Julie and Kevin met in Edmonton during high school. Some like to call them high school sweethearts, although they didn't start their relationship until they entered university. It was important to them to host the wedding in their vibrant hometown, surrounded by their community, family, and friends. Julie and Kevin’s vision was to have a traditional wedding (church ceremony, reception, dance party) that had a mix of cultural elements. With Julie's mother from Trinidad and father from Ghana, they were thrilled to include Caribbean dancers and African drummers as part of their celebration.

Julie explains: "While most couples compete with other wedding hopefuls for their desired ceremony venue, we had a more unique competition. Because of the arts-centric city that we live in and the time of year, our ceremony had to finish (and more importantly start) on time in order to not interfere with a theatre performance. The annual Fringe Theatre Festival just happened to choose the date and location of our ceremony to host one of their performances. I recall seeing the lineup of theatre goers standing in confusion as we left our ceremony. Certainly they wondered whether they were witnessing true love, or some elaborate outdoor theatre performance, complete with 200 extras. It was true love."

The historic Clinker-Brick Church (sometimes theatre venue) served as a perfect backdrop for the elegant ceremony. It was brought to life by the bright stained glass windows and the energy of the people inside. In perfect juxtaposition to the church, City Hall's modern stone, steel, and glass was used for the wedding party's photo-op.

The flawless wedding day had only one small hiccup. Kevin recalls: "I remember it was hot. I was waiting at the front of the century-old church, in my tux, with no air conditioning, and one table fan pointed at my face. The ceremony was supposed to start at 2:00. I looked at my swatch; it was 2:00. I had heard the limo had broken down and was now running late. I didn't worry, however, because I knew Julie would do enough worrying for the both of us."

The event-filled reception featured Caribbean dancers, African drummers, an intimate first dance, a beautiful traditional Ghanaian dress, and even the screening of a short film. The entire day was a perfect reflection of the couple's eclectic yet classic style and celebrated how best friends found true love.

Words and Photos by Daphne Chen Photography

Interracial Wedding in Edmonton Alberta Canada with African and Caribbean Flare by Daphne Chen Photography

VENDORS

Photography: Daphne Chen Photography

Ceremony Location: Holy Trinity Anglican Church

Dress: Essense of Australia

Linens and Coverings: Exquisite Creations

Floral Designer: FaBLOOMosity

Reception Venue: Holiday Inn Conference Centre Edmonton South

Hair Sylist: Janice Patterson

Dress Boutique: Pure Bridal

Makeup Artist: Renee Rampersad

Photo Booth: Stage Lab

DJ: Talent Productions

Bakery: The Art of Cake (AB)

Bridesmaids' Dresses: The Dessy Group

Officiant: The Venerable Dr. Christopher A. Pappas

Tuxedo and Men's Attire: Tip-Top Tailors

Rings: Vandenberg's Jewellers

Cinematography: All Shook Up Films

Drummers: Wajjo Drummers

Other: Cherelle George and Bria George

Daphne Chen Photography

We are Daphne and Derek. We are a husband and wife team and we have been in operation for 8 years. Daphne is the photographer and Derek is the videographer.

Our work has been awarded at the national level and has been featured on popular publications such as The Knot, Blush, Bridal Fantasy, YegWed, Canadian Wedding Association, Style Inspired Weddings, Ultimate Wedding Magazine, Brown Sparrow Weddings, Elegant Wedding, The Inspired Bride, Modern Weddings, Chic Brown Bride and Style Inspired Weddings. I am also members of Best of Wedding Photography Association, a premier invitation-only association for the world's top wedding photographers.

We are creatives to the core and love what we do.

When we are not busy photographing or videotaping weddings, we spend a lot of our time playing with our 2 year old son. He loves cars and cookies.