Sunday bridal party (4), in addition to Saturday’s gift, they received mini chargeable electric fans, monogrammed robe (made in Nigeria), house shoes, and champagne flutes.
• Gifts for Groomsmen: Rodney had sun time-made suits made for the groomsmen alongside boutonnières and cuff links (again he loves to dress!) he also included a pocket square made from Sierra Leone fabric and Kenyan coffee. (We wanted our gifts to represent the places we’ve lived!).
• For one another: My gift was the live painter. His gift was the second line! Since we live abroad, we don’t need more tangible things!
• Ceremony entrance song: my friend who is in the cast of The Lion King in Hamburg sang me down the aisle! He sang “I can’t help falling in love with you”
• First dance song: “Beyond” by Leon Bridges

How did you meet?

We met while Rodney, who was living in Zambia, was in Nairobi for work. We went out Thursday for dancing and drinks and again Friday, Saturday, and Sunday before he returned home to Lusaka on Sunday evening.

Tell us about the proposal

Rodney proposed in Nakuru, Kenya at my favorite luxury judge: The Cliff Nakuru. Rodney worked with the hotel to leave trivia questions at every meal. The answers were all places that we had travelled to together. The final clue mentioned “this is the place we agreed to spend our lives together” and at that point he played our song and proposed. He even had two rings just in case he didn’t get the color sapphire right. It was evident that Rodney invested a lot of time in planning this!

Wedding Style

Rodney and I LOVE a reason to dress up and we wanted our guests to have opportunities to dress up and feel their best! We shared a look book with guests outlining the attire for both days. Saturday’s attire was “Global Glam” Cocktail. Since we had guests attending from 12 different countries, we encouraged guests to wear their native attire! Guests from Nigeria, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, and Eritrea wore traditional outfits and our american and British guests represented just as well! The attire for Sunday was “Summertime Fine” Formal. Guests were encouraged to wear their summer formal dresses. Some donned fascinators, lots of colors, and let’s just say the assignment was understood!

What was the wedding shopping experience like for you?

The shopping experience was alright. Everything from ordering fabrics for the aso ebi, gele, corals, hand fans, bridal party gifts, wedding favors, fans for guests, thank you gifts for vendors, we planned out every detail! Wedding planning became a second job, but all our time and energy paid off once we saw how much fun our guests were having. It was truly a perfect wedding weekend!

Did you incorporate any culture into the wedding?

Of course! From attire to cuisine, culture was present every day of the weekend. From small chops to welcome guests, Igbo dancers, cultural traditions, unity candles, the New Orleans brass band (the bride spent five years in New Orleans and that’s also her favorite city!), traditional music from Nigeria and Sierra Leone, a live painter. Someone dubbed the weekend a “cultural celebration of love.” Another guest joked that it was the “best and blackest wedding that he’s ever attended.” The bridesmaid bags were also filled with made in Kenya goodies, monogrammed shukas (masai blankets), Kenyan tea, masai jewelry, and an Africa jewelry box.

What is your best memory from your wedding?

The best memory was the fireworks ending and immediately second lining with the New Orleans brass band! The feeling in the crowd was electric and at one point I looked back and seeing everyone from across the world just vibing and DANCING! Man. This memory will forever stay in my mind! Words can’t describe the energy!

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

Set criteria for your wedding. Before planning we asked ourselves “why are we having a wedding?” We both wrote down our answers and agreed on the following: to honor our parents; to celebrate the community that raised/support us; and to honor traditions. Every decision we had to make was taken through these questions and if it did not align, the answer was clear.

Example: Rodney’s mom really wanted the family to wear traditional print and then change into asoebi for the reception. Whilst logistically challenging, it’s what his mom wanted and we wanted to honor them. Another example was debating the entertainment. We wanted to make sure our guests has a great time.

The second piece of advice I would give is the wedding should feel like YOU! Rodney and I love dressing formally. If that’s not you, have a semi-formal or casual wedding! We’re also very dramatic and the entertainment followed that. A live band just wouldn’t have matched our vibe! Don’t let social media tell you what a wedding entails. Think about what would make your wedding the best for you! (For me that was fireworks. For Rodney, it was an abundance of tasty food!).

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Vendors

• Photography: Amanda Evans Photography
• Videography: Ashleigh Joplin
• Hair: The Charm Suite
• Bridal Makeup: Brandy Watkins, Aso ebi Makeup
• Traditional dress tailor: A1 Clothings
• Coral beads: beadzbyz
• Saturday venue: Milwaukee Igbo Community Center
• Sunday Venue: The River Club of Mequon
• Sunday Ceremony Dress: Maggie Sottero
• Saturday Cake: Aggie’s Bakery and Cake Shop
• Sunday Cake and dessert bar: Simma’s Bakery
• Photo Booth and 360: Tada’s 360
• Saturday DJ: DJ Spike
• Sunday DJ: DJ Lolo
• Florals: Impressions by Esther
• Igbo dancers: Igwe Cultural Entertainment
• Wedding coordinator: Julietta Henry