Tasha and Marcus met at work and felt sparks at an after hours party. When he started leaving her flowers and candy at her desk, she knew she found her man. The happy couple were married on May 27, 2012 at the One Atlantic in Atlantic City, NJ. Share their love!
The bottom of Tasha’s spectacular mermaid cut Vera Wang wedding gown was covered in over 200 hand cut organza petals, which inspired her floral design ideas for their wedding.
Watching someone get down on one knee and ask you to spend the rest of your life with them is surreal,” says Tasha, who was totally surprised by Marcus’ proposal.
“My goddaughter was one of my flower girls,” Tasha reveals. “Marcus has two little cousins who participated in the wedding as the other flower girl and the ring bearer.”
The soon to be newlyweds and their bridal party relaxed with friends and family at the Caesars Atlantic City Resort on the morning of their wedding.
“I used my matron of honor’s wedding comb as my something borrowed,” says Tasha. “My mother purchased my tear drop earrings and bracelet as my something new.”
Family and friends surround Tasha in a moment of prayer before the wedding ceremony begins.
Marcus, who played football during his college days at Howard University, opted to skip the fuss over finding a tux on the racks that would complement his size and instead had a custom looked designed just for him. The result was a dapper and unforgettable look for him on the big day.
To complement her Vera Wang gown, Tasha chose a simple yet stunning Vera Wang veil because she wanted it to be “all about the dress.”
“I didn’t want to appear overdone, so I wore purple Manolo Blahniks to match the bridesmaid’s gowns,” says Tasha.
A year before Tasha was even engaged her mother sent her a photo of this lovely Vera Wang gown. She loved it as much as her Mom did, and when it came time to hunt for wedding dresses and her hunt wasn’t going well, Tasha stumbled across the photo and knew for sure she’d found the dress.
“I knew I wanted my bridesmaids to have individual gowns that fit their personalities and body types,” says Tasha. “When I found my bridesmaids gowns in the purple, I knew that was it.” Her four beautiful bridesmaids wore Jim Hjelm Couture gowns, each in the same fabric and color but in the style of their liking. “My maid and matron of honor both wore matching flowers that looked like the hydrangea petals, and I think it was a small ode to my gown.”
Marcus and his groomsman, who wore custom tuxedos from Kleinfeld Men, went to see Kevin Hart’s live comedy show the night before the wedding to kick off the bachelor party fun.
“Marcus stressed how much he didn’t want our guests to shuttle between two locations, so we choose to have the ceremony and reception at One Atlantic,” says Tasha of their fancy seaside Atlantic City venue.
“We can honestly say we had a wedding weekend,” says Tasha. “From the very beginning, we wanted to have more than just a wedding day. We wanted to spend time with our family and friends and as the bride and groom your wedding day goes by so quickly. So instead we decided to spread our events out over the course of three days.”
Tasha’s mother and her stepfather escorted her down the aisle.
The happy couple’s ceremony began at 5 p.m. on Memorial Day weekend. They chose the day and time carefully because it represented the exact moment they met five years before.
Tasha told her stylist that she trusted her to make her beautiful on her wedding day. “We decided to curl everything and then style it,” she says.
“Marcus’ aunt is an Elder,” says Tasha. “She officiated over the ceremony. Together we worked on the order of service and she suggested that we tie the cord of three strands instead of lighting a unity candle since we already had a full memorial candle lit at the altar. It was a very special touch because the cord is something we can display in our home as a constant reminder of the agreement we made to each other and to God.”
“Marcus and I both lost both sets of grandparents, and he lost an aunt and an uncle,” Tasha tells us. “They were very important to us so we had a poem reading and a candle lit during the ceremony in their honor.”
At their reception, the bride and groom chose to dine together at this lovely sweetheart table for two.
“The cake was not a priority for me,” Tasha reveals, which is a rare confession for a detail-oriented bride. “But, the design was spectacular. It was simple and elegant.” She wanted it to hint at the overall wedding design and décor without mimicking it exactly.
Mr. and Mrs. Griffin cut a rug for their first dance. Just look at how Marcus looks at Tasha. Ladies, that’s the look of love.
“I love bold colors and I always planned on using a rainbow of colors for my wedding day,” says Tasha. We’re nuts about her pretty pink and purple lighting palette, which instantly turns a blank space into a romantic haven.
A custom gobo light lit up the dance floor to help guests find the party.
This father-daughter dance moment is sweeter than sweet. Just look at those smiles.
Custom wine glasses were waiting for the bridal party at their seats. What a sweet and thoughtful gift idea.
“I love flowers,” admits Tasha. “They were a big part of our courtship. Marcus would send me flowers often for special occasions of just because. It was nice to be able to use two of my favorite flowers in the décor – peonies and hydrangeas.
“Our cake really complimented the event,” says Tasha. Their cake was made up of a delicious combination of devil’s food chocolate cake tiers with cookies and buttercream filling and vanilla cake tiers with dulce de leche custard and buttercream.
Tasha and Marcus enlisted the help of Julie Conley’s floral team at Warren Country Events to create these dreamy centerpieces for the flower-loving bride.
King’s tables and towering branch centerpieces created an elegant reception setting for the couple and their guests to dine.
“It was important for me to have a DJ that catered to all of our guests,” Tasha shares. “I’m originally from Panama, so it’s not a party until we hear some Salsa. We decided to pair the DJ with live musicians. They gave us everything we asked for — salsa, meringue, Motown, R&B and hip hop.”
Tasha had a ball tossing her bouquet to all the single ladies in the room.
Tasha’s little cousin Jayden is a brain cancer survivor. In lieu of giving guests wedding favors, the couple has made plans to make a donation to the Ronald McDonald House.
“Marcus and I don’t remember most of it,” admits the new Mrs. Griffin. “But, from looking at the pictures, it looks like everyone was having a great time.”
“Our photographer was very talented and had an eye for how to convert the mundane into beautiful backdrops,” Tasha says.
“Very early on I knew that what we had was special,” says Tasha. “Our relationship was platonic for almost a year before we started dating, and during that year we went from colleagues to best friends. I knew he was the one because I could be myself 100 percent with him — even in my ugliest moments he never judged me and never wavered.”
“Marcus loves the water,” Tasha tells us. “In an ideal world we would have been married on a beach somewhere, but using our venue allowed us to be close to the water and avoid some of the uncertainties that come along with outdoor weddings.”
Join us in wishing Marcus and Tasha nothing but the best. Leave your well wishes below. Want to see your wedding featured on Bridal Bliss? Email us now!
