This Couple’s Regal, Whimsical Garden-Themed Wedding Celebrated Their Cameroonian Roots

Nancy, an anesthesiologist from Illinois, and Kenedy, a neuroradiologist from Cameroon, say they initially connected online through their shared interest in global health and leisure traveling. Kenedy was in Tanzania at the time helping to set up a training program for physicians, and he asked for tips on things to do in Zanzibar. “Everything flowed from there,” they say, and three weeks later they met in person. Ten months after their first date at the Majestic in Alexandria, Kenedy proposed at a surprise party he arranged with friends and family, many of whom flew in for the occasion.

For their September wedding they chose a “regal and whimsical garden soirée” theme decorated in butterscotch yellow and magenta—an “explosion of color.” The decor, and the DJ—who kept the dance floor packed all night—were among the bride and groom’s favorite details.

One of the couple’s goals for the evening, they say, was to include as many African—specifically Cameroonian—vendors as possible, including partnering with Cameroonian and Nigerian designers to create custom reception outfits for some of their loved ones, to symbolize, they say, cohesion and a harmonious family. For dinner, they chose buffet-style Cameroonian cuisine with ribs, fish, and jerk chicken, a peanut-based vegetable stew called ndolé, coconut rice, and more. And for dessert: a three-tier cake layered with lemon cake and raspberry filling, coconut cake with pineapple filling, and red velvet with buttercream filling. 

Following the wedding, the couple honeymooned in Southern Africa, with stops in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Africa.

The Details

Amy Moeller

Fashion & Weddings Editor

Amy leads Washingtonian Weddings and writes Style Setters for Washingtonian. Prior to joining Washingtonian in March 2016, she was the editor of Capitol File magazine in DC and before that, editor of What’s Up? Weddings in Annapolis.