Never underestimate the power of a simple color palette. In fact, Ranelle and Quallan’s white-on-white wedding at the Georgetown Centre is going to show you just how glamorous the color scheme (or should we say lack thereof?) can be! Initially drawn to the hue for its pure elegance, the two requested that their guests wear all-white attire to their celebration. To stand out from their friends and family, Ranelle shined in a custom Matopeda wedding gown made in Nigeria. With a neckline, sleeves, and bodice completely encrusted with beads and gemstones, the bride quite literally lit up the room. She completed her look with a show-stopping crown, top knot by Co Larea Beauty and glam makeup by Julea Beauty. Her hubby-to-be looked flawless as well in a custom white tuxedo with pops of color at the lapels, trim, and buttons from Surmesur. A circular arch completely covered in white flowers stood as the couple’s backdrop as they exchanged vows, while crystal candelabras and large arrangements lined the floral covered aisle. Post vows, a carriage ride transported the pair to unique locations for portraits before heading to their monochromatic reception. There, guests were wowed by an elaborate sweetheart table complete with a white throne and custom backdrop, cascading floral ivory wedding cake, indoor sparklers from Events 412, white cloud machines, and custom cookies featuring the couple’s engagement photo. It’s a day filled with glitz, glam, and gorgeous photos from Erica Dietz Photography.
About the Couple
Quallan and I grew up together in the same church. As odd as it sounds, we were in a lot of the same youth programs but I don’t remember him. I didn’t notice Quallan until 2005 and I had a conversation with a friend about how I thought he was cute. We had mutual friends within the church so word got back and he played hard to get for a couple of years. Within that time frame, my flip phone and his flip phone eventually had each other’s numbers. We would talk, text, and childishly flirt but as kids do, acted like each other didn’t exist in public. Once I graduated high school, I left the state and went to the University of Akron. We attempted to take things to the next level and actually date, but due to distance, we never survived. We had our good and bad seasons of communication but never totally lost contact. In 2017, I moved back home. We didn’t date right away. We were both very careful before deciding to go all in. In 2019, it started with a “Happy Birthday” text that I sent Quallan. A month or so later, we both agreed that we were ready to work at the love that had never died but seemingly grew more intense. After a year and a couple months of dating, Quallan proposed to me in a very intimate setting with just my dad, stepmom, and the two of us.
About the Wedding
The wedding was all white everything! Our unique feature was that we actually requested our guests to wear white. After the ceremony, we had a white carriage with white horses escort us to the reception.
We didn’t have any bridesmaids or groomsmen as we wanted our ceremony to intimately highlight our love.
My dress was custom made in Lagos, Nigeria! I had no in-person fittings; they were all virtual. My sisters helped me take measurements via video call. The dress fit like a glove! No alterations were made to the body of the gown, just to the mesh sleeves. My dress is actually still the talk of the town and was a guest favorite!
Favorite Moment
I am a huge daddy’s girl as my dad was a single father. When I did a first look with him, I tapped him on his shoulder to turn around and he physically lost his breath, was at first speechless, then told me how much of a beauty I was, and then we both cried.
My second favorite moment was a picture of my son peeking around the candles at me. My little one is very charismatic yet very timid of things. Due to a then recent accident on a trampoline, he had fractured his knee and was on a walker for the wedding but every chance he got, he was always peeking in around corners yelling, “Mommy you okay? Let me know if I can help!” And just like every other moment, he was right there, peeking around candles making sure his mommy was okay as she walked down the aisle.
The photos scream fun, chic, and one-of-a-kind wedding!