Shakeel & Nia finally tied The Knot May 8, 2021 after postponing their wedding and buying a house due to covid. See information and images of their Morais Vineyards wedding below.
Groom: @therealshakeel
Bride: @niae.henry
Venue/Location
We got married at Morais Vineyards wedding venue in Virginia. Together we had various ideas of the kind of wedding we wanted. Of course that started with the venue. After putting our guestlist together of over 250 people we knew we needed to find a beautiful venue that could house all of our friends and family. I think we visited about 4 locations before we came across Morais Vineyards. We visited the vineyard during the summer after everything finished blooming.
As soon as we drove into their gates I was sold. The location was tranquil, scenic and breathtaking. Everything I wanted for my experience and the experience I wanted for my guests on my wedding day. Most of our family and friends traveled in from major cities, with the chaos of everyday living we knew this peaceful vineyard would be quite the experience for them.
Ceremony
For the ceremony, Nia had a live band. Everyone arrived in black tie and was greeted with hor d’oeuvres. There were doves at the entrance upon arrival across from the Welcome sign. The pergola was filled with chandeliers, draper and white florals. Garden roses, orchids, hydrangeas, eucalyptus and many other seasonal white florals draped the pergola columns. Guests were seated, and the ceremony began. Nia walked down the aisle to her vocalist singing “At Last”.
Wedding Decor and Florals
For decor, Nia wanted to go with elegance. She chose Emerald green as her focused color with black and gold accents. The florals were white and the fabrics were mostly velvets and satins. There were green velvet love seats adjacent from each other with custom pillows displaying the couple and their wedding hashtag #TheLukeLoveStory.
The centerpieces were the bride’s favorite, black candelabras with cascading florals around them. There was a cigar bar on one balcony with custom cigar cutters, custom cigar tags and custom matches. The photo booth was off another balcony with the background being beautiful picturesque views of the vineyard. The bar was full of white rose petals and arrangements.
Bridal Gown & Tuxedo
Nia’s custom dress was an over 25 pound hand beaded crystal dress made in Albania, Eastern Europe. This dress was designed by both the bride and her mom but made by Albina Dyla. The bride communicated with the company via chats, email and phone calls to get the dress perfect. Nia’s tailor, Kieu measured her entire body to perfection for this dress to fit like a glove. The top of the dress was a boned corset with a sweetheart plunge neckline. The dress had a fitting mermaid shape to accentuate Nia’s curves. Following her down the aisle was a 10 foot crystal train.
Shakeel wore a custom velvet Emerald green, Indochino tuxedo with calf hair Salvator Ferragamo loafers. He looked sharp.
Vendors
Videographer: Claude Robinson @clauderobtv
Wedding Planner: The Superior Collective @thesuperiorcollective
Custom Wedding Dress: Albina Dyla @albinadylaofficial
Bridesmaids Dress: Lexi Clothing @lexiclothing
Grooms Tux: Indochino @indochino
Groomsmen Tux: The Black Tux @theblacktux
Florals: MM Wedding Solutions
Live Band: A.D. Music Entertainment @adlivemusic
Steel Pan Player: Leonard Jack
Photobooth: KreAdiv Collective Rentals
Photographers: Jarret Hendrix @jarrett.hendrix
Second Photographer: Letakathryn @letakathrynphotography
Venue: Morais Vineyard & Winery @morais_weddings
Catering: Purple Onion Catering @purpleonioncateringco
Rentals: Select Event Rental Group @selecteventgroup
Hair: Dominique Nicole @dommiecole
Makeup: Shyenne Burton @xoshy
DJ: DJ Chubbe Swagg @djchubbeswagg
Cake: Le Cake Boutique
Dove’s: A Dove’s Love
Associated Vendors
Event Venue: Morais Vineyards wedding venue
Second Shooter: Jarrett Hendrix Photography
Design and Decor: Grandeur Moments