After five years, the time finally came for Vashti & Chudi to tie the knot, to become one. A room full of supportive family and friends and a priest ready to give them his blessing reunited at St. Stephen Catholic Church to witness and celebrate their union. As the gorgeous bride walked down the aisle with her father in her arms, the Groom could not help but shed tears, tears of joy & happiness for a lifetime with his beautiful, loving Bride!
What a heartwarming, blissful way to start Vashti & Chudi’s St. Stephen Church & Tampa Airport Marriott Wedding! <3
St. Stephen Catholic Church Wedding Ceremony
Vashti & Chudi had their wedding ceremony at St. Stephen Catholic Church in Riverview. The church’s marble altar, high ceilings and beautiful cream tones perfectly complemented the wedding theme.
My favorite moment during the ceremony was when they had communion and invited all the guests to join them to start their marriage on a strong foundation!
Tampa Airport Marriott Wedding Reception
Vashti & Chudi had their wedding reception at Tampa Airport Marriott Hotel. The hotel is located inside Tampa International Airport, which makes it convenient for family and friends traveling to the wedding. The airport windows and silver walls give this Marriott hotel such a modern, elegant look that went beautifully with Vashti & Chudi’s wedding.
They had a neutral wedding color palette with tones of white, silver & blush!
The bride’s champagne color pumps were embellished with silver diamonds which perfectly complemented her silver earrings, tiara & wedding ring!
To go along with her elegant wedding details, the bride wore a simple wedding makeup in silver tones with a nude lipstick, she looked so stunning, proving that less is more!
The bride’s dress was simply breathtaking! It was a Sweetheart neckline Ivory dress with Lace details. The Bride also wore a white glittery skirt and a long veil which added the wow factor! To say that she looked stunningly gorgeous is an understatement!
And can we talk about the Groom’s white and black tuxedo? So perfect and unique! Chudi looked very handsome in his tuxedo and definitely matched Vashti’s elegance!
The Bridesmaids wore beautiful silver bridesmaids dresses and the Groomsmen wore Navy blue tuxedos. They looked so good!
The reception ballroom was decorated with white draping flowers in long clear vases, clear chairs, a dance floor with the couple’s names on it and the sweetheart table was full of flowers, candles and a modern jaw-dropping wedding arch!
Such a Modern & Elegant Tampa Airport Marriott Wedding!
I could go on and on about all the beautiful decor at this wedding but I will let the photos speak for themselves.
A Sophisticated Haitian & Nigerian Wedding
And one of my absolute favorite things about this wedding was Vashti & Chudi’s embrace of their cultures throughout the entire day! Vashti is from Haiti and Chudi is from Nigeria; these two cultures merged beautifully during the wedding day! <3
The Bride & Groom had their first dance to John Legend’s “You and I”, and what a heartfelt moment it was! I enjoyed seeing the family join in to shower the couple with cash which is a Nigerian tradition!
I also loved loved loved seeing the couple and family change into their traditional Nigerian wedding attires and wave Haitian flags with pride as they danced to their traditional music. The energy was seriously so contagious that I could not stop smiling!
Vashti & Chudi found each other when they least expected it and they share a unique love story, here the Bride and Groom tells us about it:
How They Met
3.16.14
They say true love comes when you least expect it. This good old adage holds true in regards to us. We connected on a night where we would have rather been home in our pajamas watching Netflix, drinking wine. As the universe would have it, we both had friends in town and were out to show them the Tampa nightlife. I was on my way out of the bistro, and Vashti caught my eye. For a moment, the whole world stood still. All that mattered to me was this beautiful woman.
All common sense set aside; I went up to her to introduce myself, and we hit it off right away. I mentioned it would be one of the biggest losses in life if we didn’t meet again. As the night came to an end, I boldly blurted out, “I’ll remind you of this night someday when I have a ring on your finger”. She laughed and looked at me like I was crazy; of course she doubted me. Hey, I know what I want when I see it… We exchanged numbers, went on our first date and never looked back. Today, here we are! The rest is still unwritten…
The Proposal
1.26.18
My birthday was quickly approaching; in the midst of birthday blues, Chudi sent me a message that immediately brightened my mood. He told me he made plans for my birthday, and I should wear something nice. It wasn’t suspicious, because it was typical Chudi fashion. He goes above and beyond on birthdays and anniversaries to make me feel extra special. A week later on my birthday, we show up to a beautiful restaurant called Ocean Prime. I was ecstatic! I briefly mentioned to Chudi months prior how Ocean Prime should be on our restaurant bucket list (If you know us, you know we are foodies!).
We were seated in a secluded glass room, so dinner was intimate. Shortly after dinner, our waiter shows up with a dessert platter full of my favorite sweets, alongside a standing ice bucket filled with dry ice with smoke pouring out of it. Our waiter asked me to stick my hand in the bucket for a special treat. I refused at first, but eventually stuck my hand in. I pulled out a small box thinking they were the diamond earrings I asked him for. I opened the box, and my heart skipped a beat. Inside was the most beautiful ring I could imagine. I look down, and I see Chudi on one knee asking me to be his wife. The look and smile on his face was everything to me; it was that same beautiful smile I saw the night we met.
Photographing this wedding was so special and such an honor for me!
Before I even met Vashti & Chudi personally, just by reading their email, I could tell that they were my ideal client! And when we met, we had the best time getting to know each other and talking all things wedding! I mean, they are big foodies, just like me, gotta love them!
Vashti & Chudi, thank you so much for allowing me to witness your beautiful big day and celebrate your love! I had an absolute blast with your family, wedding party, guests and you two!
Much love!! <3
Vendors
Venue: Tampa Airport Marriott
Bride’s Dress: Merlili Bridal Boutique
Florist: Gabro Events Services
Cake Artist: The Artistic Whisk
Make up Artist: Beauty by Brina
MC: SlashWisdom
Photographer: Ruth Terrero Photography
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