Sharayah & Kent’s wedding first caught my eye…where else…on Instagram! I was scrolling through #DaintyJewells and noticed this super colorful wedding that looked like it was just so much fun! The bride and groom looked incredibly happy – and of course, the Dainty Jewells “Night in Paris” dresses were included. After contacting Sharayah, her enthusiasm for her wedding was incredible – you can see in her responses below how much she loves her husband, her new life and how they love God together. It doesn’t get any better than that. Without further ado, meet Sharayah & Kent and their Kate Spade inspired, color-filled bash!
How We Met
My husband, Kent and I met in a rather unconventional manner, through Facebook. As a matter of fact, Facebook recently notified us that it was exactly five years ago. He soon became my best friend and we would engage in seemingly endless phone conversations, which is all we could do with him residing in Michigan and me living in Texas. Our first meeting face-to-face took place at NAYC 2013, which is also where he asked me to become his girlfriend, officially. I was absolutely giddy. I wouldn’t wish a long distance relationship on anyone, but with Jesus at the center of it all, we prevailed. A little over a year after we began dating, and after much prayer and seeking the will of God, Kent moved to Texas to live. This came about in an almost impossible way, but I know it was not happenstance, it was simply brought about by the divine orchestration of an Almighty God. Our relationship continued to flourish and the rest they say, is history.
The Proposal
Kent and I were certain that God had placed us together so we had discussed marriage multiple times. My husband knew that surprising me would be a bit of a dilemma because I’m observant and difficult to surprise. However, on September 26, 2014 he made it happen. I had just arrived home from a trip and Kent wanted to take me out on a date. It should’ve dawned on me that it was strange with him not being a fan of late nights. He took me to get my favorite Starbucks drink, (a red velvet frappe, which is divine). He then suggested that we take a walk downtown. And then it happened. He gently led me to a bench and He then proceeded to get down on one knee and propose with a beautiful rose-gold watch. I was so surprised! As they say, hindsight is twenty-twenty and I should’ve picked up on the subtle hints, but I’m so glad that I didn’t! I was blissfully happy to be engaged to the man of my dreams. I was also a senior at Texas Bible College at the time, so eager to share in our joy, we went there to tell a few of my dear friends. Of course our first official business as an engaged couple was to decide on the perfect IG hashtag: #shayandktietheknot
The Planning
First of all, I had snagged the perfect wedding planner, who was also my pastor’s wife. Plus I am a true planner at heart and I am also incredibly organized, so I didn’t have too much trouble with the planning aspect of it. It was the implantation of the planning that proved to be challenging. Because I am a lover of all things Kate Spade, the wedding was Kate Spade inspired. I wanted to create a fun, colorful wedding that was well suited for my husband and I. I also like things that are innovative and not so cliché so I wanted the wedding to be unique. Being a student a Texas Bible College, I was somewhat limited on wedding dates if I was going to refrain from having a summer wedding. We chose for the date to be March 7, 2015 at 2:00. Like many other girls, had already created a picturesque wedding on my Pinterest page, so everything was already organized. My wedding colors were quickly chosen to be coral, navy and gold. J I took a chance and I purchased the perfect dress online, and thankfully it was my dream dress. My shoes were a DIY project that consisted of a pair of shoes I already owned, gold glitter and mod podge. I adored my $10 wedding shoes! I had always wanted the groomsmen to don navy blue suits, and thanks to Dainty Jewells, I also found the perfect bridesmaids dresses. I found the perfect mix of dress shades, and it was also a color combo that I hadn’t seen anyone utilize yet. The old sanctuary of our church was going to be made into a bridal suite, a surprise for me from our pastor and pastor’s wife. The whole planning process went rather smoothly overall thanks to all of the organized individuals that I was blessed to have helping me.
The Wedding
Our wedding was the most wonderful day of our lives. I couldn’t have asked for a more picturesque day. We had chosen to use traditional wedding vowels. Since we already had so many modern elements, I wanted to add in some old-school. The bridal march was also a revamped, and it was absolutely beautiful rendition of the bridal march. The part that was the most nerve-wracking for me was just merely being the absolute center of attention. Although I was surrounded by people that loved me, I was so nervous to walk out. I’ve always heard that as soon as the doors open and you see your groom, that all else fades away. I never could’ve imagined that feeling until I experienced it for myself. All I saw was my groom. There were a few minor catastrophes, the first being the wedding cakes. I live in a relatively small town, so my choices were rather limited. Despite its not so picture perfect appearance, the cake still tasted delicious. Another minor blunder was the fact that the wedding was supposed to be streamed online for our Michigan family. Unfortunately, the camera was not turned on thus rendering it inoperable. My only self-proclaimed “Bridezilla moment” was when I sent my Dad to get some more coral rose petals for the flower girl, and he returned with bright pink! The solution was easy though, we simply took some white rose petals from the aisle and used them. But I did get a little red faced over it. My husband and I added some fun elements to the wedding and the wedding party also exacted their own plans. During the sand ceremony, my husband wanted to take a #selfie to commemorate the moment, at first I tried to veto it, but he wanted to do it so I relented. Everyone told us afterwards that they thought he was going to have the audacity to answer his phone at his own wedding. There were more shenanigan’s to follow. I am under five feet tall so unbeknownst to me, a stool was provided and as we took our first kiss as a married couple, an eruption of confetti surrounded us.
The Reception
We chose an Hawaiian-centered theme for the reception, and the food was absolutely delectable. Our caterer was a guy that I’ve known for quite some time, and he was such a blessing to us when he stepped up and became the caterer as we blindly searched for a reputable one in our small town. The décor was exquisite thanks to my wedding coordinator and all of the incredible ladies that helped her. The send- off was also a confetti filled explosion. My poor husband had to pick me up and put me into the car because of my straight dress. To me, our wedding was truly the epitome of the perfection. Our send-off was also a confetti-filled explosion, although putting confetti in our car’s air vents could have possibly ruined the vent system. All the quirkiness made it much more memorable – It was so fitting for us! In my mind, it was the epitome of perfection!
Wedding Playlist
We chose all fun, and upbeat songs to commemorate the occasion.
“Find Your Wings” – Mark Harris – Father/Daughter song
“The Boat Song” – J.J. Heller -Entry of wedding party
“Bridal March” – Bridal Entrance
“Unfailing Love” – Jimmy Needham – Unity Sand
“Happy” – Pharrell Williams – Wedding Party Exit
Vendors
Wedding Dress: TBdress ~ Bridesmaids Dresses: Dainty Jewells
Photographer: KaylaJoy Photography