“I knew she was the one because of how I felt when I was with her and how I felt without her,” proud groom Corey says of his new wife Janell. “It was like I was at half full without her presence, without my best friend. I couldn’t wait to talk to her every day or get her opinion on something. She was very different from any other woman I had ever dated. Her uniqueness intrigued me.” See their romantic “I dos!”
“My dress had a long draping back, so I knew I wanted to wear my hair in an updo during the ceremony to show off the dress,” Janell explains. “I wore it down during the reception for a less formal look.”
Janell's custom gown is so picture-perfect it belongs in a frame.
Corey and Janell's romantic details were absolutely beautiful.
The brilliant hands behind Janell’s glam squad belonged to two people very close to her heart. “My hair was done by my good friend and stylist NiSheka Handy and my makeup was done by Pavea Russell,” she says.
Matching rings for the queen of the day and her king.
“I honestly was never the girl who focused on marriage or the ‘perfect love story’ as a child,” Janell reveals. “I focused on loving God, loving myself, and loving life as a young adult. Somewhere during this time that true love just happened in the perfect way. Did I think that I was going to marry someone I dated in the 10th grade, 10 years after graduation? No! But that’s the funny thing about life; sometimes it comes full circle.”
Janell and her bridesmaids were flawless on the big day.
“My bridesmaids’ dresses were from David’s Bridal,” says Janell. “I knew I wanted something soft and free flowing that would look nice on all shapes and sizes. It was an easy decision because going on I wanted to make things as simple as possible for my friends. Because I had 10 bridesmaids, this was the easiest way that all of them could purchase the same dress from many different states.”
Corey and his groomsman wore classic yet modern looks for the big day. “Corey was in charge of his look, as well as the groomsman attire,” Janell tells us. “He wanted just a classic black tux. He gifted each of the groomsman with cuff links to wear.”
“I was not expecting to rekindle a flame with a high school sweetheart and eventually marry her,” Corey admits. “I didn’t expect anything. I think that was the trick for both of us, we didn’t put hurdles in front of each other. We just kicked it and our friendship got stronger and then we fell in love.”
The bride stopped to enjoy all the photo opps on her big day.
“My wedding dress was designed by Julie Vino from her 2015 collection,” says Janell. “On my first day looking for the dress with my mother and brother’s girlfriend, it was the first one I tried on. I immediately fell in love with it. I didn’t want to make a rash decision so I tried on some others but nothing compared.”
“I couldn’t picture life without him,” Janell tells us of her decision to marry her love Corey. “He is hilarious, smart, witty, driven, and handsome, of course.”
“I remember being in complete shock when he proposed,” Janell recalls. “I had no idea that this was going to happen, so I was really surprised. Happy, but surprised!”
“Corey is thoughtful, funny and very unique,” says his lovely bride Janell. “Every day with his is like a new adventure. He has a thirst for knowledge and is someone that will continue to grow throughout life.”.
Corey and Janell and their bridal party stand tall on the big day.
Corey’s brother Davon served as his best man and the other groomsman were childhood friends and college buddies.
An elegant sparkle and a romantic color palette helped to make Janell and Corey's ceremony unforgettable.
“For the bouquets we used ivory, champagne and taupe colored roses,” says Janell. “I distinguished my maid of honor and matron of honor by the type of bouquets they had. Their bouquets were bigger and had a ribbon tied around the bottom. For the ceremony I had white risers with large flower arrangements lining the aisle. The altar of the ceremony included large gold risers with huge flower arrangements on top.”
“My father walked down the aisle because he is the man who loved me first and best,” Janell says. She chose to walk down to Amel Larrieux’s “Make me Whole.”
“There was no one else in the room when she was coming down the aisle,” Corey shares. “I don’t remember breathing because of how amazing she looked. It’s a moment I won’t ever forget. Just flawless.”
The couple lit a unity candle to symbolize their two families becoming one.
“We used the traditional vows from the bible,” says Janell. “They were the most fitting.”
Janell’s best friend Brea and her cousin Monica served as her maids of honor while six close friends and Corey’s sister helped to round out the bridal party.
Corey and Janell sealed the deal properly at the altar.
“Choosing her to be my wife was a choice that God helped me make,” says Corey. “I was praying for the total package, beauty, brains and a woman with strong faith, and I received that plus more. I have been truly blessed.”
“I love his genuine spirit,” says Janell. “He is the only person I have met, outside of my family, that I know has my genuine interest at heart. Life is so much happier when you have a partner that you know will always look out for you.”
“I love her more than life itself,” Corey shares with us. So precious!
“When she smiles, it radiates and it is infectious to everyone around,” says Corey. “When I see her smile, everything else that may have been wrong with my day miraculously disappears.”
“Being a bride was truly a once in a lifetime experience,” says Janell. “I set out on this journey and I wanted to take in every moment and remain stress free. It lived up to everything that I wanted it to be.”
“We began with the first dance, followed by mother son dance and father daughter dance,” says Janell.
For their first dance as husband and wife Janell and started out with Chrisette Michele’s “Couple of Forevers,” than switched things up to play throwback hit “Can’t You See” by Total.
A romantic sweetheart table for a sweet couple finally making it official before all those they love and cherish.
“We had a three layer Italian cream cake,” the bride recalls. “It had intricate dotting lining the sides and was topped with roses. We had a cake tasting at the venue and fell in love with it.”
“Trying to plan the wedding together was challenging at times so for the most part he gave me full control,” says Janell. “The only thing Corey cared about was his attire, the music, and the food. I let him help with those things and did everything on my own.”
Corey and Janell had a great time partying at their reception.
A beautiful tribute to their love story's humble high school beginnings.
A cake cutting portrait to remember.
“I knew that with her as a partner we would make each other better,” says the groom.
“We had specially engraved mason jars filled with personal imprinted M&Ms that had our wedding date on it and love sayings,” the bride tells us. “This was something small and cute that I believed the guests would enjoy. The colors of the favors matched the reception décor perfectly."
“We both wanted a modern and classy wedding,” says the bride. “Corey was all about the fun and entertainment. I wanted a classy experience.”
The newlyweds honeymooned in Cabo right after their epic wedding weekend. Join us as we congratulate them on the beginning of their happily ever after. Want to see your wedding featured in Bridal Bliss? Email us now!
