Mikayla and Oliver met on the East side and ended up heading West. The prodigal couple returned to Brooklyn for their wedding on September 12, 2009 and sang happily ever afters all the way back to the other side of the country.
With her hair in a bun, beautiful stud earrings and a sun-kissed makeup look Mikayla notes that she wanted to go with simple elegance on her wedding day.
The bride chose a pale green color for her bridesmaids dresses—which were made by one of the mothers at the school where she works. Each bridesmaid was able to choose the design she wanted.
To accent the beautiful hand-painted silk flower in front of Mikayla’s dress, she had a flower made for the back of her gown at her waist and one made for the back left side of her hair.
Mikayla’s adorable niece and nephew had big responsibilities on the wedding day, as the flower girl and ring bearer.
Flowers that features a scale of different pinks and purples picked up all the subtle colors in Mikayla’s one-of-a-kind dress.
Mikayla and Olvier got married at the Boathouse inside Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. It was the perfect scenery for their late-summer nuptial.
Mikayla smiles as her mother and father escort her down the aisle to meet up with her future husband.
“We chose traditional vows,” the bride—who reveals that she likes the traditional aspects of a wedding ceremony—said.
“I love the coloring of yellow gold with beautiful black people,” Mikayla said of her and oliver’s choice to have gold wedding bands. The couple bought their rings from a “company that was very conscious about best practices in jewelry-making,” Mikayla pointed out.
“Our florist made the most beautiful broom for us,” Mikayla said of the broom she and Oliver jumped over after saying their vows. “We still have it, hanging on our wall at home.”
Guests clap and snap photos as Mikayla and Oliver jump over the broom and into holy matrimony.
“[Oliver] is honest and he’s loyal. That’s really huge for me,” Mikayla says of her beloved.
These two have known each other since 2001. She says she loves that there’s no surprises.
“I had no illusions about who Oliver is, which is super romantic to me.”
Guests took home bottles of wine with labels that featured the happy couple.
The couple had a five-tiered wedding cake with gorgeous flowers in different shades of purple, made out of icing. One of the cakes was a white cake filled with cream and raspberry compote and covered in marzipan. Delicious.
Mikayla and Oliver danced close to TV On The Radio’s “Family Tree” for their first dance as husband and wife.
Mikayla goofs off with Oliver’s groomsmen.
Mikayla’s bridesmaids officially welcome Oliver into the fold.
After eating a wonderful meal, the party broke out. The newlyweds are die-hard hip hop fans and opted for a DJ to get the crowd hype. After busting a groove at the boat house, Mikayla, Oliver and a few friends headed over to a nearby bar to keep the vibes going.
“We were just two people who didn’t see life without each ofter,” Mikayla sighs. “Even if a part of that time was spent arguing, we still thought it was worth it.”
Mikayla said she definitely felt changed after getting married to Oliver. “I really felt like certain things I thought about took on new meaning—things like family.”
