I was honored to be the Maid of Honor for my best friend in the summer of 2015. I was able to be there for her and make her special day. I cried when she came down the aisle. It hit me that my best friend was growing up and charting her own path as a woman.
As the sun rose so did my girls and I. The morning was off to an early start. It was time for make up then hair. My sorority sister Robine with, Robbs on the Beat, did an amazing job putting love into every face that she did. 
My Mama came through a 100% doing every single one of our hair-dos for the special day. Plus the early morning wake up was made even better with a wonderful brunch put together by my bridesmaids.
FIRST LOOK PICTURES
A six minute drive from my hotel to the venue was amazing for convenience and great for reducing my carbon emission. Soon enough I was at the venue capturing my dream vision of a downtown back drop for my wedding pictures.
The moment Kojo looked at me and took me in his arms my heart 100% melted. I felt like I had seen the woman I had dreamed of in his eyes. It made the swelling worries of what the day will be like melt away.
CEREMONY
We were surprisingly on time- for the most part. The ceremony was intimate, short, and sweet like we both wanted. We wrote personal vows for each other that touched our hearts and our guest. Our hope was to be present in the moment. We asked our guest not to have cameras so that for once people can live in the present. Some listened some didn’t. It’s life I suppose.
RECEPTION
The night seemed just long enough to be enjoyable and special. The food and cake was a delicious as expected. The toast from loved ones touched my heart and the night quickly became all about dancing which was just fine with me. I had changed into a white jump suit completely inspired by a more modern look and amazing for moving any way that my heart desired. My jumpsuit wasn’t second hand. Neither was my white flats. But I was blessed to have my best friend share her veil with me. It completely put the whole wedding look together.
The night continued to be one for the books with my sorority sisters presence to sing and stroll with me. Dream come true really.
My night ended with me on the dance floor just like I liked it. I was so high off the night that there was no space to have waste on my mind. As it shouldn’t be for anyone. I’m sad to say I have no idea what happened with a few things. I don’t know what happened to my flowers, if they were thrown away or donated. I don’t know if everyone ate their food, or there was food waste for days. I don’t know if my cake was eaten or if people never saw it.
AFTER THE WEDDING
The night was over too quick but so is all good things. Kojo and I decided to post pone our honeymoon and enjoy the family that was in town. Four days I was able to laugh, connect, be annoyed, and create memories with family. Unfortunately time after the wedding also included a crazy amount of waste and excess items.
There were plastic plates and forks used throughout the stay. There was no recycling at the AirBnb neighborhood we stayed at. There was so much extra excessive packaging on both sides of the family we almost had no spaces for us humans to sit in the car. This trip helped me realize that recycling is a way of life for me now. It’s truly integrated into my life. To separate it now was painful.
GIFTS
One thing we did do really well with was being honest with our guest about what kind of gifts we wanted. We encouraged our family and friends to only give us monetary gifts and highly encouraged people to give to our registry online at the Knot.com. We wanted to avoid having to transport gifts from Florida to Minnesota and we wanted to avoid creating trash.
REFLECTION
This wedding planning and ultimate my wedding gave me a lot. It brought me closer to family and friends. I got to meet new family. I learned so much about how Kojo and I work as a team. Plus I now have pictures for a lifetime of this special moment.
I may not have achieved my the sustainable wedding of my dreams but my wedding was a dream come true because I walked away with the love of my life and was surrounded by loved ones. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Photography: LVphotography LLC
What’s a life experience that brought something amazing into your life?