Elegant African-Inspired Mountain Wedding

There’s something so beautiful about each wedding set against a mountain backdrop. Utah native Tyler Rye Photography captured Raynesha and Dominic’s beautiful day, and he documented all of the impressive decor by Forevermore Events and beautiful moments, even when the rain started pouring. With a strong desire to incorporate their African heritage throughout their wedding, bloomers flower & decor took cues from Raynesha and Dominic to use South Africa’s national flower and the latest hot bloom, king protea, in their arrangements. We could go on all day about this beautiful wedding but the pictures speak better for themselves.

From the bride, Raynesha: I wanted to be on top of world when I said forever. I wanted to capture the love and the way my husband looked at me in total admiration. I always wanted to get married in the mountains or somewhere outdoors because there is something so magical about nature. I envisioned a little bit of everything. I wanted touches of rich colors and gold to give a regal feel. I wanted to bring a small touch of African symbolism to celebrate our heritage. Our colors were blush, wine, and gold. Our theme was rustic elegance with a touch of African inspiration. My husband got crafty and decorated the broom we jumped over to commemorate an African-American tradition. He used burlap fabric from Michael’s which was wrapped at various stages up the handle with burgundy and gold ribbons from Ace Hardware using a hot glue gun and gold craft wire. Instead of pouring sand for unity, we used dirt from our childhood homes to join together and we plan on using that dirt to plant a tree at our first home.

King protea was the must-have of flowers. It is the national flower of South Africa. Courage, diversity, daring, and transformation are a few meanings of this amazing flower, so it was only fitting that I picked it as the main flower in my bouquet. The other flowers were there to complement the color theme. 

Although I didn’t expect it to rain, I’m so glad it did! We got through the ceremony dry but as soon as it was over it started raining. The best part was taking our photos kissing in the rain without a care in the world. There were moments when the sun peeked through the clouds and it was like a message from God that we would remember this moment forever. And we had rainbows, too! My husband was so handsome, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him. Because we had such a small number of people, I was able to remember every detail. It was truly the most peaceful day of my life.

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? For wives: When your heart is set on something, go for it. No matter how large or small the budget may be you can make it work. We had a very small budget with a big vision. We counted on having our parents and siblings and a very few friends who were more than willing to fly from Indiana to Utah to share our moment. I fell in love with Tyler Rye’s photography and everything started there and that is where we spent the bulk of the money. I wanted great detail on a small scale and wanted Tyler to capture my vision as if I was in another country. I am very happy I stuck with my gut, was able to work with an amazing photographer and videographer, and Forevermore Events made everything seamless for the day of. We made it simple and just made reservations to a fancy restaurant for our reception and we were off to Las Vegas the next day to enjoy our honeymoon.

From Dominic: It’s not a bad idea to set a budget. It HELPS, but know that flexibility will be necessary if you want your bride to have their perfect day. And do some research on your own. Knowing the average price of things like a wedding cake, floral, venues, cost per plate, helps in making that budget you set be realistic. Also, never underestimate the request for veto power. Just know you’ll be relinquishing some of the decision-making in the process. But it’s your day as well. Make sure you add little touches here or there that don’t conflict with the overall “vision” but allow you to have personal touches throughout as well.

View all images from this wedding in the galleryBe sure to check out the wedding video from Red Tie Cinema: