RINGS & THINGS: Destiny & Taylor
Here are a few observations and fun facts about Destiny Gonzaque and Taylor Washington’s wedding.
Who gives this woman away? Many brides enjoy the time-honored tradition of having their fathers walk them down the aisle. However, the wedding custom has been modernized to fit the times, and there are also situations when it can’t be realized. Destiny Gonzaque would have had her father by her side as she walked down the path at The Manor at Coffee Creek in Edmond, but her uncle was chosen to do the honors because of her father’s death. This past Saturday, Meghan Markle, now the new Duchess of Sussex, was faced with a dilemma when her first choice to walk her down the aisle, her father, was unavailable because of an illness. In a historic first for royal weddings, Markle chose to walk solo part of the way down the aisle of St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England. Her soon-to-be father-in-law, Prince Charles, met her halfway and walked her the rest of the way to meet her groom, Prince Harry.
According to SouthernLiving.com, the tradition dates back to a time of arranged marriages, where the “giving away” of the bride represented transfer of ownership. Back then, young women were used as collateral to settle debts or disagreements with neighboring tribes, as well as for the father to elevate his status by marrying his daughter off to a wealthy family. Today, though, many brides look forward to having their fathers walk them down the aisle simply to honor them.
In “Five Modern Ways to Walk Down the Aisle,” Brides.com listed five different ways that brides may do something different with this custom: Go solo (like Markle); meet the groom halfway; walk down the aisle together with the groom; walk down two separate aisles — one for the bride and one for the groom; and enter from different sides.
From dawn to midnight. Gonzaque chose blush pink and midnight blue as her wedding colors. Her bridesmaids wore blush pink dresses in the style of their choice while Taylor Washington’s groomsmen wore blue tuxedos with blush pink ties.
Dressed to shine. Gonzaque found her wedding dress at Prescott Bridal in Edmond. “I chose that dress because I tried on about seven dresses, and that was the first one I tried on that made me feel amazing. I absolutely loved my dress,” she said.
Let them eat cake. Guests were treated to a five-layer cake from Stacie’s Cake in Edmond (staci escake.com). Stacie Kobs, owner and operator of Stacie’s Cake, said the cake included a bottom layer of vanilla with butter cream icing, followed by a layer of strawberry with butter cream, which was topped with a layer of lemon. The top two tiers were chocolate cake. Kobs said the cake’s decor included real roses in blush pink and white to correspond with the wedding colors.