AN INTIMATE BLACK AND GOLD WEDDING WITH HAITIAN ROOTS
It was love at first IG post. Gregory St. Fort and Safira Celcis grew up living about 15 minutes apart and frequented many of the same places, but their paths never crossed. It wasn’t until Greg was with a mutual friend and saw Safira’s picture on his friend's Instagram feed, that he knew he had found “the one.” He immediately told his friend to “hook it up.”
Safira was apprehensive at first, having never met Greg, but he was persistent. After several weeks of missed calls, flowers, and gift deliveries to her house, she finally succumbed and decided to go on what would be their first date of many. Since then, they have had a whirlwind romance that would eventually culminate in a journey to the altar.
“The ambiance of the night was electric as both families came together to shower the couple with love and party the night away.”
A Saint Lucia Engagement
The first year of their relationship was filled with spontaneous vacations, fancy dinners, and everything in between. The whirlwind slowed down a bit when Safira went away for medical school. It was the start of their long distance relationship. Towards the end of her medical education, Greg surprised Safira with a vacation. They stayed in the sun sanctuary at Jade Mountain Resort in St. Lucia. Greg made sure to fill each day of their trip activities to throw Safira off from a proposal. As the end of their vacation approached, she became weary thinking that this would not be the trip where she would return home as a fiancé.
The day before they were due to leave, Greg set up a sunset sail on a sailboat. The couple ventured out on the water and made it out to their destination in front of the infamous 3 Pitons or peaks. As they watched sunset with hues of orange and magenta, the captain announced they would begin the sail back to the resort. As Safira and Greg made their way from the bow of the boat to the centerboard, Greg dropped to one knee. As Safira turned around she found him with an open ring box in hand, asking the four elusive words she had been waiting for since early in their relationship.
An Intimate Black and Gold Wedding Hacienda De Las Palmas
The structure of their wedding day was everything but traditional. They had an intimate ceremony with about 65 guests followed by cocktail hour and dinner service for those guests. Afterwards, they had an open reception to allow for more guests. There was a second and separate cocktail hour for the reception guests as they arrived before starting the reception festivities.
Dinner was served via action stations. There were hand-passed hors d'oeuvres throughout the night. Everyone awed over the massive grazing table with massive cutouts of the couple’s engagement photos and monogram. As the party was underway, a food truck came to serve late night bites to all of their guests.
The couple chose to have a luxe mansion as their venue. They went with a black and gold palette for their theme to set the tone for their modern meets romantic wedding. Seas of baby’s breath and white flowers adorned every corner of the mansion from the ceremony to the reception space. Lush black velvet fabrics popped over the gold metal furniture pieces, and a custom monogram was engraved in every aspect of the day.
The ceremony was held in the one of the mansion’s living areas that houses a massive staircase, which was embellished with the white flowers and candles for the bride to descend on to a black and gold aisle runner. Both cocktail hours were held on the mansion’s front terrace with the reception space spanning from indoors to the back poolside patio. The cake was sleek and modern with four tiers and a white monochromatic design including the couple’s monogram.
Incorporating Their Haitian Roots
It was important for the couple to incorporate their Haitian roots in their big day. From the Haitian-American vendors (wedding designer, photographer, baker, chef, DJ, and host) to the Haitian themed food truck that served Haiti’s national plate of Griot (fried pork), Banan peze (fried plantain), and Pickliz (spicy pickled slaw), the St. Fort wedding was brimming with culture.
One of the most memorable parts of the night is when the bride a groom made their official entrance into the reception. Dozens of Haitian flags of all sizes were distributed to the guests to wave during the party. As the newlyweds entered, the guests erupted in celebration, waving the Haitian flags and showering the couple with money. The ambiance of the night was electric as both families came together to shower the couple with love and party the night away.
It was only fitting that the bride and groom’s first dance be a classic Haitian love song that’s been a staple in Haitian music for years. The song has significant meaning to Safira and Greg, as it speaks to the depths of their love for one another. As the cherry on top, they had the popular Haitian band come to perform their first dance song live and serenade guests throughout the night.
WEDDING TALENT
Location: Hacienda De Las Palmas; Planning & Event Design: Tica Rose Events; Floral Design: W&W Flowers and Events; Production: MPE Events; Rentals: LP Rentals; Draping: Elite Draping; Caterer: Sensory Delights Catering; Cake: Lux Cakery; Lighting: K.A. Lighting; Wedding Dress: Pronovias; Hair: Au Bridal Hair Designs; Makeup: Nordia Cameron-Cunningham; Groom’s Watch: Rolex; Entertainment: DJ Hatian Mike; Cinematography: Bricksgroup; Photography: Imagery By Jules