Atlanta couple Kameela and Fred bonded over long nights of captivating conversation. Soon their talks turned to “I love you” and “will you marry me.”
Five years after their first chat, the couple said “I do” in a beautiful outdoor ceremony.
Kameela kept her wedding jewelry simple and elegant, wearing a single silver chain with an eternity symbol as its pendant.
Lynn Miles of Greg David Salon pinned the bride’s hair into a chic up-do and Regina B. Smith of R. Studio LLC brushed her eyelids and lips with a light shade of pink.
Kameela’s blue satin bridal shoes were so sweet. The bows added just the right amount of whimsy to her elegant outfit.
Kameela wore a long, strapless, slim-fitting, lace gown down the aisle. “I didn’t want anything complicated or huge,” Kameela remembers. “I felt like something simple and elegant was the way to go.”
Comfort was key for the new wife. She made sure she had a cute pair of flats to change into after saying “I do.”
Kameela pinned on a simple short veil with a feathered detail in the back.
The bride touched up her lipstick in the back seat of her limo before heading down the aisle.
Let the festivities begin!
The couple’s garden wedding took place in the backyard of Fred’s Aunt’s private home in New Jersey.
Guests dropped words of wisdom and encouragement in this birdcage for the newlyweds to take home as keepsakes.
The ring bearer couldn’t contain his joy while delivering the wedding jewels to the bride and groom.
“Kameela’s walk down the aisle was my favorite moment,” Fred reveals. “She was absolutely radiant, just as I imagined. She walked down to Brian McKnight’s ‘Never Felt This Way,’ sung by my fraternity brother. I cried. It was a special moment.”
Fred and Kameela’s wedding vows brought smiles to all the guests’ faces. “Fred has a way of capturing his audience with the tonality of his voice,” Kameela revealed. “I immediately felt the authenticity of his words.”
The bride and groom read their own vows and solidified their bond by blending two tones of sand together in a vase.
After five years of bliss, Kameela and Fred are finally husband and wife. They couldn’t be happier about their newlywed status.
“We took our relationship slow,” Kameela says. “We did the same thing with our wedding and we’re pretty much continuing to do that now as we’re married.”
“He is very consistent,” Kameela says of Fred, “and what you see is what you get. One never has to question him or his word. He is genuine.”
“She’s genuine, supportive and her personality makes her such a joy to be around,” Fred says of his new wife.
The couple named their tables after places and things that are important to them. One table was named “Cafe Con Leche” after their favorite restaurant. Another was named “Atlanta” for the city where they currently live.
Fred loves Anita Baker, Kameela tells us, so when he was looking for a wedding song he chose her 1985 hit, “Caught Up In the Rapture.”
“I love his sincerity and his positive outlook on life,” Kameela says of Fred.
The newlyweds’ cupcakes were from Tonnie’s Minis in New York City. The tower featured four flavors — Golden Heart (yellow cake and red velvet cake mixed), Chocolate Kiss (yellow cake and chocolate cake mixed), The Old Fashioned (yellow cake) and Red Velvet.
“Fred has the most infectious laugh,” Kameela tells us. “If I am in a bad mood and Fred begins to laugh, it immediately makes me crack a smile or break into laughter myself.”
Fred’s Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated brothers from the University of Virginia wouldn’t have missed their comrade’s wedding day for the world. They performed one of their signature step dances at the reception.
With all of Fred’s friends from the University of Virginia in town, “it was like a UVA reunion at our wedding,” Kameela remembers.
“I’m looking forward to starting a family, traveling more and building our dream home,” Kameela says.
For more on Fred and Kameela’s wedding, visit The Bride’s Cafe
All photos by Tanya and Cesar Perez, www.perezweddings.com
