From the moment Malik laid eyes on his now-wife Kiara, he knew there was something special about her. He had to get her number, he hoped she’d call, and when she did, they went on what we tells us was “the best date ever.” Let’s share their love and see the fabulous wedding day!
“For my wedding, my shoes were the Lacie by Badgley Mischka – satin peep toed pumps with a touch of bling,” says the bride. “They were beautiful and comfy. I wore crystal, drop-style earrings that I had for a while, and a necklace during the ceremony, which I took off during the reception in exchange for a gorgeous short jacket that snapped into my dress. I wore a cathedral length veil with blusher.”
“I chose to make Kiara my wife because I knew she would always love and support me,” says Malik. “From the beginning of our relationship, she inspired me to be great. Her presence in my life gave me the extra motivation I needed to be successful. Her unending care and love for me helped solidify my decision to marry her.”
“My dress was designed by Mori Lee,” the bride yells us. “I spent months looking online and through magazines before I actually stepped foot in a salon. I went to a popular salon in the DC area by myself, just to test the waters, and had a bad experience. Thank God for Keba Marshall, the amazing owner of Cherry Blossom Bridal, who ultimately guided me through the search process and made picking my gown very easy. I love her and her team!”
Beautiful bride Kiara had her bridal party on hand to help her slip into her dress on the big day.
“Malik is hard working, humble and brilliant,” says Kiara.
Now this is how you spoil your groom-to-be with love on your big day.
“White vendela roses and white hydrangeas were used all throughout the day – from my bouquet, to the boutonnieres, to the corsages, to the centerpieces,” says Kiara. “I love this classic combination for its simple elegance, and it perfectly complemented our venue and style.”
“I hate this cliché, but it is so true – Malik is the ying to my yang,” says the bride. “Our personalities are so very different, yet complement each other perfectly. His highs are my lows, and vice versa.”
“She’s my best friend,” says Malik.
“I knew Kiara was the one when I wanted to make an extreme career change and she was my biggest cheerleader and the main person that was 100-percent supportive of my plan,” says the groom. “She has made me a better man and makes me better every day, and I ultimately realized I didn’t want to live my life without her.”
“I didn’t expect to find love when and how I did,” says the bride. “Not because I didn’t think I was worthy, and not because there weren’t many men who tried. Mostly because I didn’t feel like my life was lacking anything, and I was still relatively young. I always thought I would think about marriage and children later on in my 30s, but God had a better plan for me than I could have imagined.”
“He is patient,” says Kiara. “This is probably the main reason our relationship has lasted – I’m a handful!”
“What I love most about her is her will to succeed,” says Malik. “She is the most driven person I know.”
“April 19, 2010 was like any other at work and I couldn’t have imagined my future wife walking into my life at that time,” says Malik. “For a time, I didn’t think I would get married. After my father died in 2005, I saw how much pain my mother was in. My parents were married for 23 years when my father died and our family went through an extremely tough time, especially my mother. After that experience, I believed that I did not want to get married because if my wife died, I would have to feel the same pain my mother did. After dating Kiara, I fully understood that it is better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all; I’m willing to take any risk with her.”
The couple’s draped altar was divine.
“I walked myself down the aisle, which many in my family could not understand,” says the bride. “While I think the tradition of the father walking the bride down the aisle can be sweet, its origins are rooted in the idea that daughters were once considered the property of their fathers, and this act symbolized her being ‘turned over’ to the ownership of her husband. I entered my marriage as a free, whole woman, and was more than capable of walking toward my husband on my own.”
Kiara walked down the aisle to “Pachelbel’s Canon in D”, played by a harpist.
Kiara and Malik wrote their own vows and exchanged prepared vows as well.
The happy couple jumped the broom.
“The Rev. Dr. Michael Eric Dyson officiated our wedding, and was perfect for our wedding day,” says the bride. “We both know Dr. Dyson from our work lives, but he also officiated the wedding of our best man and his wife a few years ago. After watching how he blends faith with pop culture, we knew we wanted him to bless us in that way.”
“We had a brunch reception that started with cocktails at 11 a.m. in one space and then moved to a larger ballroom upstairs at noon for a full brunch buffet, live omelet station and full open bar,” says the bride.
Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Haughton!
“Our wedding did have a theme,” says Kiara. “Classic white wedding meets black tie brunch with a touch of gold.”
The couple danced to “Inseparable” by Natalie Cole for their first dance as husband and wife.
Don’t you just love the way they look at each other? We sure do!
Kiara and her proud groom glowed with love on her big day.
Each tier of the couple’s decadent cake was made of a different flavor. They also gave cake as their wedding favors. “The owner of the bakery who did our cake is also Malik’s godmother, and she made authentic Jamaican black cake, which we boxed into individual servings for guests to take home,” Kiara adds.
A custom groom’s cake for the lucky groom.
The newlyweds snapped a selfie to take in the magic of the moment.
“I enjoyed the day being the second most important person in the wedding,” says Malik. “I had an extra pep in my step because I had the most beautiful woman in the world on my arm.”
“Malik’s father passed away in 2005, so we had a memorial candle burning for him throughout the reception,” Kiara tells us. “My closest aunt – my mother’s sister – passed in the summer of 2012, and she had a notorious sweet tooth. So, we created a dessert bar featuring some of her favorite candy and named it after her.”
Join us as we congratulate the bride and groom! Leave your well wishes below. Want to see your wedding featured in Bridal Bliss? Email us now!
Best boquet toss photo ever!
