Real Weddings: Sheila & Michael

black african american bride Sheila doctor black groom Michael from Ghana wedding portraits wedding gown tuxedo marriage married husband wife mr and mrs

When a doctor is poised to get married during a global pandemic, it’s a certainty that she would take all necessary precautions to ensure her wedding guests are safe. In the Spring of 2021, Sheila was able to still have some semblance of the wedding she’d always imagined while keeping safety at the forefront of her nuptials to Michael, an investment banker. The handsome and pragmatic duo, who met via family friends, worked with their wedding planner to host an elegant, monochromatic ceremony and swank cocktail hour for 50 of their closest friends and family. In-person guests were able to attend the cocktail party portion of the wedding where there were first dances, cake cutting and then toasts. Creatively, in an effort to reduce the amount of time spent face-to-face, Michael and Sheila presented their in-person attendees with heavy hors d’oeuvres and then sent each guest home with a delicious, three-course dinner in boxes complete with dessert and a bottle of champagne to boot. And thanks to live streaming, as many as 300 more virtual “guests” were able to take in the wedding, and watch as Sheila’s father led her in her Milla Nova gown down the acrylic-chair lined aisle to meet her one-and-only at the altar. And although the wedding reception was abridged, Michael and Sheila, who are both of Ghanaian descent, were still able to party hard. The pair spent multiple days celebrating as they had a separate traditional Ghanaian wedding ceremony prior to their American one to honor their heritage.

Wedding Details

LOCATION: Baltimore, MD

TIME OF YEAR: Spring

WEDDING STYLE: classic, ethereal, monochromatic

CEREMONY & RECEPTION: Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor

MENU: Cocktail hour appetizers included proper Maryland crab cakes, vegetable samosas and spinach salad with honey roasted pecans, strawberries and beets; The main course consisted of a choice of French cut chicken with roasted tomato chutney and mashed potatoes or braised beef short ribs with green peppercorn demi glaze and mashed potatoes. Everyone received a bottle of champagne to take home.

DESSERT: Chocolate truffles and a slice of both strawberry breeze and cannoli Deville cake

FIRST DANCE SONG: “By Your Side” by Sade

SPECIAL FEATURES: virtually live streamed the wedding to allow 300 viewers a glimpse of Sheila and Michael’s nuptials; a virtual photo booth; a two-part wedding where a traditional Ghanaian ceremony took place prior to their American nuptials; the fifty guests were presented their delicious three-course dinner in boxes and a bottle of champagne to take home as a precaution for Covid; in-person the guests were able to attend a cocktail party portion of the wedding

HONEYMOON: A relaxing staycation at Salamander Resort in Middleburg, VA

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