Jeanette and Sean’s wedding was EPIC! A Raleigh lady by birth, Jeanette was living in Singapore planning a Bali wedding when she walked into our little shop. We became instant friends – how could we not? Jeanette made a bee-line for Kate McDonald‘s McLoud gown, a hand-painted pink and gold stunner that is truly a piece of art. This was just the beginning…from Sean’s custom green suit, to their personalized bobble-head cake toppers, to a truly lovely party that ended in a swanky pool with unicorn floats, we are living out all of our wedding dreams vicariously through these pics!
Jeannette & Sean-Paul | June 24, 2017 | The Palm House, Mengwi, Bali
Photographer: Amber Marlow
Jeannette and Sean met online and decided to meet up July 12, 2009 at the Afropunk event in Clinton Hill in Brooklyn. Jeannette fell in love with Sean’s big laugh, and Sean fell in love with Jeannette’s infectious smile! After that, they went on a series of dates in Williamsburg, watching movies at Summerscreen near McCarren Park. Jeannette will always remember Sean-Paul riding in looking peak hipster on his fixed gear bike, and Sean will always remember Jeannette’s dope sneakers and the time she took him to a pop-up Ninjasonik dance party on the Williamsburg Bridge. Jeannette says, “It’s true. We were once very cool. Haha.” They bought a place together in Brooklyn in 2010, moved to NC in 2013, then finally set off to Singapore in August 2014! On October 8, 2016, Jeannette’s 33rd birthday, Sean planned a big surprise and got several friends in on the act. Jacinta & Caroline took Jeannette to a wine tasting, while Sean met up with many of their other friends at a local Caribbean restaurant called The Lime House. Later, Jeannette was escorted to the restaurant for a surprise dinner, and then Sean-Paul took her out to a club called Cherry for a night of dancing to old school and 90’s hip hop. Later that night, after they’d gotten home, Sean told Jeannette he still had one more surprise, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to do it then because it wasn’t a part of the plan. Jeannette told Sean, “Oh no! I will never sleep now. Please give me the surprise!” She knew what was coming but was still so excited and wrapped up in the moment that neither of them remember if she actually said, “Yes!” Jeannette definitely meant yes, either way, and now they are happily married!
GILDED: What did you love most about your wedding celebration? What are some of your favorite details or special moments?
JEANNETTE: I loved when I walked down the aisle with my mom. We have been through so much together, and I know that she is really happy for me and Sean. Sharing that moment with her was really special. I also loved all the speeches from Sean’s side of the wedding party. It’s amazing to watch how much other people love him and hilarious to hear the stories he doesn’t want them to tell!
My other super favorite was something called the “yam seng.” There is a part in the photos where you can see all of our glasses in the air and it looks like we’re yelling. Well – we are (haha!). It means “drink to victory.” Basically, everyone competes to see who can yam seng longer than the other and louder, and it was super cool to have my amazing Singapore family there to pass this good tiding along to us! (You guys can read more about yam seng here).
I would say the absolutely coolest thing about our wedding, though, was taking a step back and really recognizing how global our friends and family are. We had people there from the following countries: United States, Guyana, Singapore, UK, Australia, Russia, Korea, China, India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Scotland, Canada, Trinidad, and Indonesia
GILDED: Did you have a honeymoon? Where did you go and what was your favorite part?
JEANNETTE: We did not yet have an official honeymoon. We have been talking about taking a luxury Japanese train ride through the gorgeous Japanese countryside. We did stay on a bit longer in Bali with some girlfriends of mine and had some MAJOR adventures. The highlight was laughing harder than I have in years with girlfriends who have known me through SOME THINGS, and making a new girlfriend for life. Busting a gut laughing has got to be one of the best feelings on the planet, and to cap off our wedding with a week absolutely filled with tears of laughter was the perfect celebration for us.
GILDED: What advice do you have for brides looking for their wedding dress?
JEANNETTE: I guess I would tell brides to not be scared of being bold. I have never really liked the way I looked in white, and that was okay. Kate McDonald just happened to make the perfect dress for me in the most gorgeous Thai silk and she just happened to have a team that hand paints them in colors that make me glow. And a special shout out to my plus size brides – buy bigger and get a fantastic seamstress. They will make you look and feel like a billion bucks!
