Bridal Bliss: Kendra And Diallobe Said "I Do" In A Magical Celebration In The SoCal Desert
They started as colleagues in the music industry and ended up making beautiful music together as husband and wife. See the beautiful images from their big day.
Kendra heard it the first time she met Diallobe in person. The two talked on the phone countless times before, as they both work in the music industry. She’s the VP of marketing for Atlantic Records, he is an award-winning music manager. So by the time they met in person for lunch to discuss a client they were both working with, they were comfortable with one another in a professional but laid back way.
And then she heard a voice.
“After lunch he offered to drive me back to my hotel. I get in the car, look over at him and a voice in my head said, you are going to marry this guy,” she tells ESSENCE. “That has never happened to me before so it was quite eerie!”
It was also the beginning of Kendra seeing Diallobe differently. While residing in NYC at the time, when she traveled to LA for work, she would make an effort to see him by inviting him to meet up with her and her friends.
“I think we started to like each other but neither of us said anything about it,” she says. “Then, New Year’s Eve was approaching in 2015. I was in New York and asked him ‘do you have plans for New Years?’ He said no and I was on the next flight! We went to dinner and a Bryson Tiller concert so I think that was our official first date.”
From there, the two went from inconspicuously feeling each other to knowing they’d found the one. He would propose to her in November 2020. Surrounded by a small group of her best friends from around the country who met in Palm Springs for a staycation to escape COVID cabin fever, he got down on one knee.
And as one of the most beautiful moments of their lives occurred in Palm Springs, it made sense that they decided to return there to say “I do.” They brought family and friends to Palm Desert, which is in the heart of Greater Palm Springs and finds itself within a desert in Southern California. There, on January 15, they made magic happen with the help of extravagant florals, twinkling lights shaped into a tent, and personal touches that celebrated their love story — from pictures of them printed atop tasty cocktails to an escort display fashioned into a boom box to honor their work in music.
The day was filled with overflowing joy emanating from the guests (including a cuddly dog) to the bride and groom. For Kendra, it was also the confirmation of what the voice in her head told her that afternoon they met for the first time seven years prior.
“My favorite moment from our wedding day was seeing Diallobe at the altar waiting for me to walk down the aisle,” she recalls. “That is something I have dreamed about since we met and for it to finally happen was a dream come true.”
And speaking of a dream, wait until you see the photos from their celebration, orchestrated by Candace Hernandez of Fawn Events. See all the beauty from their big day and learn more about their love story. It’s sure to strike a “chord.”
If you’d like to submit your nuptials for consideration for a Bridal Bliss profile, send your images to bridalbliss@essence.com.
01
How the Bride Knew She’d Found the One
Kendra knew Diallobe would be her husband when that voice let her know it on the day they met in person. “Here we are seven years later happily married. So I guess to answer the question, I knew from day one!”
Matoli Keely Photography
02
How the Groom Knew He’d Found the One
When asked when he knew Kendra was the one, Diallobe said he felt it early.
“It would have to be when I took her to my hometown in Oakland to show her around before our first official first date on NYE.”
Matoli Keely Photography
03
The Proposal
The couple’s staycation with friends will always be one of their favorite memories.
“I had friends come in town from Florida, New York and Atlanta and we just hung out, cooked dinner, relaxed and chilled by the pool,” Kendra says. “On the last day we were there, everyone was hanging out by the pool eating and drinking, Diallobe got down on one knee and proposed! It was super special because he knows how much my girlfriends mean to me, so to have them all there made the moment one I will never forget.”
Matoli Keely Photography
04
The Theme
“The theme for our wedding was something we called ‘desert chic,'” she says. “When our guests asked us what they should wear we told them to dress like they were going to the Grammys or the BET Awards! Our friends are fly so we wanted to bring all that flyness to the desert.”
Matoli Keely Photography
05
The Venue
“We also wanted to find a venue where we could have all of our events in one location,” Kendra says. “When our planner brought us to Kempa Villa in Palm Desert we knew it was the one. We were able to stay there for the entire weekend and host our welcome reception, our ceremony and reception and our brunch the day after the wedding. It was absolutely perfect.”
Matoli Keely Photography
06
A Special Touch
“Our planner Candace Hernandez really helped bring our ideas to life!” Kendra says. “We knew that we wanted to incorporate music into our décor since we both work in music. I also love taking photos so we wanted that to be a big part of our day as well so we had a photo booth as well as disposable cameras on every table at the reception. One of the stand out moments at our wedding reception was our escort display. It was constructed to look like a huge boom box and our guests’ names were printed on ‘wedding mixtapes’ that they got to take home.”
Matoli Keely Photography
07
All of the Lights
“Another wow moment at our wedding was our twinkle tent,” she says. “Our wedding reception was covered in twinkle lights that were constructed into the shape of a tent so we got to dance under twinkle lights all night! It was truly magical.”
Matoli Keely Photography
08
Creative Cocktails
“The bar company that we hired, Snake Oil, has a signature method where they can print artwork on top of cocktails. I had never seen anything like that before and it was definitely something that made it to a lot of our wedding guests’ Instagram feeds!”
Matoli Keely Photography
09
A (Tasty) Work of Art
The stunning cake was crafted by Hey there, Cupcake! of San Diego.
Matoli Keely Photography
10
The Bride’s Most Memorable Moment
“My favorite moment from our wedding day was seeing Diallobe at the altar waiting for me to walk down the aisle. That is something I have dreamed about since we met and for it to finally happen was a dream come true.”
Matoli Keely Photography
11
The Groom’s Most Memorable Moment
“Too many to name but if I had to pick one, seeing my bride walk down the aisle to become my wife.”
Matoli Keely Photography
12
Husband and Wife
Mr. and Mrs. Johnson make their debut after saying “I do.”
Matoli Keely Photography
13
Darling Decor
It’s the blend of the candles, florals and twinkling lights for us! Just magical.
Matoli Keely Photography
14
Get on the Floor
The personalized floor was put together by HCD Portable Dance Floors.
Matoli Keely Photography
15
The First Dance
The couple shared a sweet moment while enjoying their first dance.
Matoli Keely Photography
16
It’s a Celebration
A great time was (clearly) had by all in honor of the love of Kendra and Diallobe.
Matoli Keely Photography
17
Happily Ever After
Their celebration under the twinkling lights, the night sky, in the desert was a one-of-a-kind fête. It’s a day they certainly will have the best memories of as they take on married life. Congrats!
