By Attila Vermes, Creative Director for Vanessa Williams and Jim Skrip's wedding invitations
Vanessa Williams
HOW THE COUPLE MET: Vanessa was vacationing with her Daughter through Egypt in 2012 when the star first met former accountant, and now husband Jim Skrip. The two were cruising down the Nile when Vanessa, whose mother is originally from Buffalo, first sparked up a conversation with Jim after spotting his Buffalo Sabres shirt. The couple hit it off from there and enjoyed a three hour first date where they found they had a huge amount in common. Three years later the couple are now happily married.
BRIDAL PARTY: Vanessa kept her wedding very family orientated by having her three daughters, Sasha, Melanie and Jillian serve as her bridesmaids. The sisters all wore mismatched ivory gowns to compliment the elegant Egyptian theme.
VANESSA'S DRESS: Unlike most traditional brides who wear just one dress on their wedding day, Vanessa had two different gowns designed by Caren Marc Valvo. Vanessa's first gown was a silky skirt and top combination with a gold waist band. Vanessa described this gown as "magnificent" and said that she "felt like an Egyptian goddess" which was exactly the theme she was going for. The second gown, which was worn during the vows ceremony and reception, was made with ivory organza and gold leather petals. Both gowns were created to represent Jim and her romantic love story, stemming from their Egyptian meeting.
WEDDING CAKE: Sticking to the theme of all things gold the couple had their wedding cake and cupcakes made by Muscoreil, with the help of three other decorators. The four-tier wedding cake was double dark chocolate with ganache, fresh strawberries and chocolate Chantilly cream. The cake was decorated to match the bride's gown and overall wedding theme. The assortment of desserts also included 12 dozen gold crowned cupcakes and hand piped cookie hearts.
CELEBRITY GUESTS: Vanessa and Jim's wedding reception consisted of two Ugly Betty tables that seated co-stars such as Ana Ortiz and Mark Indelicato. Vanessa also had a number of her Broadway and industry friends attend her wedding, and suggested that she could have invited at least 100 more but wouldn't have had the room to fit everyone.
VANESSA'S ENGAGEMENT RING: Jim had Vanessa's engagement ring personally designed by a jeweller in Buffalo called Bomi. The jeweller's finished product included a carved lotus leaf sitting behind the engagement stone. Vanessa then had that same jeweller make necklaces for her daughters to wear on the day, Bomi also provided the actress with additional accessories to wear on the day. http://www.bomijewelers.com/
JIM'S WEDDING RING: Jim now wears a family heirloom, which belonged to his grandfather, as his wedding band. Jim's grandfather also got married at the same church as he and Vanessa, Saint Stanislaus church in Buffalo.
VANESSA'S WEDDING MAKE-UP: Vanessa decided to step out of her comfort zone when it came to her wedding make-up. Her make-up artist, Same Fine, created an exotic smokey-eye look, using bold blue colours to contrast with her white and gold gowns. Vanessa completed her exotic look with dead-straight Egyptian hair, styled by Chuck Amos.
WEDDING INVITATIONS: Vanessa and Jim had their wedding invitations made by UK design company, Adorn Wedding Invitations. The couple worked the with the Adorn team to design an elegant Egyptian themed invitation that perfectly set the wedding theme. The invitation and matching accessory cards consisted of intricate laser cut details that matched Vanessa's Carmen Marc Valvo gowns. The designers stuck to the colour theme of Marsala and gold, using gold foil for the lettering, which beautifully complimented the rest of the couple's wedding décor. As an elegant finish, the invitations all included a 14-carat gold plated lotus leaf, to match Vanessa's engagement ring. www.adorninvitations.co.uk
WEDDING DECORATION THEME: As the couple first met in Egypt, they decided to have their wedding reflect their international love story. With the help of wedding planner Carla Measer-Costamagna, their reception venue was completely transformed to look like an Egyptian wonderland. The nuptials included ivory tents, colourful flowers, Moroccan lanterns and gold from floor to ceiling. The reception entertainment showcased belly dancers, a polka band and lots of dancing from all guests present.
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