Angelisse knew there was something very special about Marcus on the very first day they met. When it was time for him to ask her to be his wife, Marcus tricked her into showing up to a friend’s party only to realize it was actually their surprise engagement affair, and everyone they knew and loved was there. See their romantic military “I dos” and share their love.
“My something old (and blue) was a blue topaz ring that my mother had given me for one of my birthdays,” says Angelisse. “It’s my birthstone.”
“Marcus is handsome, intelligent and hilarious, with a great sense of humor,” says the bride. “He is practical, yet seeks to enjoy life to its fullest no matter the cost and he is very goal oriented.”
“My mother and stepmother accompanied me for a day of dress shopping,” says the bride. “They picked out this dress at the first store we went to and we all had that ‘say yes to the dress’ moment.”
“I wanted my hair up in a coifed style for the ceremony and down for the reception,” says the blushing bride. “My high school friend Prince worked his magic from there.” Angelisse flawless makeup look was created by Runway Ready Makeup Artistry by Stephanie.
For her wedding day jewelry, Angelisse wore a Givenchy bracelet and drop earrings. “It was very simple due to the top of my dress having so much detail,” she shares.
“We said traditional vows at our first wedding in February and then wrote our own vows in August,” says Angelisse. “We held the written vows until that time in order to make it special.”
“As a surprise for Marcus and our parents, I had charms with pictures of our late grandparents attached to my bouquet,” Angelisse shares. “This was in honor of their legacy and so that they would be held close to us as we shared our vows.”
“When my friends asked me if I was sure that Angel was the one for me, my answer came easily to me,” says Marcus. “I have never been this happy with anyone else. Even when we argue, I don’t want to be anywhere else than with her. It was clear that she was heaven sent.”
Angelisse and Marcus had a large bridal party filled with loved ones who were their support system on their big day.
“being in the military creates challenges in finding the right one,” Marcus admits. “I knew I would find a wife, but I never expected the level of joy that I have in being with Angel, my soul mate. I honestly thought I would find her earlier in my life, but that didn’t happen. I think that’s because I was so selective and I knew I only wanted to get married once.”
Beautiful bride Angelisse received the royal treatment on her big day.
“We wanted the groomsman to look dashing and have ties and pocket squares to match the girls’ dresses,” says Angelisse. “It was perfect!”
“We chose emerald and gold as our wedding colors because emerald is Marcus’ birthstone and gold was a beautiful complieent to it,” says the bride. “Also, as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, I do love green!”
“Angel is the perfect combination of sophistication, beauty and coolness,” says Angelisse. “She can turn heads with her look, win people over with her charm, and engage in any type of conversation. She is career focused with goals and plans for a family.”
The happy couple and their bridal party had a blast posing for fun pictures on the mansions romantic property.
“Thing I love most about her is how much she cares for other people,” says Marcus. “Angel celebrated my accomplishments more than I did and I started recognizing that I was working harder just to make her proud of me.”
A fun sign prepared the room for the bride’s big march down the aisle.
“I was fortunate to have my father walk me down the aisle,” shares Angelisse. “I say fortunate for two very significant reasons. The first is that he is an amazing father and has been from the moment he knew I existed. Secondly, my father was almost taken from us earlier this year due to a senseless act of violence so this walk is definitely something I did not take for granted.”
“All the girls wore a unique gown from the same designer and in the same fabric,” says the bride. “I wanted them to match their personal styles.”
“I walked down the aisle to ‘The One He Kept For Me’ by Maurette Brown Clark,” says Angelisse.
The couple held their romantic ceremony and reception in the Newton White Mansion in Mitchellville, Maryland.
“Looking into his eyes and hearing the promises that he was making to me from his words, I just felt full and complete,” says Angelisse.
“At the altar, I felt blessed to be the one she chose,” Marcus shares. “I also felt confident that I had chosen correctly.”
“One of my parent’s best friends, Xiomara Nichols, who has known me since I was born, was the pastor and officiant of both our wedding ceremonies,” the bride shares. “I lovingly refer to her and her husband as my aunt and uncle because they are family. She has been one of my spiritual guides in life so choosing her was truly and honor for us.”
Marcus’ father said a special prayer over their lives and marriage on behalf of their parents.
Of course the happy couple sealed the deal with a romantic kiss to be remembered.
Marcus’ military buddies helped them make their grand ceremony exit in style.
“Once we were presented as husband and wife following the ceremony Marcus and I walked through the swords stopping at each pair and being asked to do something silly like “boogie down, fist bump, chest bump, etc,” Angelisse explains. “It made for a pretty funny exit, and at the end of the aisle we honored an old Coast Guard tradition when I was smacked on the butt with a sword by the last swordsmen as he stated, ‘Welcome to the Coast Guard!’ What was really cool is that Marcus was one of his swordsmen and inducted his wife when they got married, so this was payback.”
“I knew eventually whomever the Lord chose to be my husband would find me because I prayed about that,” says Angelisse. “But I never in a million years would have thought it would happen when and how it did. The fact that we were both in relationships when we met, and that those relationships ended on the same weekend (completely unrelated) was pretty crazy.”
“My parents set a great example for marriage in my life and that is something I knew I would eventually uphold,” Marcus shares.
We instantly loved Angelisse’s casual footwear swap. When it’s time to party, comfort comes first ladies!
“I made the best decision of my life when I asked Angel to be my best friend, my counsel, my business partner and my cuddle bug partner for life,” Marcus shares.
“We had a military wedding complete with 10 handsome swordsmen,” the bride tells us. It made for amazing photo opps on their big day!
“I wore a cathedral style veil with an embellished head piece that my stepmother bought me as a gift,” says the gorgeous bride.
“Since there is a little age different between us we entered the reception to ‘PYT’ by Michael Jackson for fun,” says the bride. “We both love that song.”
“For our first dance, we slowed it down to ‘Angel’ by Bobby Blue Bland, a song his parents recommended he play for our proposal, and it did in fact come on as soon as I said yes,” says the bride. “We then switched it up on everyone and broke it down to ‘Fool For You’ by Cee-Lo and Melanie Fiona.
“All events took place at Newton White Mansion,” says the bride. “The ceremony was held in the atrium of the mansion which boasts floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the beautiful greenery and floras of the golf course the mansion sits on. After the ceremony, guests were escorted outside for a cocktail hour on the patio of the mansion to enjoy passed hors d’ oeuvres and the open bar while the room was flipped.”
“For those busy couples out there who have more than the wedding to juggle I would definitely recommend hiring a planner,” Angelisse admits. “I had honestly not been to many weddings in my life so I really needed the expertise of a planner and to utilize their resources to make the process as smooth and efficient as possible.”
“We knew we wanted a place that would speak for itself, need minimal decoration and that had a vintage look to it,” says Angelisse. “Newton White Mansion was absolutely perfect. Due to our careers both moving in positive directions we knew our energies needed to be primarily focused there so we decided to hire Simply Fabuleux Event Management, Planning and Décor. This sister team guided us throughout the entire process.”
“Our cake was a beautiful three-tier hexagon cake with a design to match the lace on my dress and there was gold trim too,” says Angelisse. “The flavors were coconut pineapple and lemon drizzle. Everyone raved about how delicious it was.”
The couple hired Brotha J to spin tunes at their reception party and they stayed on their feet all night long.
We love to see couples this happy on their wedding day. Cheers to love!
Join us as we celebrate Angelisse and Marcus’ bridal bliss. Don’t forget to leave the happy couple a little comment love below. Want to see your wedding featured in Bridal Bliss? Email us now!
