Matoli Keely Photography
The voice was loud.
Kendra heard it the first time she met Diallobe in person. The two have spoken on the phone countless times before, as they both work in the music industry. She’s VP of Marketing for Atlantic Records, he’s an award-winning music executive. So by the time they met in person for lunch to discuss a client they both worked with, they were comfortable with each other in a professional yet laid-back manner.
And then she heard a voice.
“After lunch, he offered to drive me back to my hotel. I get in the car, I look at him and a voice in my head says: you are going to marry this guyshe tells ESSENCE. “It had never happened to me before, so it was quite strange!”
It was also the start for Kendra to see Diallobe differently. While residing in New York City at the time, when she traveled to Los Angeles for work, she made an effort to see him inviting him to meet up with her and her friends.
“I think we started to like each other but neither of us said anything about it,” she says. “Then New Year’s Eve was coming up in 2015. I was in New York and I asked him, ‘Do you have any plans for New Year’s?’ He said no and I was on the next flight!We went to dinner and a Bryson Tiller concert, so I think that was our first official date.
From there, the two went from feeling quiet to knowing they had found one. He would propose to her in November 2020. Surrounded by a small group of his best friends from across the country who met in Palm Springs for a getaway to escape COVID cabin fever, he got down on one knee.
And since one of the greatest moments of their lives happened in Palm Springs, it only made sense that they decided to go back there to say “yes”. They brought family and friends to Palm Desert, which is in the heart of Greater Palm Springs and sits in a Southern California desert. There, on January 15, they worked magic with the help of extravagant flowers, twinkling lights fashioned into a tent, and personal touches that celebrated their romance — photos of them printed on delicious cocktails to an escort display fashioned into a boom box to honor their work in music.
The day was filled with overflowing joy from the guests (including a cuddly dog) to the bride and groom. For Kendra, it was also confirmation of what the voice in her head had told her that afternoon when they first met seven years ago.
“My favorite moment of our wedding day was seeing Diallobe at the altar waiting for me to walk down the aisle,” she recalled. “It’s something I’ve been dreaming about ever since we met and for it to finally happen was a dream come true.”
And speaking of dreams, wait until you see the photos of their celebration, orchestrated by Candace Hernandez of Fawn Events. Discover all the beauty of their big day and learn more about their love story. It is sure to hit a “chord”.
Sellers
Location: Villa Kemp
Planning and design: Fawn Events and Candace Hernandez
Photographer: Matoli Keely
Video: Authentic Storytellers
Catering: Petite Nelly Caterer
Bar: Snake Oil Cocktail Co.
Cake: Hi, Cupcake!
Floral: joy of blooming
DJ: Mad Skillz
Sound and technology: the index room
Violinist: Jeremy Green
Specialized rentals: Adore Folklore and Catalog Atelier
Ceremonial arch and bar backdrop: The Joy Haven
Rentals: Lighted event rentals
Lin: Lin BBJ
Lighting: Brilliant event lighting
Invitations, escort and paper goods: Velvet Fox Designs
Dance Floor: HCD Portable Dance Floors
Photo Booth: Classic Photo Booths
Dress: Sareh Nouri
Married: John Varvatos
Hair and makeup: Saisha Beecham
If you would like to submit your nuptials for consideration for a Bridal Bliss profile, send your images to [email protected]
01
How the bride knew she had found the chosen one
Kendra knew Diallobe would be her husband when that voice let her know the day they met in person. “Here we are seven years later happily married. So I guess to answer the question, I knew that from day one!
Matoli Keely Photography
02
How the groom knew he had found the chosen one
When asked when he knew Kendra was the one, Diallobe said he sensed it early on. “It should be when I took her to my hometown of Oakland to show her around before our first official first date at NYE.”
Matoli Keely Photography
03
Proposal
The couple’s stay with friends will always be one of their favorite memories. “I had friends come into town from Florida, New York and Atlanta and we just hung out, cooked dinner, relaxed and chilled by the pool,” Kendra says. “The last day we were there, everyone was hanging out by the pool eating and drinking, Diallobe got down on his knees and proposed! It was super special because he knows how much my girlfriends mean to me, so having them all there made that moment one I will never forget.
Matoli Keely Photography
04
The theme
“Our wedding theme was something we called ‘desert chic,'” she says. “When our guests asked us what to wear, we told them to dress like they were going to the Grammys or the BET Awards! Our friends are flies, so we wanted to bring all that fly to the desert.
Matoli Keely Photography
05
The place
“We also wanted to find a place where we could have all of our events in one place,” says Kendra. “When our planner brought us to Kempa Villa in Palm Desert, we knew this was the one. We were able to stay there all weekend and have our welcome reception, ceremony and reception, and brunch the day after the wedding. It was absolutely perfect.
Matoli Keely Photography
06
A special touch
“Our planner Candace Hernandez really helped bring our ideas to life!” Kendra said. “We knew we wanted to incorporate music into our decor since we both work in music. I also love taking pictures, so we wanted that to be a big part of our day. So we had a photo booth as well as disposable cameras on each table at reception. One of the highlights of our wedding reception was our escort show. It was built to look like a huge boom box and our guests’ names were printed on ‘wedding mixtapes’ for them to take home. »
Matoli Keely Photography
07
All lights
“Another sensational moment during our wedding was our glittering tent,” she says. “Our wedding reception was covered in twinkle lights which were built in the shape of a tent, so we were able to dance under twinkling lights all night long! It was truly magical.”
Matoli Keely Photography
08
Creative cocktails
“The bar company we hired, Snake Oil, has a signature method where they can print artwork onto cocktails. I had never seen anything like it before and it was definitely something that made it onto the Instagram feeds of many of our wedding guests!
Matoli Keely Photography
09
A (delicious) work of art
The stunning cake was designed by Hey there, Cupcake! from San Diego.
Matoli Keely Photography
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The bride’s most memorable moment
“My favorite moment of our wedding day was seeing Diallobe at the altar waiting for me to walk down the aisle. It’s something I’ve dreamed of ever since we met and for it to finally happen was a dream come true.
Matoli Keely Photography
11
The groom’s most memorable moment
“Too many to name but if I had to pick one, seeing my bride walking down the aisle to become my wife.”
Matoli Keely Photography
12
Husband and wife
Mr. and Mrs. Johnson make their debut after saying “yes”.
Matoli Keely Photography
13
darling decor
It’s the mix of candles, flowers and twinkling lights for us! Just magic.
Matoli Keely Photography
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On the ground
The custom floor was installed by HCD Portable Dance Floors.
Matoli Keely Photography
15
The first dance
The couple shared a sweet moment while enjoying their first dance.
Matoli Keely Photography
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It is a party
A great moment was (clearly) passed by all in honor of Kendra and Diallobe’s love.
Matoli Keely Photography
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Happy forever
Their celebration under the twinkling lights, the night sky, in the desert was a one-of-a-kind celebration. It is a day that they will certainly keep the best memories when they begin their married life. Congratulation!
Matoli Keely Photography
