On April 15, 2010, Kimberly Cooper and Rodney King joined forces in a fabulous wedding with a “contemporary royalty” theme. Share their love.
Since Kimberly was changing her last name to Cooper-King she thought it only right to incorporate royalty into her wedding theme. Crowns were placed on her wedding invites and the couple chose platinum and periwinkle as their wedding colors.
Kimberly had her hair styled in romantic drop curls for the big event.
Emmy Award-winning artist Elena George did Kimberly’s hair and make-up. A tiara added that royal touch to her wedding look.
Kimberly found her wedding gown at RK Bridal in downtown Manhattan. She tried on her gown while waiting for her sister to arrive at the boutique.
“By the time my sister came, I had my wedding dress on and she walked in and she was like, ‘wow,’” Kimberly remembers.
“When I finally put everything on, I felt like a princess,” the bride says.
Keeping with her platinum and periwinkle colors, Kim slipped on these shiny peep-toe pumps to walk down the aisle in.
It was important to Kim that her bridesmaids wore dresses that expressed their personalities so each one wore a slightly different cut.
Rodney had a great group of guys behind him on his wedding day.
White parasols helped bring Kimberly and Rodney’s contemporary royalty theme to life. The grounds at Westbury Manor looked like the perfect spot for a regal outing.
The live animals at Westbury Manor, like this glorious peacock, added extra spectacle to the affair.
The fellas strike a pose before sending their best man, Rodney, down the aisle.
“When I saw Kim walk down the aisle, I felt like tears were going to burst out of my eyes like snoopy,” Rod jokes. “I got really emotional.”
“All I kept telling myself was, ’Don’t look at anybody. Just stay focused on Rod,” Kim remembers. “He looked so handsome.”
“I call her Broadway Kim,” Rodney says of his new wife. “I’m Reserved Rod. We keep the balance. I keep her calm and she keeps me climbing.”
Once at the altar with her King, Kimberly takes a moment to glance at the view.
“Whatever happened that day, we knew that our pastor was marrying us, which was super important,” Kim says. “We knew we had each other and when we knew that everything was going to fall into place.”
Kimberly and Rodney made sure the word was well represented at their wedding. The beginning of the ceremony featured a reading from First Corinthians, chapter 13 put to music.
“Once we went through the ceremony, I was like ‘OK this is my wife!’” Rodney says. “We can enjoy the celebration.”
After the ceremony, Kimberly took some time out to thank her girls for their love and support.
Kim’s girlfriends have welcomed Rod into their hearts.
Even the couple’s menus feature the royal crown.
Each table’s centerpiece included a scepter illuminated by light.
The newlyweds entered their reception all to the sounds of “Down with the King,” by Run DMC.
“It’s a classic and we’re die-hard hip hoppers,” Kim explained.
The couple’s first dance was to “So Beautiful,” by Musiq Soulchild.
The Cooper-Kings offered three signature drinks during their cocktail hour. The Fab Friday was a key lime martini, the King was sangria and the 57th and Ninth was a margarita made with Patron tequila.
ESSENCE’s Washington D.C. correspondent Cynthia Gordy and Entertainment Editor Cori Murray were both at the wedding bash.
So was hip hop royalty Cheryl Wray, a.k.a. Salt from Salt-N-Peppa.
Kimberly and Rodney’s four-tiered cake was fit for a king and queen.
To switch things up, Rodney and Kimberly had their garter toss and bouquet toss at the same time.
Rodney and Kimberly dressed up their glassware in a tuxedo and wedding gown for fun.
“Our DJ Chris Washington was off the chain!” Kimberly exclaims. “Nobody sat down. We sweated the whole night.”
Kimberly says she’s looking forward to raising children with Rodney. “We want at least two babies. We want to build the King Family. We call ourselves Team King.”
“I wished it wasn’t over,” Kimberly says of her wedding day. “Even though it took a lot of time to get there, I really felt like our wedding was the best wedding ever.”
All photos by Milan Photography.
View the wedding trailer for Kimberly and Rodney’s big day here.
