hawaii flower tattoo

Top Weddings Of The Year - celebrity weddings

FROM the island of Hawaii to the island of Manhattan, scores of prominent couples jumped the broom in the last year of the 20th century in wedding ceremonies that ranged in style from intimate and conservative to hip-hop house parties to citywide celebrations.

Double weddings were popular in 1999 with Rap stars Pepa and Treach and actress Vanessa L. Williams and NBA star Rick Fox marrying in intimate "couple-only" ceremonies and then later celebrating with formal weddings for family and friends. Sandra (Pepa) Denton and Anthony (Treach) Criss wed first in Lawrence, Kan., in a tattoo shop, and later at their New Jersey estate. Williams and Fox wed first on an undisclosed Caribbean island and later in New York followed by a posh reception at the St. Regis Hotel.

NBA star Christopher Childs and his bride, Maisha McGee, exchanged vows during a sunset ceremony in Kona, Hawaii, and then hosted a reception for family and friends at their new Georgia home.

Wedding gown styles ranged from the cool and casual styles to the classic and elegant lines of the most popular designer, Vera Wang, to the all-out-drop-dead-gorgeous styles of popular Black designers. July was by far the most popular month for weddings, with three of the celebrity couples--Grant Hill and Tamia, Treach and Pepa, and Sony executive LeBaron Taylor and his bride, Kay Lovelace--all marrying on the same Saturday, July 24. Christopher Childs and his bride, Maisha McGee, were also married in July.

Four-time Grammy-nominated recording artist Tamia and her superstar groom, Grant Hill of the NBA Detroit Pistons, managed to keep their wedding location a complete secret by marrying in a private ceremony at a private residence in Battle Creek, Mich.

A private affair was also the ceremony of choice for NFL superstar Deion Sanders when he wed model-actress Pilar Biggers in Nassau, Bahamas. The intimate wedding included only the couple's close family and friends.

Privacy was not on the menu for one of America's most eligible bachelors, New Orleans Mayor Marc H. Morial, who was serenaded by the entire city of New Orleans when he married New Orleans newswoman Michelle Miller in the city's grandest cathedral, St. Louis Cathedral, in the French Quarter. "Oh Happy Day!" read the headline of the local newspaper, the Times-Picayune, heralding the mayoral nuptials. It was the first wedding of an incumbent may bent mayor in New Orleans in 61 years, and the city celebration was second only to its Mardi Gras. More than 3,500 people attended the public reception for the couple at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, named after the groom's late father, the first African-American mayor of New Orleans.

Other notable weddings in 1999 included the unions of prominent Philadelphia couple, LeBaron Taylor, senior vice president of Sony, and Kay A. Lovelace, former associate superintendent of the Philadelphia School Board; Attorney Johnnie Cochran Jr.'s daughter, Tiffany Cochran, and the Rev. Kenneth Walker; and UNCF President and CEO William H. Gray III's oldest son, William H. Gray IV, and Jennifer Maria Quarles. Featured on these pages are some of the grandest and most exciting of the last weddings of the century.

NFL Superstar Deion Sanders married model-actress Pilar Biggers in a private, double-ring ceremony in Nassau, Bahamas, on Paradise Island that combined elegance and intimacy.

Vanessa L. Williams and Rick Fox are all aglow following their marriage in New York's Church of the Holy Trinity before approximately 100 family and friends. The bride wore a Vera Wang gown with a taupe satin bodice and a full tulle skirt for the intimate ceremony joining the singer-actress and the Los Angeles Lakers forward.

New Orleans Mayor Marc H. Morial and newswoman Michelle M. Miller were married before about 1,300 guests at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans' French Quarter. The bride's stunning wedding gown was designed by Black designer Harold Clarke Couturier Atelier. The off-the-shoulder, form-fitting creation was made of silk satin ivory organza, beaded by hand with thousands of iridescent sequins imported from Paris and also featured embroidered pastel flowers and leaves, detachable sleeves and a detachable 15-foot train. The veil was made of sheer tulle netting imported from London.

Detroit Pistons star Grant Hill married singer Tamia in a ceremony held at a private residence in Baffle Creek, Mich., attended by about 250 family and friends. The ceremony was officiated by the Rev. John H. Grant, the groom's cousin. The bride was radiant in a strapless Vera Wang ivory satin gown with a chapel train. The sparkling tiara headpiece and dress bodice were embellished with Austrian crystals and pearls. Hill's tuxedo was custom-designed to fit his 6-foot-8 inch frame by Richard Tyler of Beverly Hills.

