Munaluchi Bride Magazine: Bright & Beautiful! Jerryanne & Nathan’s Jamaican-Tanzanian Wedding

Happy Wednesday! It’s time for our weekly wedding dose from our collaboration from with Munaluchi Bride Magazine. We have such a bright and beautiful Afro-Caribbean wedding in New York – such a beautiful blend of cultures. Jerryanne is from Jamaica while Nathan is from Tanzania – the couple planned the wedding with themselves – infusing both their cultures into their intimate celebration.

Enjoy!

Bride: Jerryanne Heath
Groom: Nathan Chiume
Wedding Date: June 21, 2013

The Wedding Prep!
From Jerryanne, the bride
Nathan and I were married on June 21, 2013 – summer solstice and the longest day of the year! We had been engaged for 18 months and we planned the entire wedding ourselves (with support from friends and family).

He originally hails from Africa and I from the Caribbean, and we both have family living all over the world. Although we met and live in New York, choosing a wedding location was quite challenging. We wanted our location to reflect the tropical vibes of our birthplaces and give us a blank canvas on which to blend our cultures together. We visited at least 10 venues in the New York area, as well as in Florida (where Nathan lived for two years). Finally Nathan’s sister found the perfect venue: The Grandview in Poughkeepsie – about two hours away from New York City. The name “Grandview” is spot on – our ceremony took place outside under a gazebo with a breathtaking view of the Hudson River. An outdoor tent on the property hosted our reception, giving us the tropical vibe we so wanted. Beyond aesthetic, The Grandview allowed us to personalize nearly every detail of our wedding. They customized our menu and took full direction from us on cuisine from both cultures. To top it off, Mike Post at The Grandview coordinated all of the day-of logistics and provided a bridal attendant who looked after us the entire day.

Culture
Our wedding day had a lot of personal touches. We focused on the most beautiful aspects of our cultures and tried to weave those into our Afro-Caribbean wedding theme. We also took inspiration from small things that many people would otherwise overlook. For example, we chose aqua blue and a bold yellow as our wedding colors because they reminded us of the ocean and sun.

While visiting Tanzania a year prior to the wedding, we got inspired by the fabrics and handmade crafts we found at the market. We brought several yards of yellow and blue fabric home and enlisted 3 incredible tailors at AZVKA, Afrikart, and Yara to create our table runners and wedding attendant accessories. During a business trip in Nigeria shortly thereafter, I stumbled upon some vintage African gin bottles that we used as vases during the ceremony. Franz James Floral weaved these gin bottles into our decor alongside the dramatic centerpieces and bouquets they created with some of our favorite exotic flowers. Nathan and I both love music and this was a crucial part of creating the ambience. We brought in a steel pan band for the ceremony that played “Here Comes the Bride” right before I walked down the aisle and during the cocktail hour, and our friends Mao and Dave DJ’d the reception.

To highlight my Caribbean culture, I took inspiration from Junkanoo, a traditional carnival held in the Bahamas each year. I recalled the brightly colored headpieces covered in sequins, rhinestones, and feathers. I enlisted the help of a friend (Sipiwe Sikwila of Something Me) to create custom stationery for the ceremony programs, reception tables, guest favors, and signage. She designed a feather-patterned border for each piece and decorated the ceremony and reception programs with blue and yellow rhinestones. We used another designer at Minted.com to create our festive blue and yellow invitation cards.

For more photos from this custom and colourful wedding, check out Munaluchi Bride: https://munaluchibridal.com/?p=34681

Vendors

• Photography: By Petronella Photography based in the New York area – www.byPetronella.com | petronella “at” bypetronella.com
• Photography: Magdiel Sanchez Wedding Photography – www.magdielsanchez.net & Alan Tumusiime
• Venue: The Grandview www.grandviewevents.com
• Wedding Website: Wix www.wix.com
• Table Runners: Afrikart www.afrikartonline.com
• Rehearsal Dinner: Shadows on the Hudson www.shadowsonthehudson.com
• Limo Transportation: A Hudson Valley Limo www.ahudsonvalleylimo.com
• Trolley Transportation: The Grandview, www.grandviewevents.com
• Reception Music: DJ Mao Luangisa – maoluangisa “at” yahoo.com DJ Dave Nyakyi, Dave Nyakyi,djdaveny “at” gmail.com
• Escort tags: Save on Crafts – www.save-on-crafts.com
• Escort Card Tree: Banana leaf baobab trees bought in Tanzania

Wedding Attire

• Bride’s Wedding Dress: La Sposa – www.lasposa.info via The Sample Room – http://thesampleroomny.com
• Bridal Alterations: Pinpoint Bridal – www.facebook.com/pinpointbridal
• Bride’s Accessories: Lucy Bridal Boutique (via Etsy) – www.etsy.com/shop/LucyBridalBoutique,
• Bride’s Dress #2: Ted Baker – www.tedbaker-london.com/
• Bride’s Hanger:  Hanging Moments (via Etsy) – www.etsy.com/shop/Hangingmoments
• Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka , www.badgleymischka.com
• Bride’s perfume: J’Adore by Dior – www.dior.com/beauty/usa/en/women_fragrance_and_men_fragrance_by_christian_dio/women-fragrance/jadore/ljadorefpl.html
• Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Alfred Sung (The Dessy Group) – www.dessy.com
• Bride’s Cuff: Lapis Beach –  www.etsy.com/shop/lapisbeach
• Bride’s Earrings: Dana Castle –  www.etsy.com/shop/DanaCastle
• Bride’s Jewelry: Weddings With Flair – www.etsy.com/shop/weddingswithflair
• Groom’s Fragrance: John Varvatos – www.johnvarvatos.com
• Tanzanite Wedding Ring: Tacori – www.tacori.com

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