Bridal Bliss: Bakari and Kandice's 1920s Glam Wedding Was The Perfect Party

Bride: Kandice Nicole Wiliams, 29, Attorney
Groom: Bakari Guice, 33, Assistant Director of Player Development
The Big Day: 3/4/2017
Location: Monroe, Louisiana
Style/Theme: 1920s Glam Where Harlem Nights Meets The Great Gatsby
Planner: Events By Dulce

“My search was not difficult,” the bride admitted about finding the perfect dress for her big day. “After trying on a few I knew I’d found the one because of how it made me feel!”

How sweet is this special message Bakari wrote to Kandice on the bottom of her shoes!

“To be honest with you, it was nerve wrecking as hell,” said Bakari of how he felt to be a groom. “I was so anxious to see Kandice walk down the aisle. She was the most stunning bride I could’ve hoped for. But the wedding couldn’t have been more perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing about the ceremony or reception.”

“Being a bride was the most amazing feeling on earth,” shared Kandice. “It was everything I could’ve dreamed of and more. The day of the wedding it felt like time stopped for a moment.”

“Bakari is hard-working; tough as nails; open and honest,” said the bride of her groom. “He is the type of man who has old school values. Bakari is a closet romantic who loves seeing the look on my face when he surprises me with unexpected gestures that make my day.”

“I chose to make Kandice my wife for the same reasons I knew she was the one,” said Bakari of his bride. “Her love and dedication to me confirmed that she was the one I would make my wife.”

“My Dad walked me down the aisle,” the bride shared. “He was my first love. It was only right that he hand me over to my husband.”

“It was surreal knowing that I was about to marry someone who had grew to be my best friend,” shared the groom of how he felt waiting for his bride at the altar. “I couldn’t believe it was all happening.”

Bakari and Kandice incorporated a sand ceremony into their wedding day for a super nice touch!

“I felt overwhelmed with happiness,” said Kandice of marrying Bakari. “I couldn’t believe I was actually getting married to someone so perfect for me. I had a flash of all the things I’d been through with guys and felt so happy that I did not settle.”

“Each bridesmaid was allowed to pick their own dress so long as it was a floor length earth tone color with sparkle,” shared the bride. “I wanted each girl to look unique and embody 1920’s glam.” They definitely were full of glitz and glam!

“Kandice is a ‘try hard’ person,” said Bakari. “She gives her all to everything she puts her hands to. She is the most loving and caring person I know. She is so selfless. She really cares about people and making others happy.”

“I knew Bakari was the one very shortly after we started dating. He was different than any other guy I dated in the past. Our talks felt like I’d known him since the beginning of time; the way he prayed with me made me feel like I was his God-Sent; The way he watched me and catered to me made me feel like I was the first woman he had ever truly loved; and the way he talked about his son confirmed that he was someone I could trust to be the father of my future children.”

“I love Bakari’s ability to persevere,” shares Kandice. “It can be seen in the fact that he chased me for years and never gave up on getting his chance with me or in his faith in himself to become a college football coach if given an opportunity. No matter the obstacle, he always pushes through. He can take nothing and make it into something. He never quits. He always finds a way. That is the kind of man I feel I can trust to lead my family.”

Kandice had some very special ladies by her side on her wedding day including her sisters, godsisters and friends from both high school and law school.

“No way! At the time I met Bakari, I had just made a conscious decision to LIVE more than I worried about finding a spouse,” says the bride. “It’s so ironic that soon as I stopped worrying about being single, a guy who I had put off for years swept me off my feet.”

“He was ambitious and willing to make sacrifices to get where he wanted to go. He was a grinder who was not afraid to push the bounds to make it happen. With him, nothing was forced or coerced. Everything flowed. We connected on all levels. He was everything I’d talked to God about.”

“The wedding cake was amazing and definitely detailed with Great Gatsby Inspiration. The cake was huge standing at 6 tiers. It was white and gold with heavy embellishments, glitter, feathers, fringe and lace!”

“I love her smile most,” said Bakari of Kandice. “Something about it makes me gravitate to her. Aside from that, her sense of humor is what really got me! She is a lot of fun and always down for a good laugh. “

“As children, Bakari and I grew up less than one mile away, yet ironically, we first laid eyes on each other years later at a recreational football game,” shared the bride. “Another 3 years passed before Bakari solicited a mutual friend to formally introduce us at a Christmas Party. Exchanging numbers, Bakari would spend the next 2 years performing sporadic acts of kindness and maintaining some level of contact with me until, finally, I reached out to him first with a seemingly simple “Good Morning” text. Some would call the timing of our relationship luck. Others might speculate that destiny found a way to bring us together despite time and distance.”

The entire bridal party is such a sight to see!

After one year of dating, these two knew they were perfect for each other. After a 10 month engagement, they tied the knot! When you know, you know!

“I knew Kandice was the one within 3 weeks of dating her. Kandice came into my life at a time when I really needed someone who believed me. She met me after I quit a full time job to take an internship at University of Georgia. Although I was chasing a dream without steady pay she was fully supportive of my hopes of one day coaching collegiate football and motivated me to keep going every step of the way (until I was eventually hired full time by the University). I asked Kandice very blunt and direct questions about how she felt about long distance relationships; her thoughts on marriage; and her thoughts about a man who was less established than her. She gave the right responses and never once waivered from her day-one commitment to cheer me on as I worked toward my goals. I always felt like she completely had my back. She went the extra mile, displaying loyalty at every turn.”

Bakari and his groomsmen sure do clean up nicely!

A 1920s Harlem Nights meets The Great Gatsby themed wedding wouldn’t be complete without a good old fashioned party!

Kandice and her father share a tender moment on the dance floor. Aww!

Now this is how you let the good times roll!

Bakari’s son Dillon is a bonus child that Kandice loves with all her heart! “Our son was involved in the wedding as our miniature groom. It was very important that he share in the blending of our family into one unit. Since he is always aspiring to be like his dad, we thought it would be perfect to have him be a miniature version of Bakari on our big day,” said the bride. He’s such a little cutie pie!

Love is definitely written all over these two. Congratulations!