This week's #WCW couple goes to my beautiful sister-in-law, Keysha and her husband Mike. These two have been amazing role models for my husband and I on how to incorporate God into our marriage through the good and bad. Keysha is truly like the big sister I never had growing up. I look to her for advice on many different adversities and obstacles I've faced within my marriage, parenting, and life in general. The two have always given me much encouragement and support with being a new young professional wife and mother. They have 3 beautiful children with a lot of personality and are in the process of building a gorgeous new home in Maryland. I am excited for you to read on about how these two decided to put aside everyone else's desires and plan their destiny "Garner Style".
Wedding Date:
November 14, 2009
Outside Ceremony Only
(Destination Wedding: Ochos Rios, Jamaica)
Color scheme for ceremony:
Original (Burnt Orange and Brown)
Approximate Expense: $5K
Wedding Song: Pretty Wings- Maxwell
Why did you all pick that date?
"We picked the 14th because I was pregnant with Kendall at the time and she was due on the 14th day of the month and we went with November because we wanted to do it before it got too cold and before all the holidays." -answered the Bride, Keysha
How long were you engaged?
"We were engaged for about a year and a half" -Mike, the Groom, answered
Why did you decide to do a destination wedding?
Mike responded, "Really, the price. Everything was just expensive and since we had to pay for everything ourselves, it just seemed smarter."
"I agree, the price, because I didn't want to look back on my day and have a lot of negative thoughts and or regrets because we couldn't afford to get this type of flower, or this particular photographer. After we started calculating everything and putting soft offers down, we decided to just say forget it and do a 'Destination' wedding" -answered the Bride, Keysha
Since you were originally planning a traditional wedding and decided to change it up and do "Destination Wedding" how did your family take it?
"I'd say it was about 50/50. My family was pretty much like this is your day and your marriage, so you do it how you want to do it. They just said let us know what time you're doing it and we'll make a toast to y'all at the same time." -answered the Groom, Mike
"Yeah, some of my family wasn't too happy. My mom and grandmother were a little upset that we decided to do it this way. At the end of the day, we had to make the decision to do what was going to best benefit us and make us happy." -answered the Bride, Keysha
Keysha, because you had children already, how did you feel not including them in that day?
Keysha replied, "Yeah, that was hard. That was probably one of the hardest parts, but we talked about it and decided that we would have another wedding, more traditional, later on when they were old enough to really understand and comprehend what was going on. That way they could be a part of the day."
What was your best memory of your ceremony?
"I think I liked taking pictures the most. I had a good time doing different poses and signing the documents that said we were officially married."-answered the Groom, Mike
"I think for me, the best moment was getting to the end of the aisle and seeing him still standing there because we just had a huge blow-up that morning and I honestly didn't think that we were still going to get married. That really stuck with me."-Keysha, the Bride, answered
What was your worst memory of your ceremony?
"Our major argument that morning was of course my worst memory. Even after all that, I knew she was the woman that I loved and wanted to spend the rest of my life with, so besides that, I would have to say the pastor. His accent was really 'thick' so there were a lot of times that I didn't understand what he was saying so I just mumbled some parts of my vows." -answered and laughed, the Groom, Mike
"Of course, our big blow-up and getting yelled at while getting my hair done. Outside of that bad memory I would definitely have to say not having that father-daughter dance with my dad. That really bothered me." -answered the Bride, Keysha
Would you get married all over again and if so, would you do it the same way or different?
Mike, the Groom answered, "I think I would probably do it the same way. The only thing I would change is doing it somewhere that didn't require a passport, so that way if some of our family and friends wanted to attend, they could."
"I think I would do it the same way, but I would definitely have a reception immediately upon our return." -answered the Bride, Keysha.
What is the best advice you would give to a couple planning their wedding?
"Write down what you want, as far as what you want to have in a marriage, as far as your ideas for your wedding and stick with your core ideas. Don't let it be about anybody else. Stick with what you want and what your vision is for your day. -answered the Bride, Keysha
"I would say plan a budget that you won't start your marriage in debt with. Stick to it, no matter what, because the goal is to 'stay married', not 'get married'. Financial issues are the number one cause of stress/ divorce and that is the last thing you want to do is start a fresh marriage with that over your head." -answered the wise Groom, Mike
Are there any pictures that you wish your photographer would have captured, but didn't?
"No, I think our photographer did an excellent job. They took pictures of everything. He even captured me splitting my pants on" -laughed the Groom, Mike.
"Oh my gosh, yes! They did awesome. I remember I thought I recorded the song I wanted to walk down the aisle to on a CD. I didn't play it back at home to make sure it had actually recorded so when we got there we realized it was blank. I was upset about that and when they sent us the final copy of our pictures and tape from both the photographer and videographer, they had my song playing on the intro and I immediately started balling my eyes out, hysterically, because they didn't tell me they were going to do that. I was not expecting that and I thought that was so awesome. I think they went above and beyond to capture everything." -answered the impressed Bride, Keysha
What was your most wasteful purchase in regards to planning your wedding?
"I would say my dress! For one I should have worn something else because it was just too long and too much dress for that type of wedding. I ended up selling the dress anyway, so I could have done without it and just got something cheaper and a lot lighter. I still was able to wear my orange shoes that I bought so I was excited about that." -answered the Bride, Keysha
"I would have to say my suit too. I came with a suit and ended up buying something at the shop on the resort, so that was a waste.” replied Mike, the Groom
It was truly a pleasure to sit down with this inspirational couple and get some insight on how and why they chose to have a Destination Wedding. I really enjoyed them and their honest responses and wish them nothing but the best. They have genuine love for each other and have no shame giving their God all the credit for keeping them whole within their marriage. I thank you for reading and please stay tuned to see who next week's #WCW couple will be.
Happy Planning Folks!