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Glamour Shot: While Joshua originally envisioned bold colors for their wedding attire, he ultimately decided on neutral tones and classic black to create a timeless look.
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Chosen Family: “We chose the people who have been in our lives the entire time, through the ups and downs,” says Joshua, on selecting the wedding party. “They believed in us when we didn’t believe in ourselves.”
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The Wedding Post: Joshua went outside the box for their ceremony programs, designing them to look like newspapers. “I wanted something to be fun and exciting, something people wouldn’t toss away when they get home,” he says.
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Love and Joy: Joshua remembers feeling like he was “on a cloud” during their ceremony. “I looked around and saw all the joy and love,” he says.
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Punchy Puns: The couple carefully crafted signature cocktails with their bartender and chose punny names for the drinks — the Mikerita and Always Joshing Around — to fit their personalities.
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Protect and Serve: When Damarcis asked to be the ring bearer in his dads’ ceremony, Joshua and Micheal gladly granted that wish by making him “ring security” for the day. “He was excited to be part of the wedding and have his glasses, briefcase and the little security piece in the ear,” Joshua says.
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Sweet Love: “Micheal is the sweet tooth king, so it just had to be perfect,” Joshua says of their wedding cake. After tasting creations from 15 different bakeries, the couple was pleasantly surprised to find that Publix’s yellow cake with cream cheese frosting was exactly what they were looking for.
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Amuse-bouche: The wedding caterer surprised the couple with a custom-designed charcuterie board with different fruits and meatballs. “That was a big hit for the guests,” Joshua says.
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Strike a Pose: The grooms knew they wanted a photo booth for their wedding, but it needed to be something that would stand out. “We wanted to have something with the magazine feel,” Joshua says. “My family had never seen something like that before, so it was a nice touch.”
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Family Forever: It was important to Joshua and Micheal to acknowledge not only their union as a couple, but the merging of their families. Both grooms and their children poured sand into a unity box as a symbolic representation of coming together.
For Joshua Blakey and Micheal Terrell, their wedding wasn’t just about their love, but their loved ones as well. “When people get married, it’s supposed to be their big day, but we wanted to make it a very special ceremony for our family and our friends and those who have been part of the journey with us,” Joshua says. “It was kind of like a reunion.”
The couple’s journey started in the summer of 2010, when the two connected online over their shared interest in church. Twelve years later, on their anniversary, Joshua got what he describes as “that feeling” and decided it was time to propose.
“We were just waiting for one or the other to propose, and I’ve always said I have to have ‘that feeling’ before I said, ‘I’m ready to get married,’” he says.
After a proposal at The Melting Pot, Joshua and Micheal dove into planning their “classy and modern” wedding at The Marble Room in Mechanicsville. Even though Joshua likes bright colors, he decided to keep things simple with neutral tones and pops of gold, because Micheal’s favorite color is black. They also asked their wedding party and guests to dress in black, keeping with the theme.
Their wedding party included their children (two biological from previous relationships and three they adopted together), family members and closest friends. They carefully selected the people who have played important roles in their lives and romantic partnership. It was also paramount to the couple to honor their newly combined family.
“Our family is so unique that I wanted to be able to represent our union — not just with me and Micheal, but to include the children,” Joshua says. “Micheal accepting my son, and me accepting Micheal’s daughter, and our children we’ve adopted.
While the couple took quite the journey to make it to the altar, it was well worth the wait. “I always knew he was my person,” Joshua says. “There’s nobody in this world who loves me the way that Micheal loves me and cares for me.”
Coordinator and Event Rentals: Kia Johnson, Beautiful Morning Event Rentals
Florist: Fleurs Toujour
Caterer: Cuisine by Chef Tayda
Cake: Publix
Bartending Service: In The Mix with Tee
Makeup: Beautifully Z Artistry
DJ: DJ Eric V
