Real Weddings: Kaddra & Darrius

Black African American bride Kaddra groom Darrius marriage married wedding color palette North Carolina, Charlotte Southern Ritz Carlton fancy glam glamorous green gold black ivory cream color palette religious traditional ceremony hotel ballroom reception

A neighborhood grocery store may very well be a great place to meet the love of your life. Like something out of a sitcom, Darrius and Kaddra first glimpsed one another on a simple trip to their local Atlanta, GA supermarket. Both eyed one another, but were too timid to break the ice. A few days later, Kaddra, a supplier diversity manager for a healthcare system and Darrius, an entrepreneur and veteran of the U.S. Army, passed each other again in the same grocery store. No words were spoken, but this time the two acknowledged one another. Finally, on a third shopping trip, Darrius and Kaddra saw each other again, and Darrius took that as a sign to make a big impression on the woman he couldn’t get out of his mind. As Kaddra was checking out, Darrius cut through the line and told the clerk to add Kaddra’s groceries to his tab, as he proceeded to pay for hers. Stunned at his generosity, Kaddra walked out of the store with him, thanking him, and the two exchanged numbers. Thus, their beautiful courtship began. Sadly, Kaddra lost her father in 2019, yet thankfully Darrius was clever enough to seek out her late father’s approval to marry her before he passed away. Just shy of three years of being together, Darrius proposed to Kaddra on a birthday trip to Key West, FL. It was a sentimental location, as it was one of the last places Kaddra and her late father traveled to spend time together prior to his declining health. The couple’s glam, green wedding was well attended by 250 people in person, and more via live stream. Kaddra’s uncle stood in for her beloved father, escorting the beautiful bride down the aisle.

Wedding Details

LOCATION: Charlotte, NC

TIME OF YEAR: Fall

WEDDING STYLE: spiritual, bold, beautiful

CEREMONY: The Belk Chapel at Queens University

RECEPTION: The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte

MENU: For cocktail hour, empanadas, lamb chops, pigs in a blanket, and salmon tacos were served. Moving on to dinner, a starter salad consisting of baby greens with caramel poached pear, pear chutney, goat cheese mousse, and a malt vinaigrette dressing was first. Then the entrée was Tanglewood Farms chicken topped with lemon sauce, accompanied with sweet corn and basil risotto and green beans.

DESSERT: Cake of two kinds, a red velvet with cream cheese icing filling, and a lemon pound cake with lemon buttercream icing.

FIRST DANCE SONG: “Giving You The Best That I Got” by Anita Baker

INSPIRATION: The overall theme was “city glam” due to the couple’s love for various urban cities and traveling.

SPECIAL FEATURES: smoke on the dance floor for “walking on the clouds” effect during first dance, several caricature artists; a photo booth at the reception; the bride’s cousin, Erica Stevenson-Jordan, sang for the ceremony; customized wedding monogram; customized gobo light on the dance floor

HONEYMOON: Montego Bay, Jamaica

COLORS: