After almost ten years of blissful courtship, Maya King and Cyril Gumbs met at the altar in a garden wedding at East Wind Inn and Spa in Long Island, NY on August 1, 2009 to say “I Do” and pledge the rest of their lives to each other.
Maya got a head-start on her do, when her stylist at Patricia’s Hair Extensions Full Service Salon in Queens, NY set her hair the night before the big day. On the morning of her wedding, Maya’s cousin took her curls out and finished the style.
Serendipitously, Maya met a Mary Kay makeup consultant at a bridal salon, who ended up applying the makeup for the whole bridal party.
Maya took her mother and some of her bridesmaids with her to choose her wedding gown. The dress that they all settled on cost about $1200—including alterations—which fit perfectly into Maya’s bridal budget.
The East Wind Inn and Spa had a long list of preferred vendors for the bride and groom to choose from for their flowers, photography and more. The couple chose Elegant Events for all of their floral arrangements.
“We didn’t spend more than $2000 for the flowers for about 16 tables and the bouquets,” Maya notes.
The bride chose lavender as the color for her bridesmaids’ dresses because her husband loves purple. The color is often used to represent something extremely special.
Maya’s advice for brides-to-be is to choose flower girls and ring bearers who are older than pre-school age, so that they won’t be intimidated by the crowd.
Maya’s mother was in the bride’s suite to help with everything on the big day.
Maya’s engagement ring was custom made and has an s-like shape. The couple found a wedding band that would compliment it. For Cyril, they chose a strong, masculine titanium ring.
Maya’s father happily walks her down the aisle, knowing that while he’s giving his baby girl away to Cyril, she won’t be too far away.
“It’s good to marry somebody that was your friend,” said Maya who’s known Cyril since 1994. She wasn’t nervous about marriage, just overjoyed.
Early on in their relationship, Maya paid a lot of attention to Cyril’s views on family and how he treated those close to him. She found him to be fundamentally sound.
After declaring their devotion for each other in front of their family and friends, Maya and Cyril sealed their love with a kiss.
Rain fell on the days leading up to the wedding, so the bride and groom were happy to see the sun shining bright on their big day.
When it came to getting hitched, Maya was not in any huge hurry. “It pays to wait until you’re a little bit older and you’re settled,” she said of taking it slow.
Maya said she knew she could trust Cyril because, “he took care of himself and he was always willing to help friends out and support them.”
Since the groom is a DJ, the couple chose a musical theme to label the tables. Guest sat at tables listed as disco, reggae, soca, jazz, reggaeton and more.
The father of the bride is in awe of his daughter on her wedding day.
The newlyweds held each other close and swayed to “Fortunate” by Maxwell for their first dance.
There’s a funny story behind the couple’s cake topper. The night before the wedding, the bride’s leg fell off. A resourceful Maya, put her back together with glue and dental floss and she was ready to make an appearance at the reception.
Since the wedding, husband and wife have settled nicely into Maya’s family home, where her parents got their start about forty years ago.
Maya, Cyril and their friends and family give a big fist pump for a perfect day.
The newlyweds hoped to start their family as soon as they got hitched, so they’re very excited about their upcoming new addition to the family.
With a solid foundation built on years of getting to know, trust and deeply love each other, Maya and Cyril set off for a lifetime of memories. May they match the memories made on their beautiful wedding day.
