An Indoor Venue Was Transformed Into a Garden at This Baltimore Wedding

Joi and DeAngelo met at a TGI Fridays restaurant in Greenbelt, Maryland in October 2014. “Happy Hour was in full effect as my friend Temiika held me down a seat at the bar,” Joi remembers. “Little did she know that DeAngelo was also trying to hold down that same seat for his boy Brian.” DeAngelo bought Joi her favorite drink and the rest was history. On New Year's Day 2021, the couple celebrated a late Christmas with DeAngelo’s family. As everyone began to clean up the gift wrap, DeAngelo announced that he had one last gift. He got down on one knee to propose to Joi surrounded by family.

The couple hired Melissa Williams of B Astonished Events for full-service planning, which even included a trip to Vegas for a floral consultation and another trip to Texas for a dress fitting. “She turned into more than just my planner, but also a stylist and designer,” Joi says. “She really helped us curate a vision that was tailored to us.”

The couple invited 130 guests to Sagamore Pendry in Baltimore, Maryland to celebrate their indoor garden themed wedding on August 6, 2022. Joi fell in love with the venue’s open air courtyard, modern ballroom, and dramatic red staircase. “When you know you know, and after seeing the Sagamore Pendry in person I knew there was no need to see any other venues,” the bride says.

Read on to see Joi and DeAngelo’s ‘Blushing Bride’-themed wedding, photographed by Terri Baskin Photography.

Joi and DeAngelo’s invitation suite from By Dami Studios highlighted their wedding color scheme and arch designs as a nod to the venue’s architecture.

After visiting eight wedding dress shops in the DC area, Joi was frustrated with their inability to service busty brides. She decided to go the custom route and enlisted Esé Azénabor to create a figure flattering Mikado fabric gown with Anquinette beading and a detachable train. “Ese Azenabor truly created a great experience,” Joi says, “I chose to get a second reception dress one month prior to my wedding and Ese was able to accommodate.”

She paired her gown with a royal length tulle veil, also from Esé Azénabor, drop earrings, and Christian Louboutin crystal embellished sandals. Joi went with a soft glam makeup look and wore her hair in waves with a crystal hair pin. She had her nails painted in an ombré pink and white hue with acrylic flowers and crystal embellishments. Last but not least, she wore Tom Ford Soleil Blanc perfume. “This fragrance has been my favorite through the engagement,” Joi says.

Joi’s wedding party included a Maid of Honor, Matron of Honor, bridesmaids, and junior bridesmaids. They wore blush stretch satin dresses with a one-shoulder neckline and removable draped sleeves from Pantora Bridal. “It was important for the wedding party to be comfortable in their attire so it was a group effort,” Joi says, “Everyone understood our vision for the day and came together to narrow down our top choices.” They each held smaller versions of Joi’s bridal bouquet, featuring a mix of vibrant pink flowers.

DeAngelo wore a custom tuxedo on his wedding day with a red brocade design and black satin-shawl collar from Miguel Wilson. The suit featured a custom lining with a car design. DeAngelo had his hair braided by Camille Crowns and a shape-up the morning of the wedding by Low the Barber. The groomsmen looked cohesive with DeAngelo in black trim-fit tuxedos with satin-shawl lapels. 

The ceremony took place in an open-air courtyard, where gold chairs were set up in a circle around the white stage altar. A floral installation overhead matched the flower arrangements surrounding the altar in hues of bright pink and blush. The aisle was blanketed with flower petals to create a dramatic entrance, both for the bride and the couple’s guests.

Two toddlers close to the couple served as ring bearer and ring security. They wore black tuxedos and had accessories including a lockbox, badge, and sunglasses. The couple’s flower girls wore ball gowns with full tulle skirts and bows in the back. The wedding party walked down the aisle to “Best Part” by HER featuring Daniel Caesar. 

Joi’s father walked her down the aisle to “Why I Love You” by Major. “Seeing my husband at the altar, being escorted by my father, and seeing all of our friends and family while walking down the aisle was a magical moment,” she remembers.

Joi and DeAngelo exchanged touching vows as they were surrounded by their closest loved ones. After jumping the broom, they celebrated down the aisle as husband and wife to Bruno Mars’s “24K Magic."

After the ceremony, Joi and DeAngelo snapped some portraits around the venue with their photographer, Terri Baskin. 

Joi and DeAngelo’s escort wall was one of their favorite personalized features from their wedding day. As a nod to DeAngelo’s last name and Joi’s new last name, Medley, the escort wall read: “You’re the Verse to Our Perfect Medley.” Highlighting the couple’s love of concerts and music, guest’s found their table numbers on custom CDs. “The seating assignment was the perfect way to give our guests insight to one of our favorite activities,” Joi explains.

The vibrant large-scale florals by Javier Valentino continued in the reception space, where guests entered through a grand entrance of floral arches. The centerpieces featured tall flower arrangements and trees to bring varying heights to the space.

The couple’s sweetheart table was placed in front of a lush flower wall and embellished with a floral runner and voluminous floor arrangements.

The place settings included gold rimmed plates and glassware paired with gold flatware. Custom menus that matched the couple’s invitation suite sat atop each guest’s plate.

After Joi and DeAngelo made their grand entrance to the reception, they had their first dance to “Make it Last Forever” by Keith Sweat and Jacci Mcghee. DeAngelo made sure to request that the DJ play go-go music throughout the reception. He also planned a garter removal dance for Joi, which ended up being one of her favorite stories from the day. “My husband did a steamy dance across the dance floor to take the garter off, dancing to “Freak Me” by Silk,” she says. “It has been one of my favorite moments to play back on video.”

Joi also shared a special dance with her father, who isn’t a big dancer. “To help him feel more comfortable, we hired a choreographer, who helped teach my dad the electric slide and helped us learn a few other dance moves to go with it,” Joi says. Her dad hurt his back the night before the wedding and took painkillers to get through the dance, but Joi didn’t find that part out until the next day. “Just thinking about how my dad didn’t want to disappoint me, did the electric slide and danced to James Brown and Beyonce while on pain meds, and didn’t miss a beat reminds me of just how much he loves me,” she shares.

The couple and their guests enjoyed listening to heartfelt toasts and drinking signature cocktails. Joi’s cocktail was the "Berry in Love Martini: with vodka, cranberry juice, tea, lemon juice, and simple syrup. DeAngelo selected the "Deez Rum Punch" with both white and dark rum, pineapple juice, orange juice, lemon, lime, and a cherry garnish.

After the big day, Joi and DeAngelo made their way to have some post-wedding relaxation on their honeymoon in St. Lucia. Looking back on the planning process, Joi has some advice for couples. ”The first and most important decision to make when beginning is finding a good wedding planner. Picking the right planner not only can save you money in the long run, but will ensure that you have a stress-free and enjoyable planning journey.”