Typically, we ask all of our clients to share their wedding day story. And nine times out of ten, we anticipate receiving feedback from the bride. However, in the rare cases that we do receive feedback from our grooms, we get totally stoked! For Charles + Esther’s wedding that was definitely the case. Charles made sure to chime in on our questionnaire and share exactly how he and Esther met. It was special his acknowledgement that without Jesus and the Holy Spirit, that the two would have never crossed paths. Like Charles says, “catch it in the spirit…praising the Lord for life.” Make sure you continue reading to find out more from Charles + Esther’s Mint Museum wedding.
Mint Museum Randolph Wedding
Complete with insights from the bride!
Charles + Esther
March 25, 2017
Mint Museum Randolph
Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Wedding
Share with us how you two met:
God allowed us to connect on a spiritual path because in the natural we did not operate in the same circle. Without Jesus and the Holy Spirit we would not have ever met. I prayed for this women of God, and he blessed me with her (My Queen Esther). Catch it in the spirit….praising the Lord for life.
Tell us about your flowers:
Our colors were red and silver. Our florist incorporated Red (gerber daisies, roses, lilies, and orchids) as well as ivory (lilies and orchids).
Tell us about your proposal:
Charles knows that I am very close to my family and that we do lots of things together. He came home with me for the July 4th holiday and proposed before the fireworks.
Describe your wedding dress. What was wedding shopping like for you?
My dress was designed by Essence of Australia with the designer being Stella York. It was a fit and flare with a sweetheart neckline, lace overlying satin with a zippered back in ivory.
How about your wedding shoes and jewelry:
Charles gave me diamond studded hoop earrings, as my wedding gift. I wore my “push gift” which was a blue tanzanite bracelet. My necklace was a pendant that resembled what the bridesmaids wore.
Tell us about your hair & makeup:
I normally have short hair so I kept it short for the wedding. My makeup was very light and natural. Both were done by my hairdresser.
Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Wedding
How / why did you choose your ceremony venue:
Charles and I are both members of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church and wanted our pastor to marry us. We chose the Mint Museum as Charles is an artist, with being a photographer. We wanted to incorporate that into our special day.
What is your best memory of your wedding day?
The moment we saw each other as I was walking down the aisle.
Tell us about your bridesmaids:
There are 3 bridesmaids. Maid of honor- Mayerling Saget (went to medical school together); matron of honor- Elaina Blanks-Green (sister); Bridesmaid- Kristal Keys (went to medical school together); all were great to work with. Each one chose a different bridesmaids dress to complement their style. I provided them with the jewelry worn on that day.
Tell us about his groomsmen:
My Best Man was Paul Locke, Groomsmen were William Mays and Keith McNealy. Paul, William, Keith, and I share a bond that’s unbreakable, we all have served in the United States Armed Forces with over 100 years of experience and still counting. William is retired after servicing 28 years in the United States Marine Corps, Keith is retired after servicing 20+years in the U.S. Marine Corps and Army. Paul is currently servicing in the U.S. Army and is a former Marine with over 24 years. I retired in 2012 after servicing our country for 26 years in the United States Army. We are a band of brothers…comrades for life.
Any bridesmaids / groomsmen gifts?
We gave the bridesmaids a wrap, jewelry for the day (necklace and earrings), shopping tote. We gave the groomsmen Art of Shaving travel kit, bow tie, pocket square, gentlemen guide and leather hygiene case.
What’s your favorite image from your wedding day, and why:
One where we are in the church and the sun is shining through the stained glass windows and we are looking towards it.
Read more about our wedding photography.
Mint Museum Randolph
Tell us about your reception venue
We held our reception at the Mint Museum. This allowed the guests the ability to tour the museum as well as mingle. Then we had dinner and dancing.
And your decorations:
Decorations were very light as both venues were beautiful in their own right. Mainly the tables had flowers as a centerpiece, votive candles and our chairs were decorated. We also had a red backdrop.
Any wedding favors:
15 ounce stemless wine glasses monogrammed with an “S” along with “Charles and Esther March 25, 2017.”
How about the wedding invitations & stationery:
Wedding invitations were from Vera Wang
Was there any particular theme or style for your wedding:
Classic and elegant.
Favorite item on the reception menu:
Pasta Primeravera for me. Although everyone else raved about the Shrimp and Grits especially Charles.
And your cake:
The cake was supplied by Nona’s Sweets. It was vanilla with buttercream icing. The cake was 4 tier and square with black ribbon at the base of each layer and flowers atop.
What songs did you choose for your wedding ceremony and reception, and why:
For the wedding ceremony, we chose “Because You Loved Me” by Celine Dion for the entrance of the Mothers as they were/are very influential in our lives. We chose “For You” by Kenny Lattimore as again that song was popular when we both were younger and we loved the words. I walked down the aisle to “Giving Myself” by Jennifer Hudson. That was a perfect song for me. Basically saying that I waited until the right one came along and now we are becoming one. The Lord’s Prayer was one that we had to have as we both are very spiritual and want to make sure that God is with us in this union. We chose “This Will Be” by Natalie Cole. That song describes a perfect beginning to the rest of our lives. Our reception we had jazz for the cocktail hour and then 80s and 90s music. Charles and I chose that as we both love jazz and then the era of music was recognizable by our guests.
Tell us about your honeymoon:
We have postponed that until our 1 year anniversary.
Tell us about your wedding planner:
Carolyn Lloyd was our wedding coordinator and did a fabulous job with facilitating everything on our big day.
Any advice for future brides:
Be sure to have a great photographer, videographer, and planner/coordinator. The days creep by up until the big day but when it gets here everything is a blur. Having people capture those memories is a must. Also, the wedding planner/coordinator will make sure you are not stressed on your big day.
What is the best wedding advice you can give to engaged couples?
Enjoy the process. The day will come and go so fast.