Tarela & Reuben met in Washington, DC while attending the same church. They quickly fell in love and planned a perfect August Summer wedding celebration.

Their wedding took place over two days because Tarela comes from a Nigerian background while Reuben has an American background.

WEDNESDAY – TRADITIONAL NIGERIAN CEREMONY

A few days week before their American wedding, they celebrated with a gorgeous traditional Nigerian ceremony. This was the second Nigerian ceremony we have been a part of, and we loved seeing the subtle differences between them.

The Nigerian ceremony is truly beautiful – it is essentially a formal role play of the Nigerian tradition of a groom arriving at the home of a bride’s family, and asking for her hand in marriage. After many gifts, questions from the family, and prayer, the family presents their daughter with much celebration (in this ceremony, they acted out “testing” the groom by sending out bridesmaids one by one disguised as the bride). Once the groom has identified the one he intended to marry, the two are showered with gifts, prayer, blessings, and love as the families celebrate the two families being united as well.

Tarela’s mother worked hard with other women in their community to plan the traditional ceremony down to the last detail. We love watching two cultures being woven into one new family!

FRIDAY – AMERICAN WEDDING & RECEPTION

Tarela & Reuben’s American ceremony took place at Pinnacle Golf Club and featured so many beautiful decorations. Check out the list of vendors below all of the images from their day. Between the coordination from Wedded Perfection and the floral design from Dalay Ket… the day was one for the books!

Reuben handcrafted his own wedding ring from a type of ebony that grows in Tarela’s birthplace in Nigeria. At the reception, Tarela and Reuben performed a choreographed dance along with their whole bridal party that told the story of their relationship from first meeting to wedding.

Sam and I were so honored to capture both of these ceremonies and we can’t wait to for you to experience them either. They truly had a perfect Summer wedding.

We would love to capture your wedding day! Check out our services and contact us today!

Venue: Pinnacle Golf Club / Floral Design: Dalay Ket / Dress: Wendy’s Bridal / Rings: homemade by groom and heirlooms / Cake: Reni Oyewusi / Coordinator: Wedded Perfection / DJ: I Shine Music Productions