We have our first wedding feature! I am so happy for this couple and have know the bride since high school. She also went to my alma mater, Howard University! We have another great day of HBCU love and I hope you enjoy reading about this wedding. This is a special love and we wish Brieanna and Kristopher nothing but happiness and joy throughout their marriage.
Bride Name:
Brieanna Boswell
Groom Name:
Kristopher Boswell
Wedding Locations
CEREMONY: H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse of the District of Columbia
RECEPTION: The Mansion on O St. (https://www.omansion.com/)
Wedding Date:
December 22, 2014
Alma Mater of Bride:
Howard University
Alma Mater of Groom:
Howard University
Current City where you live:
Cheverly, MD
Hometown:
Bride:
Chester, VA
Groom:
Westbury Long Island NY
How did you meet?
Although we both lived in the chesterfield/petersburg VA are at one point in our lives and both went to HU, we didn’t formally meet until April 2010, at a Howard event where a mutual friend helped us seal the deal!
How long did you date?
4.5 Years (before wedding)
How did he propose?
One Sunday morning, Kris told me we were going to brunch, and wanted to wear a blindfold because it was a “surprise.” He drove me for about 30 minutes, blindfolded, and finally told me we arrived at our destination. I remained blindfolded as I got out of the car and he walked me for about 15 minutes still trying to pretend we were going to brunch. By this time I was pretty sure I knew where we were…Rock Creek Park, where we had our first date. Soon, I took off the blindfold and found myself on the bridge where we had spent our first date. He got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife, then we stopped a couple walking their dog and asked them to take our picture. We had been discussing marriage a lot and had decided we would get married so I wasn’t completely surprised, but it was a very thoughtful proposal.
When did you know he was the one?
I knew he was something special the night I met him. Everything from day one just felt natural and good. I realized he was the one slowly over time through the way I could completely be myself in front of him no matter what…the good, the bad and the crazy. We both took on each others interests…because of me, he became a foodie, because of him, I became a sports fan, and together we developed a love of traveling, spending each NYE together in a different city each year since we met (a tradition we will keep for the rest of our lives).
What is the cutest thing he has done for you without you asking?
One night my linesister was supposed to be staying the night with me and became extremely sick and fell asleep, completely neglecting all of her phone calls. The next morning I woke up, freaking out about how I had forgotten to be there for her and let her in, only to find out that he had taken care of her for me. He got in touch with her and make sure she made it safely to our house for the night. This was so special to me because it showed that he not only loved and cared about me, but cared about my loved ones as well.
What part of wedding planning made you crazy?
When we decided to get married, we had been together for nearly five years and wanted to begin to build our “empire” together, focusing our money and time on building a strong foundation in our relationship and saving for our first home together. We decided to rush-order our wedding to fit our teacher schedules and ensure our family could attend. So, from proposal (October) to wedding (The week of Christmas) we had only 3 months to plan and put everything together! While we knew we wanted a no-fuss wedding, there were times when this time crunch became very overwhelming.
What part of wedding planning can you not live without?
PRE-MARITAL COUNSELING… Kris and I began pre-marital counseling right away once we decided to get married, and it strengthened our relationship in ways I had no idea that it would. We thought we knew everything about one another, but learned so much more through this process and became much closer. We met with Marissa Nelson, http://www.xoxotherapy.com/, every week for nearly three months and through all the tears and growing pains, we loved each and every second.
What was your first thought the day after your engagement?
Thankfulness. I had known I wanted to marry Kris for years before we got engaged and had been working on my relationship with God in the year leading up to our decision to get married. When I realized this was a reality and that he would indeed be my husband I just felt completely humbled and thankful to God.
What was your favorite part about the ceremony?
Throughout the planning process, I had fallen in love with courthouse weddings. There’s something so charming about being married in a courthouse. I loved every minute leading up to the ceremony, from waiting in the security line to enter the courthouse to riding up four flights of escalators; however the very best part was just really listening to the words of our officiant, and hearing Kris and I repeat them, thinking about the magnitude of what we were saying and the permanence of what we were committing to. It broke me all the way down and was just beautiful.
What was your favorite part about the wedding?
After the ceremony, Kris and I stopped to take pictures at Union Station before heading to our reception venue. When we got there, we were quite late so we mingled a bit and then before we knew it, it was time for dinner. Next a few friends made toasts, and then the real magic happened…dancing. We had decided to forgo many wedding traditions, such as throwing the bouquet and the first dance and just wanted to party with all of our closest friends. Our favorite part was just seeing everyone dancing, drinking and celebrating with us.
Did you do any DIY? If so, what?
This wedding would NOT have happened without my Mother’s craftiness. She created all the meal cards for our guests, helped us create a polaroid guest book, and made our wedding favors…Blue Spruce Pine trees, wrapped in burlap with personal tags for each of our guests! Adorable.
Who were your wedding vendors?
Invites- Greenvelope (with only 3 months to plan, e-vites were the way to go to make sure everyone got them on time!)
Catering- The Mansion on O st. catered everything- appetizers, main course, dessert bar, and we ordered a Vegan cake from STICKY FINGERS
DJ/Entertainment- Kris’ friend Francis was the perfect DJ!
Dress- Love Couture Bridal (Potomac MD) http://www.lovecouturebridal.com/
Wedding Planner- MOMMY
Photographer- Lori Love Photography http://www.lorilovephotography.com/
What were your wedding colors?
Our venue was very eclectic, so at the reception we kept things pretty simple with just natural, deep and neutral winter colors- white, cream, green, and Kris and I both wore hints of Navy Blue
What was your wedding theme?
Winter/ Vintage- the Mansion on O street is full of vintage furniture, jewelry, antiques, etc…
What is your favorite part about being married to each other?
As soon as we got married, I felt like us being a team became stronger. While we both still have different interests and disagree often, I think we are now more aligned and more on the “same team.” Disagreeing and having differences doesn’t mean much any more. We work through things better and try to stay focused on our shared goals!
What did you learn about each other through the wedding planning process?
I think we both learned about how much we just want to have fun and enjoy each other. Throughout the wedding planning process we stayed calm, low maintenance and really focused on our MARRIAGE, instead of the wedding. We just wanted the wedding to be a celebration of our love, a chance for all of our family to come together and dance and indulge. This is how I think we look at our marriage as a whole… life is short and we just want to enjoy it together.
This wedding is the perfect story of what the wedding should be about and that is the couple. Not to mention a huge shoutout to Brieanna’s mom who did a wonderful job in planning and designing the event. This is the story of a #Black Southern Belle finding her true love and we know it is the just the beginning of a beautiful story for the two of them!
XOXO
Michiel
FULL GALLERY
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