Rap stars Sandra (PEN) Denton and Anthony (Treach) Criss (left) wed in a lavish ceremony on Denton's New Jersey estate and the reception was held in an open-air tent. The bride, of the hot hip-hop group Salt n' Pepa, wore a $15,000 ivory silk and satin wedding gown beaded with more than 1,500 teardrop crystals by Black designer Jerald Loud of Andasimo. The groom, of hip-hop's Naughty by Nature, presented his bride with a 12-carat ring. She presented him with a 6-carat band.

Actors Cedric (The Entertainer) Kyles and Terri J. Vaughn, whose "Cedric and Lovita" characters are engaged on the popular Steve Harvey Show, married other people in real life. Cast members (left) enjoy reception of Kyles and his bride Lorna Renee Wells at the Casa de Amour estate in Pasadena, Calif. The Entertainer serenaded his bride, who is an industry stylist, with the song, "You're My Angel," by Anita Baker. Vaughn (above) is radiant at her wedding to Derrick Carolina, a rapper and lyricist. Married at sunset on New Year's Day, "eye-level with the birds," the actress wore a Vera Wang gown and proclaimed the day, "perfect. It's my favorite day in my whole life."

Deion Sanders' bride, Pilar Biggers, made a striking entrance in her elegant, sleeveless white satin gown, featuring a cut-out back and dramatic cathedral train. With only close friends and family present, the pair were wed by Bishop T. D. Jakes in a gazebo set in a plush island garden overlooking a scenic lagoon. Sanders' daughter, Deiondra, was the flower girl, while his son, Deion Jr., was the ring bearer. Sanders, who designed the wedding rings, gave his bride a 10-carat ring.

Recording artist Tamia (above) serenades her superstar groom, Grant Hill of the NBA Detroit Pistons, with a surprise song, "Colour of Love." The bridal couple share a first dance as husband and wife (left), entertaining their guests under a decorated, air-conditioned tent with a five-course dinner, music and dancing. The couple pose with their parents (below, l. to r.), Calvin Hill, retired NFL Dallas Cowboys star, and Attorney Janet Hill, and Tamia's stepfather and mother, Fredrie Peden and Barbara Washington-Peden.

Mayor Marc Modal and bride Michelle Miller pose with wedding party (above) and are lost in love (right) during their cheek-to-cheek first dance to Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me." The pair leave the church (left) after proclaiming their love in vows they wrote themselves. Morial promised "my love, understanding, tender and everlasting." She described him as "my rock, my best friend, my knight in shining armor." Below, the bridal pair leave for a wedding reception that featured a traditional New Orleans second-line around the ballroom.

William H. Gray IV, oldest son of UNCF President and CEO William H. Gray III, and Jennifer Maria Quarles of Los Angeles were married at Trinity Baptist Church in Santa Monica, Calif., in a ceremony that was co-officiated by the senior Gray and the Rev. Fisher Robinson. The couple (above), with Rev. Gray and Mrs. Andrea Gray, are flanked by the groom's brothers, Andrew (far l.) and Justin (far. r.). The bride is a senior at Xavier University in Ohio. The bridegroom recently earned a master's degree in business administration from the Darden Business School at the University of Virginia. He is a marketing executive at the Procter & Gamble Company. The couple honeymooned in Europe.

Atlanta was the location for the marriage of Tiffany Cochran and the Rev. Kenneth Walker. The bride is the daughter of Attorney Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. More than 900 guests, including Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell and Georgia's governor and lieutenant governor witnessed the elaborate double-ring ceremony held at historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. The bride is a television reporter and anchor and the groom is a special assistant to the chairman of the board of Georgia Governor Roy E. Barnes' newly created Georgia Regional Transportation Authority.

LeBaron Taylor (left), senior vice president of Sony Music Entertainment, and Kay A. Lovelace, the former associate superintendent of the Philadelphia School Board, were married by the Rev. William H. Gray III at the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia. Following the wedding, the couple honeymooned in France and Italy and then held a reception for family and friends at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

NBA star Christopher Childs and his bride Maisha McGee (right) pledged their eternal love in an intimate ceremony in Kona, Hawaii, under a perfect sunset. The pair held a reception later in their new Georgia home. The bride is a model and the groom is a point guard for the New York Knicks.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group