It’s not every day that you get to put on a Beyoncé-inspired outfit and then perform a full dance routine in front of all of your family and friends. Bride Janessa Cox did just that on her wedding night when she surprised her new wife with a sweet routine at their wedding reception.
Cox and her wife Lanaya tied the knot in July, on the anniversary of their first date and the bride planned a moment to remember, with a lot of preparation.
During their reception, Cox snuck away to change out of her gorgeous wedding gown and slip into a silver sequin jersey dress. With her wife sitting in a chair in the middle of their reception dance floor, the show began and it was simply everything.
“I am a HUGE Beyoncé fan and music and dancing play a large part in our relationship in general,” Cox told ESSENCE. “When considering my own dance, I thought it would create a fun transition signaling that the party was about to get started!”
Pulling off the surprise required the Wall Street professional to not only swear a few friends to secrecy so word didn’t make way to her wife but she also enlisted the help of choreographer Shirlene Quigley who has worked with the likes of Queen Bey herself and Rihanna.
“I rehearsed twice a week for 3 months with the amazing choreographer, Shirlene Quigley, whose resume includes dancing on tour for Beyonce and Rihanna. She knew she was not working with a professional dancer, but instead, an untrained Wall Streeter so put together a 4-minute routine that fit my skill set. I worked with Shirlene to hire four of the most phenomenal dancers who honestly just killed it and kept assuring me that I could do this.”
Because Cox was not only devoted to all things Beyoncé, she chose songs that not only reflected her love for the singer’s musical catalog but one that also represented her transition from single Janessa to Lanaya’s wife.
“I chose 3 songs for the medley that I felt told a cheeky story about relationship progression: ‘Diva’ because every woman is fabulous in her own way and that was like single me. ‘Upgrade You’ because this should happen in any healthy relationship and that’s what happened when we were dating then. ‘Love On Top’ because when all is said on done, love should always prevail and that’s what happened when I married my wife.”
Honestly, we stan for Janessa’s wedding reception slay. Yaasss!
