Virginia couple Charis and Keon met at work and fell in love. After breaking up for a year, they realized their lives functioned better with each other in it. They tied the knot on October 30, 2010 and continue to work together in life and love.
Charis visited Newport’s Chrysler Museum of Art on field trips when she was in elementary school. She always thought it was beautiful and when it came time to plan her wedding it was the only venue that would do for her.
“On my wedding day everything went so perfectly,” Charis remembers. “There was no drama, I wasn’t stressing. Everything was seamless.”
Charis wore chandelier earrings and a dazzling bracelet for her bridal jewelry.
She found her vintage-inspired, birdcage veil on Etsy.com from a vendor named NYC Jewelry.
Her smokey-eyed makeup was created by Sy for M.A.C.
Keon confesses he was a little nervous on his wedding day, but everything went so smoothly he had nothing to worry about.
“We were so happy to see the outcome,” he shares. “Everything was perfect.”
Charis’s process for choosing her wedding dress was extremely simple. She planned everything out before she visited the Maya Couture boutique in Norfolk, Virginia and it took her 30 minutes to choose her Moonlight Bridal dress once she was in the fitting room.
“He’s just a good person,” Charis says of her guy. “He’s motivational and he always tries to see the good in people. He’s always positive.”
Charis and Keon’s wedding planner Isha Foss — who is also a florist — sourced the flowers for the bridal bouquet and put it together herself.
“His smile is infectious,” Charis gushes. “He’s so joyful.”
The Chrysler Museum of Art featured dramatic lighting for the bride and broom.
“She looks amazing everyday,” Keon says of his wife, “and that day, seeing her in her dress, I got teary eyed a little but, but I kept it in. It was mind-blowing, unbelievable.”
Charis’ father walked her half way down the aisle before handing her off to her grandfather who continued the trip, giving her away to Keon.
Keon was nervous that he would cry if the couple read their own vows, so they opted for traditional vows.
Charis says when you look at her wedding ring from the side, it resembles the Eiffel Tower. It’s no coincidence that the couple honeymooned in Paris.
An alum of Hampton University, Charis asked the Hampton Terpsichorean Dance Company to perform an interpretive dance during the ceremony. The movements represented the ups and downs and ultimate victory in the couple’s relationship.
“It was sort of like sparks,” Charis says of her kiss with Keon. “It was the sealing of our new marriage and our new life together — kind of like, signed, sealed and delivered.”
“He didn’t want to take anything from me,” Charis remembers from dating Keon. “He just wanted to stand next to me. He was clear with his intentions. He wasn’t just some Joe Blow trying to come and get what he wants and then leave.”
“He was really different,” Charis says of Keon. “It took me a while to realize it because I had been burnt before.”
“She’s giving, she’s loving, she cares and she constantly keeps me motivated,” Keon says of his new wife. “She always has my back no matter what it takes.”
Charis knew she wanted to incorporate peacock feathers in her wedding. The tables’ centerpiece bouquets featured the bright blue and green feathers for an extra dramatic effect.
The reception area was lit up in brilliant pinks and purples.
Keon and Charis started their first dance with Etta James’ classic love song “At Last.”
Halfway through the sentimental dance, they surprised wedding guests by changing the music to Ying Yang Twins’ “Whistle While You Twerk” and performed a choreographed up-tempo dance.
After their first dance Charis changed into a glittery silver party dress to shimmy and shake for the rest of the night.
After more than a few vendors turned her down, saying that her wedding cake idea was too complicated, Charis found someone who could incorporate the peacock theme into the dessert.
’Everything was edible," Charis informed us. “Even the feathers were made of sugar candy.”
The newlyweds tell us the reception was a lot of fun. They kept the venue rocking until after midnight.
At midnight, Charis turned 28. All of the wedding guests participated in a countdown to celebrate.
“We’re looking forward to really experiencing life as a couple,” Keon says.
“We’re looking forward to building our own legacies,” Charis adds.
All photos by Keith Cephus Photography
