When I think about Stephanie & Roscoe, the first word that comes to mind is badass. They’re the kind of people who know exactly who they are and what they want from life, they never back down from a challenge, and they have huge personalities that are full of confidence, charisma and comedy. They laugh together, support each other, and are always looking for ways to serve each other. And they welcome others into their lives with arms wide open, sharing stories and telling jokes until everyone feels like they belong.
My experience working with Steph & Roscoe was different than most, mainly because the groom was in charge of wedding planning! I spent a little more than a year working closely with the couple as full service clients, planning monthly meetings around Steph’s crazy schedule as a surgical resident, while Roscoe took care of not only the wedding details, but all the arrangements for their pending move to another state just a month after the wedding. When we first started working together, all they’d booked was the venue, and they knew vaguely that they wanted to include blue in the color (in part for UNC, and in part because they love the color SO much that it’s in Steph’s engagement ring). So after some digging into their hobbies, interests and relationship, we decided on a celestial theme for their wedding, since both love studying the night sky.
They also knew that, although they aren’t particularly religious, her mom wanted them to include some Catholic traditions. Stephanie and her mom were very close, so when her mom passed away in the middle of wedding planning, we knew it would be important to honor her wishes and include some of those traditions in the wedding ceremony.
After months of planning and working closely together to find the right vendors and create a design that they were over the moon about (hehe get it?), Stephanie & Roscoe were married on May 25, 2019 at the 21C Museum Hotel in Durham. The couple was really excited about their venue selection, because Roscoe is a lover of all things modern, so the art museum was right up his alley, while Steph had an undergrad degree in history and loved that the hotel was built on the bones of an old bank, and the vault was still accessible. They started their day getting ready, with the ladies in the 650 square foot Luxury Suite at the hotel, where the couple would later be spending the night. Roscoe and his grooms-people got ready off site and then met up at the hotel bar for some liquid courage before photos with Kivus & Camera.Â
With the ceremony about to begin, guests were welcomed into the hotel’s banquet hall, where they signed wooden hearts for a shadow box guest book, left cards and gifts, and paid their wishes to Stephanie’s mom at the memorial table before taking their seats. We cued DJ Ones to begin the processional music, and then Roscoe and Rev Ana entered from the side of the hall. The bridal party then entered from the back, followed by a very reluctant flower girl, and finally the beautiful bride, escorted by her brother and sister. The groom wore a dashing grey suit with custom blue bow tie, and the bride wore a lacy, cap sleeved wedding dress and a veil with tiny opals sewn in. The couple stood in front of a moon gate arch lit by string lights with 80 guests in attendance, ready to tie the knot.
In part to honor Stephanie’s mom’s wishes, and in part for her Puerto Rican relatives who couldn’t speak English, Rev Ana officiated a beautiful ceremony in both English and Spanish, with special prayers and blessings over the couple. For the vows, Roscoe said his in English and Steph said hers in Spanish, they opted for a unity candle as a commitment ceremony, and in closing, Rev Ana showered them with white rose petals while saying a final blessing. With a first kiss, Dr Stephanie Principe Marrero & Mr Roscoe Harris Jr were announced as newlyweds.
During cocktail hour, guests were invited to the second floor of the hotel to view the art gallery while the couple had photos taken outside and the banquet hall was flipped for the reception. When guests returned to the hall, the celestial Welcome sign had been flipped to show a seating chart with constellation table names, and tables were decorated with paper lanterns, candles, and glass orbs. Blue uplighting and the venues celestial-feeling light fixtures partnered with the candle and lanterns, creating unique mood lighting that set the stage for a great evening. Finally, the bridal party made their entrance, followed by the couple who entered in a cloud of smoke. Steph & Roscoe started the evening with a first dance.
A blessing and dinner followed, with the hotel’s restaurant providing a delicious plated meal. Along with a soup/salad round and sides, guests had the option of Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Shank (omg this was delicious) or Marinated Chicken, followed by dessert options Chocolate Panna Cotta and Lemon Tart. We loved that the couple chose these options, since Stephanie is a lover of all things chocolate, and Roscoe is into tart over sweet desserts. Along with the hotel desserts, the couple also cut a blue fondant cutting cake from Edible Art that was covered with edible pearls to represent the night sky.
With toasts, bouquet toss, and an awesome outfit change by the bride from her gown to a white jumpsuit, the rest of the night flew by, dance floor packed with a mix of top songs in English and Spanish. Naturally, the 21C mascot, the fuchsia penguin, made his way onto the dance floor for some late night fun before the couple ran off to enjoy their happily ever after.
The Vendors:
Venue: 21C Museum Hotel
Full Service Wedding Planner: Beauty & the Budget Events
Photographer: Kivus & Camera
Caterer: Counting House (21C Museum Hotel Restaurant)
Baker: Edible Art
Florist: Knots ‘N Such
Officiant: Rev Ana with Bilingual Ceremonies
DJ: DJ Ones
Rental (Arch): Pop the Champagne!
Rental (Chargers): CE Rental
Bartender: 21C Museum Hotel
Bridal Shop: Gilded Bridal
Groomswear: Men’s Wearhouse
Hair: Ashley Sturm Hair & Beauty
Makeup: Posh the Salon
Stationer: Lovely Little Bee
“Stephanie was our rock during the entire planning and day of process. She knew exactly when to encourage us to just breathe and not stress about every single little detail. The best thing about working with Stephanie was that it felt like she was not just another vendor, but a friend in our personal circle. She really made sure everything came together so our day could be everything we dreamed. Thank you, Stephanie!!!” – Roscoe