Real Weddings: Imani & Nathan

Nathan couldn’t fully grasp that a woman of such striking beauty and accomplishment as Imani was truly interested in him after the pair swiped each other on Tinder. He was convinced that Imani, a public relations professional who happened to work on the Tinder account at her firm, was mainly swiping to click bait him. Nathan was a journalist, so his natural skepticism had him wondering if she was only hoping to use him as a media resource or for pitching stories. Yet, that wasn’t Imani’s intention at all, and she was genuinely drawn to Nathan.. So the Boston University alumnus let down his guard, where he and Imani immediately sensed they had something special brewing after only a few short conversations. Two years later, the couple were still going strong and the pair moved in together. Then during the 2020 Covid pandemic the couple got engaged while in quarantine. The pandemic foiled Nathan’s extravagant plan to propose to Imani, who is a graduate of Howard University, on a trip to Bali, Indonesia. Instead, on the rooftop of their apartment building, Nathan pivoted and spelled out the words “Imani, will you marry me” during a playful round of the word-tile game Bananagrams. Imani and Nathan had a fully integrated multicultural wedding, carrying out some traditions from each person’s background. Their love showcases a blending of Jewish and African cultures in a relaxed and confident manner. Imani was escorted down the aisle by her mother to the song “Best Part” by HER featuring Daniel Caesar. She and Nathan were united under the chuppah and exchanged handwritten vows. The bride’s ordained aunt presided over the ceremony. Later, the couple’s 75 guests were able to boogie down Soul Train style with the newlyweds late into the night.

Wedding Details

LOCATION: Peekskill, NY

TIME OF YEAR: Summer

WEDDING STYLE: intimate, whimsical, blended

CEREMONY & RECEPTION: The Factoria at Charles Point

MENU: For our cocktail hour there were passed hors d’oeuvres of tuna poke, eggplant crostinis, devils on horseback, cheddar gruyere sliders, NY steak bites and flatbread with seasonal fruit compote. For the reception, two different salads: a shaved vegetable and a Caesar, two plated entrees options of either a NY Strip Steak or the roasted chicken. These came alongside charred broccoli, rigatoni pomodoro and herb roasted potatoes. The signature drink “The Last Word” is the couple’s favorite drink to make at home.

DESSERT: assortment of cookies and pastries as well as wedding cake that was vanilla cake filled with cinnamon buttercream as well as and cookies-and-cream frosting

FIRST DANCE SONG: “Roots” by Ref

SPECIAL FEATURES: the bride and five of her friends did a surprise flash mob dance to Beyoncé’s rendition of “Before I Let Go”; favors were the wildly popular Bombas socks, which is a company the bride happened to work for, and were packaged with a wedding branded belly-band; bride and groom snuck away to an arcade to take after-ceremony photos; guestbook was a book filled with pasted candid photos guests could snap using Instafilm cameras and write handwritten notes; Aunt’s speech included a rap and then broke out into a Hebrew tune; the bride and groom did the traditions of the Horah dance at the reception, being married under a chuppah, and the breaking of the glass during the ceremony (Jewish customs), and they jumped the broom (an African-American custom).

HONEYMOON: Postponed due to the pandemic

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