True Bride Bailee & Quanzee

Bailee and Quanzee posing on steps with bridal party - D3901 by Essense of Australia

Bailee and Quanzee’s love story began with a little nudge from their moms. After years of low-key matchmaking, they finally went on their first date and, two years later, tied the knot with an intimate elopement.

Surrounded by their loved ones, they said “I do” at a big summer celebration. The couple’s black-and-white wedding theme was timeless yet one-of-a kind, with Bailee choosing the elegant Essense of Australia Style D3901 as her wedding gown. She fell for the gown’s cute bow details and its column silhouette at True Society by Belle Vogue Bridal in Kansas City.

From meaningful American African traditions like “jumping the broom” and sentimental details like their vintage getaway car, we’re obsessed with the details of Bailee and Quanzee’s most special day!

BAILEE, TELL US ABOUT YOUR PARTNER.  HOW DID YOU MEET? 

Funny story: our moms actually set us up! My mom is a chiropractor and when Quanzee played college football, he got injured, so his mom sent him to my mom. I guess my mother saw something in him that made her think he’d be a perfect match for me.

Since that appointment, she has been scheming with my now mother-in-law to set us up. Five years later, we went on our first date and two years later, we got married. We skipped the proposal and had an intimate elopement, with Quanzee’s twin sister and my brother as witnesses. We kept it a secret for a bit until we were too excited to keep it hidden any longer. We then planned a big reception and party afterwards.

Bailee and Quanzee posing wearing sunglasses - D3901 by Essense of Australia

DESCRIBE YOUR BRIDAL STYLE.

I wanted to look elegant, sexy and timeless. Nothing too trendy, but unique. We had an all-black and white wedding, my husband and I were the only ones in white and our guests and bridal party all wore black. It was the best day!

Bride Bailee smiling softly wearing D3901 by Essense of Australia

TELL US ABOUT YOUR DRESS SHOPPING EXPERIENCE AT TRUE SOCIETY. WHAT DID YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT WORKING WITH OUR TRUE CREW? 

The day of, I was a bit nervous to go dress shopping, as shopping has never been something I enjoyed. I had a wide range of wedding dresses I liked, but ultimately, I wanted something elegantly sexy and timeless. It just so happened that the day I went to True Society by Belle Vogue Bridal in Kansas City, the designer of Essense of Australia was there to get feedback on her upcoming line.  

I saw a dress on a mannequin with some bows and it really stood out to me. As soon as I put  Essense of Australia Style D3901 on, I knew it was the one. I said yes to the gown and one of the veils that was STUNNING. It was special to me that I got to meet the designer and purchase the style before anyone else! I was very happy to have been a True Bride!

Bailee and Quanzee posing together on stares showing off back of style D3901 by Essense of Australia

IN YOUR OWN WORDS, TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR WEDDING.  

The nice thing about eloping was that we already had our intimate special weekend, so this was the party! Our goal was to make every guest feel comfortable and included while also having fun. We had a lot of special touches and traditions on both sides. For one, my mom and dad left their wedding in my dad’s 1980 Pontiac Trans Am in 1991, so we did the same on our wedding day and the pictures turned out incredible.

We decided to have a ceremony again for our friends and family to witness and Quanzee’s uncle, who is a pastor, “married” us for the second time. Our wedding party was quite large, with ten bridesmaids and ten groomsmen. We have incredible people in our lives and I’m so grateful for them. It was also important to Quanzee’s mom that we participated in “jumping the broom,” as it’s a tradition in African-American culture. She hand-decorated the broom for us, which now hangs in our home!

Another non-traditional special touch was that we had Quanzee’s twin sister and my brother stand by our sides when we got married. We were very close to them growing up and wanted to showcase that at our wedding. When it comes to the food, we had heavy appetizers for dinner since it is our favorite date night food.