A zoo wedding with handmade international details #Wedding Porn#centerpiece#couples of color#DIY#green shoes#virginia#zoo Updated Oct 12 2015 (Posted Mar 3 2014) Stephanie Kaloi Photos by: Val & Sarah All photos by Val and Sarah. Jennifer and Abdoulaye are truly an international couple: she hails from the States and he's from Guinea, and they met while working in Mali. A coup d'état in the country led to Jennifer moving back home, and their relationship blossomed thanks to Skype and long-distance phone calls. Once reunited in the US they quickly eloped, and hosted a wedding a few months later at the Virginia Zoo. They had tons of globes and maps at the wedding, and the couple and their friends handmade almost every detail — including Jennifer's close friend creating the bride's dress, which included gorgeous wax fabric from Abdoulaye's family. Guests were invited to take the dried lavender and basil floral decor home. Abdoulaye's boutonniere was made from a flower picked from the zoo the day of the wedding, and cupcakes from a small Amish bake shop were topped with flags from around the world. Oh, and there were glow sticks. You can see more photos from the day right over here. Vendors Photographer: Val & Sarah • Specialty Foods: Black Angus Catering • Photo Booth Equipment: Boardwalk Photo Booth Company • Event Planner: Michelle Amarillo Event Planning • Videographer: The Girl Tyler: Design & Photography • Reception Venue: Virginia Zoological Park Reporter Name * Reporter Email * Original text Enter the original text here. Edited text* Enter your suggested copyedit here. Notes You can add a note for the editor here. * Required information. Fix Typo Stephanie Kaloi I was the editor of the now-defunct Offbeat Families, and owner/photographer at Stephanie Kaloi Photography in Portland, OR. PREVIOUS Jessica & Robin's cafe wedding with a musical surprise NEXT The scary new wedding photography trend: 10 tips to avoid getting burned Show/Hide comments [ 5 ] Beautiful! Reply Love this – especially the creative use of the wax fabric! I'm American and working in Niger, West Africa – where I met my fiance. Trying to figure out how to use some fabric from here at our stateside wedding – love the petticoat idea, and thinking maybe on the tables… Congrats to you two 🙂 Reply I love that last photo! So much great energy bursting out. Lovely wedding. Reply OMG I LOVE ZOO WEDDINGS! I'm sorry for shouting, I just…that picture under the tiger statue is awesome. Reply This is awesome. Lovely dress, lovely couple, lovely everything. Reply Join the conversation Cancel Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sign me up for your offbeat awesomeness newsletter! No-drama comment policy Part of what makes the Offbeat Empire different is our commitment to civil, constructive commenting. Make sure you're familiar with our no-drama comment policy. Biz owners & wedding bloggers Please just use your real name in your comment, not your business name or blog title. Our comments are not the place to pimp your website. If you want to promote your stuff on Offbeat Bride, join us as an advertiser instead.
Love this – especially the creative use of the wax fabric! I'm American and working in Niger, West Africa – where I met my fiance. Trying to figure out how to use some fabric from here at our stateside wedding – love the petticoat idea, and thinking maybe on the tables… Congrats to you two 🙂 Reply
OMG I LOVE ZOO WEDDINGS! I'm sorry for shouting, I just…that picture under the tiger statue is awesome. Reply