The creativity being put on display with engagement photo shoots these days is pretty amazing, but few can compare to what bride-and-groom-to-be Malika and Daniel were able to pull off with their pre-wedding shoot.
With the theme of “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,” the pair stepped into four different looks that all held special meaning. The “old” honored Daniel’s Ghanian roots and history, wearing kente straight from the town the cloth originated from — Bonwire, Ghana. The “new” presented itself in the form of handmade, one-of-a-kind ensembles in wedding day inspired black and white.
For something “borrowed,” Malika sported a butterfly brooch owned by her late grandmother, Martha L. Burwell, atop a jewel-toned green gown (the couple will marry on her grandmother’s birthday to honor her). And as for the “blue,” the couple mixed different shades of the hue for their attire, including Malika’s voluminous dress and Manolo Blahnik heels.
They were captured by two talented photographers in Ryan Eda and Mesus Studios, with the whole thing planned by DC-based wedding and event company MasterPlan Events.
For fashionista and influencer Malika, who comically describes herself as “extra,” the inspiration for the grand shoots came a desire to do it big after an unforgettable proposal put on by her dentist and entrepreneur beau last fall.
“I honestly knew I wanted to have a wow factor for the engagement shoot,” she tells ESSENCE. “Also, being in the fashion field, being a fashion influencer, I knew there would be a lot of speculation about what we’d do for not only the wedding but for literally everything leading up to the wedding.”
“Since the bridal proposal was a big deal I was like there’s no way we can just do one look for the engagement shoot… it was way too much anticipation,” she continued. “I also knew that there was no way I was keeping the ‘something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue’ theme for my wedding day. I figured if we did it for the engagement shoot maybe my family wouldn’t look for me to keep that tradition on the wedding day [laughs]. Of course, Daniel was in agreement with whatever I wanted to do.”
The couple will follow up the extravagant shoots with two weddings: a traditional Ghanian wedding ceremony on September 9, 2022 in Maryland and a Western white wedding on September 9, 2023 in Philadelphia. In the meantime, Malika is basking in the excitement of wedding planning and preparing to be Mrs. Owusu-Antwi, celebrating with a fairytale photo shoot to match their fairy tale love story.
“Daniel I am honored that I get to spend this life with you,” she wrote on Instagram to her future husband. “You have truly given me my fairytale life and I am forever grateful for you.”
Check out more of our favorite shots from their pre-wedding shoot below!
